Becker Business Podcast: Consultant of the Month

Guest: Ryan Spalding, Managing Advisor at Gibson
Host: Scott Becker
Release Date: January 22, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of Becker Business, Scott Becker interviews Ryan Spalding, Managing Advisor at Gibson, about his career journey, the evolution of the property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry, misconceptions companies have about insurance, and strategies for building effective risk programs. Spalding reflects on lessons from building and selling his own agency, emerging trends in cyber insurance, and Gibson's culture and growth strategy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Ryan Spalding’s Career Journey and Gibson’s Growth

• Background & Family Roots in Insurance
  • Grew up in a family involved in insurance since 1905
  • Built an agency in Skokie, IL, focusing on healthcare facilities
  • Joined Gibson after selling his agency to expand Gibson’s footprint in Chicago
• Gibson’s Expansion & Merger
  • Gibson recently merged with Unison Risk Advisors, expanding resources and capabilities
  • Spalding’s goal: grow Gibson’s Chicago team from a dozen to up to triple that size
  • "It's the resources that I now have at my disposal are something I've never been able to bring to the table for the clients." (Ryan Spalding, 01:38)

Where Companies Get P&C Insurance Wrong

• Underestimating the “Math Game” in Insurance
  • Many companies focus too long on minimal deductibles and cost-cutting, missing smarter risk retention as they scale
  • "When you go from a $25,000 deductible per claim and at your first building and now you've got a portfolio of 25, 30 locations, it doesn't make sense to pay the additional premium to kind of keep those retentions and attachment points that lower." (Ryan Spalding, 02:50)
  • Emphasizes leveraging operational risk management to confidently raise deductibles and save on premiums
• Not Holding Brokers Accountable
  • Companies often accept "a binder full of fluff"—promises of services that are not delivered
  • Importance of brokers providing real services: regular loss prevention, monthly analysis, proactive claims management
  • "Those businesses that demand more from those providers are always going to get more." (Ryan Spalding, 04:16)

Building a True Risk Management Partnership

• Signals of a Well-Run Company
  • Responsiveness and organization in providing loss runs and discussing past claims
  • Regular claims reviews and honest internal reporting
• Culture & Accountability
  • “Safety culture” as a leading indicator of risk management effectiveness
  • Brokers must be partners, not just salespeople—holding clients accountable for agreed risk practices
  • "I fired some clients in my life, Scott, that wanted to, to get better, but when we tried to do the things, they didn't have any interest in doing it. And insurance is a reputation game." (Ryan Spalding, 07:34)
• Business Strategy, Not Just a Cost
  • Insurance impacts competitive advantage: higher claims and poor safety means higher premiums, which squeeze margins elsewhere
  • Creative use of insurance programs can directly affect the bottom line
  • "Insurance can be weaponized when you do the right things to add to the bottom line." (Ryan Spalding, 08:30)

The Cyber Insurance Landscape

• Critical Threat and Organizational Resiliency
  • It's not “if,” but “when” a cyber event will occur
  • Tabletop cyber breach exercises are essential; most organizations aren’t prepared
  • “We need to either have a tabletop exercise...because when that day occurs, and it's going to occur, it is going to be chaos.” (Ryan Spalding, 10:06)
• Safeguards and Coverage Realities
  • Insurance market has driven better cybersecurity hygiene (MFA, training, etc.), but human error remains
  • Denial of claims is rare, but payout processes—especially for ransomware—are complex
  • “We can have...the risk and don't click the link and...always call to verify before you send the wire. But every single day we read the stories about somebody...that did the wrong thing, no matter how educated they are.” (Ryan Spalding, 12:26)
  • The importance of not relying solely on IT or an outsourced IT team for cyber defense
  • “If your IT individual was so good, they would not be working for you. They would probably be out in Silicon Valley...” (Ryan Spalding, 14:25)

Gibson’s Team & Culture

• Distinctive Culture of “Insurance Sickos”
  • CEO Tim Layman credited for building a “scrappy” culture—people who love tackling industry challenges and going above and beyond for clients
  • Company expansion into Chicago, Scottsdale, Salt Lake City, Grand Rapids—Gibson aims to advocate proactively for clients, not just follow insurance market trends
  • “They're in the, in the online world, they'd be called like insurance sickos. You know, where they love the industry, they love coming up with solutions, they love different thought process.” (Ryan Spalding, 15:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Risk Retention:
  • “I do believe that people not, not gambling on their own operations is probably where they throw away the most dollars when, when it comes to insurance.” (03:34)
• On Accountability:
  • “My role as a broker is to hold you accountable for the things that we agree on.” (07:13)
• On Cybersecurity:
  • "In the cyber world, we're all kind of screwed. And I hate to say it that way, but that's pretty blunt." (10:37)
• On Executive Overconfidence:
  • “If your IT individual was so good, they would not be working for you.” (14:25)
• On Gibson’s Culture:
  • “Tim Layman, The CEO has built this incredible culture of scrappy insurance people...people that go so far above and beyond for the client.” (15:39)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:45] Ryan Spalding introduces himself and discusses his career journey
• [02:27] Common mistakes companies make in insurance as they scale
• [04:14] Holding brokers accountable and importance of delivering promised services
• [06:30] How to spot well-run companies in terms of risk and safety culture
• [08:34] Framing insurance as a business strategy, not just an expense
• [09:58] How he advises CEOs on business protection and readiness
• [12:00] Issues and realities in cyber insurance and organizational safeguards
• [14:15] Overreliance on IT departments and executive misconceptions
• [15:37] Gibson’s culture, growth, and client advocacy

Summary Flow

This episode is a deep dive into how companies should approach risk and insurance, especially as they grow. Spalding calls out common pitfalls—clinging to low deductibles, treating insurance as a static cost, and failing to demand more from brokers. He challenges listeners to adopt a quantitative, partnership-first mindset and to make insurance a proactive part of business strategy. The cyber insurance discussion is especially urgent, with Spalding’s blunt warning that every company will face breaches and that resilience and preparedness, not just coverage, are vital. He closes with insights on Gibson’s expansion plans, unique culture, and the passionate leadership driving their approach to client service.

For those in leadership or risk roles, this episode is a wake-up call: insurance isn’t just about cutting checks—it’s a strategic lever, a discipline, and more than ever, a test of organizational readiness.