Leadership Team
Originally from Seoul, Korea, Young immigrated to the United States when he was a child. He has called Denver, Colorado home since 1977. He graduated from the University of Colorado with a BA in psychology. He belongs to the Denver Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau. He was the man of the year for several insurance companies and he has sat on numerous insurance advisory boards. He is a dedicated family man consisting of his wife, Esme, and his son, Max, who has become the joy of their lives. He started his insurance career in 1993 with an emphasis on life insurance for the first 5 years and eventually developed Premier Group Insurance, Inc. in April of 1999. His vision for PGI was to marry quality insurance carriers with experienced insurance agents while providing ongoing training, support and guidance.
Today, the vision is being realized with hundreds of productive and profitable agents across the country balanced with superior internal support from the experienced PGI team. PGI’s success is directly connected to one statement: “We do what we say”.
Rex Hickling lives and breathes insurance. For over 25 years he worked for two fortune 100 Companies within the Insurance Industry. (Safeco and Travelers) Within those companies, he worked in every capacity you can imagine. He started as an Underwriter with Safeco in Southern California after graduating from Colorado University in Boulder. While working at Safeco and climbing the Leadership ladder, Rex attained his CPCU designation. Rex has worked with 1000’s of Captive and Independent agencies across America in Senior Leadership roles.
Today as President of Premier Group Insurance, he details the path to success for 100’s of prosperous agencies, the culmination of which is celebrated by carriers throughout the industry every year!
Shawn Michael Walker has over 20 years managing company resources on both the AGENCY and CARRIER side of the Independent Agency equation. While attending the U of U, he managed one of the largest independent agencies in Salt Lake City. Upon graduating he took a job in Sales Management on the carrier side. He was promoted to a Leadership role where he managed Personal and Commercial products and six Territory Sales Managers in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico (126,000,000 in WP). He returned to CO to team up with Premier Group Insurance. Today, as Senior Vice President, He works with our only client: our Agents, and our only stakeholder: our Carriers, to maximize growth and earnings.
Areli Enriquez joined Premier Group Insurance in 2008 and has the distinction of being its first decade-long employee. Having started in an entry-level position, she has worked her way up the ranks to her current position as Assistant Vice President of Commissions, Accounting, & Licensing.
Hailing from Zacatecas, Mexico Areli came to the United States at 3 years old and holds an unwavering belief in the power of hard work and maintains that anything is achievable through commitment and perseverance. Her positive outlook and determination have served as an inspiration to her colleagues and peers and her dedication and work ethic has been instrumental in her ascent through the organization.
Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys exploring new destinations through travel and cherishes spending quality time with her family.
Matt Genova has over 15 years of Commercial Insurance experience. Matt was a successful producer for many years prior to leaning into department and agency management. Matt has worked with large middle market accounts, small businesses, and specialty vertical programs, all across a wide range of industries. Utilizing his extensive experience, Matt has built a best-in-class training and consulting group here at Premier Group Insurance that is supporting our agent’s development of thriving and profitable commercial practices. Matt is a native of Massachusetts, an alum of the University of Colorado, and lives in Highlands Ranch, CO with his wife and two children.
Eric Blakeman has over 19 years of Personal Lines Insurance experience.(16-Liberty/Safeco, 3-PGI) Eric started his career in AZ, as a successful sales producer at Liberty Mutual’s DRC before moving into Lead and Managerial roles. Eric moved to CO in 2012, transferring to Safeco Insurance, where he successfully built and managed their License Sale Center until 2020, when he joined Premier Group Insurance. Eric has many responsibilities at Premier Group Insurance. He leads Premier’s PL Training Department, Service Center, HO Administrative team as well as acts as a POC for Premier Plaza’s operations and vendor relationships.
