Record Crowd Honors Royce Cross as the 2024 Insurance Professional of the Year
Mr. Cross is the Chairman of Cross Insurance
On Friday, October 4, a record crowd of more than 500 people attended the Insurance Library’s 22nd Insurance Professional of the Year Award Gala in honor of this year’s recipient Royce Cross, Chairman of Cross Insurance. The event, which was held at the InterContinenal Boston, included a social and networking period, a record setting silent auction, and a luncheon and award ceremony. Proceeds from the event support the Library’s programs, services, and operations.
Library Executive Director Michael Pezza Jr. opened the luncheon with welcoming remarks, Library trustee and Counsel Nancy Adams served as host, and Library President and Board Chair Sonya Ross delivered a Moment of Thanks, acknowledged Royce Cross’s stature in the insurance industry, and welcomed the young insurance professionals sitting at the Library’s NextGen table.
During lunch, surprises included an appearance by the Boston Bruins mascot Blades, who presented Mr. Cross with a “Cross 54” Bruins jersey (commemorating his 54 years in the insurance business) and an autographed Bruins Legends hockey stick. Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn presented a City Council resolution honoring Mr. Cross, and State Senator Nick Collins thanked the Insurance Library for all it does for the community and presented Mr. Cross with a Massachusetts State Senate citation honoring him. An unexpected live auction of Patriots VIP ticket packages donated by Kraft Sports and Entertainment was an additional surprise.
In his remarks to the crowd, Murry Kohl, Vice President of Kraft Sports and Entertainment, noted that Royce Cross’s leadership and vision strengthened the bond between Cross Insurance and the Kraft Group and have had an indelible impact across New England. He noted Cross’s “integrity, hard work, and honesty,” and described him as the “epitome of what it means to be an insurance professional: a trusted advisor, confidant, and partner in helping us build and maintain a comprehensive insurance program and stable business model.” Kohl also acknowledged that Cross Insurance is a cornerstone of the Patriots charitable efforts. At the conclusion of his remarks, Kohl presented Mr. Cross with a number 70 Patriots jersey in honor of the agency’s 70th anniversary.
Jonathan Cross, Royce’s son and CEO of Cross Insurance, cited his father’s “courage, determination, incredible optimism … and infectious passion.” He described his father’s ability to do what others could not, resulting in building the agency into one of the largest insurance brokers in the country, while still based in the small town of Bangor, Maine.
Before presenting the award to Mr. Cross, Michael Pezza noted that the Insurance Library created the Insurance Professional of the Year Award in 2002 in the spirit of an award that had been given by the Boston Board of Fire Underwriters for more than 40 years. Pezza explained that the Library’s award recognizes annually “an insurance professional who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, exemplifies qualities that foster commitment to, understanding of, and respect for the insurance industry, has the respect and admiration of the insurance community, and is recognized as being honest, hardworking, and public spirited.”
Pezza noted that nominations the Library received in support of Cross had several common elements, including recognizing him as the driving force behind the impressive expansion of Cross Insurance from an agency that Royce’s father started in a kitchen, to a major presence throughout New England, New York, Florida, and nationally. Nominations also cited his love of his business, meeting and learning about new clients and their businesses, and closing a deal.
After listing other attributes offered in support of Royce Cross’s nomination, including his love of working with his family members and his dedication to his employees, Pezza concluded by stating, “It’s easy to see why the selection committee chose Royce Cross to receive the award this year, but don’t just take our word for it. Look around this room. Look at the record crowd gathered here today to honor Royce Cross, many of you with no prior connection to the Insurance Library, and you can understand why we are all gathered here today to honor Royce Cross.”
After accepting the award, Cross expressed that he was taken aback, and asked, “How do you say thank you to everybody? Where do you start and where do you stop?” He acknowledged his team at Cross Insurance and, not surprisingly, explained the importance of team effort with a football analogy. “In order to have a good field goal, you’ve got to start with a good block. You’ve got to go with a good snap. You’ve got to go with a good hold. And you’ve got to have a good kick. Without everything working together, you don’t get it. Without the contribution of [so many of those in] this room, it just never would have happened. It just couldn’t have happened.”
After regaling the crowd with a series of humorous anecdotes, Cross commented that “there has never been a better time to be in the insurance business than today.” He concluded his remarks by quoting what his father told him late in his father’s life, as Royce was taking over the family business. “It’s very easy to get discouraged, but I always tried to figure out the problem. I didn’t run from it. And if I needed help, I’d get it. And if I needed to do more work, I did it.” Cross then thanked everyone again and said the day was “over the top.”
A slideshow from this year’s event
The following is a slideshow from this year’s luncheon with photos by R. Castagna, courtesy of The Insurance Library.
More about the Insurance Library Association of Boston
The Insurance Library Association of Boston was founded in 1887. It is the country’s first and only remaining independent library dedicated solely to the subject of insurance. The Library’s mission is to provide members of the insurance, financial security, risk management, and legal communities, and the public, with high-quality educational programming, opportunities for engagement and networking, and unique insurance research resources and services. The Library’s vision is to be recognized as the preeminent nonprofit provider of such educational 3 of 3 programs and other services, build upon its unique position as a hub for networking and engagement, and continue to expand its reach nationally. The Insurance Library is a nonprofit organization recognized as tax-exempt by the Internal Revenue Service. More information about the Library, including membership, other upcoming events, and educational programs may be found on its website, www.insurancelibrary.org
