Grange Ins. Board of Directors Names Tom Welch President & CEO

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Columbus, Ohio (April 29, 2011) - Grange Insurance announced today that Thomas H. Welch, age 58, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the Columbus, Ohio, based insurance provider effective immediately. Welch had been serving as interim president and CEO since January.

"During these past three months, Tom's natural leadership ability and industry knowledge, combined with the respect he has of our agent partners, has been consistently reaffirmed," said Michael V. Parrott, Grange Mutual Casualty board chairman. "He is the perfect fit and the obvious choice to continue to lead our organization and implement the strategies we've developed for our future success. We continue to have great confidence in Tom and our entire leadership team."

Welch joined Grange Insurance in 2001 as president of the Grange Life Insurance Company. He was appointed chief financial officer in 2008. During his career in the insurance industry, Welch has held executive positions with Farmers Group, Ohio State Life and Investors Guaranty Life Insurance Companies, Central Benefits Mutual Insurance Company and Conseco Inc. He holds the Fellow of the Society of Actuaries; Member of the American Academy of Actuaries; Fellow, Life Management Institute and Chartered Life Underwriter professional designations.

Welch is a graduate of Brown University and a native of Seattle, Wa. He serves on the board of directors of the Jazz Arts Group and LifeCare Alliance.

"I'm honored that the board has trusted me with this leadership responsibility and I'm eager to continue partnering with our independent agents and associates to serve our policyholders," Welch said. "Grange is not only financially strong, but also has a top-notch management team in place to build on our solid financial foundation. Together we'll work to implement the strategy we've developed for 2011 and beyond."

Succeeding Welch as chief financial officer is J. Paul McCaffrey. Prior to his promotion, McCaffrey served as Grange's vice president, finance and chief risk officer. A certified public accountant, chartered property casualty underwriter and certified internal auditor, he earned a bachelor's degree in finance and an MBA, Accounting Concentration, from the University of Akron. He also serves as the treasurer of the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio and has been involved in many non-profit and local accounting professional organizations.

"Paul is the perfect choice to assume the role of chief financial officer for the organization," Welch said. "I have worked closely with Paul during the past three years, and he will continue to ensure Grange minimizes its risks, prudently manages its investments and maintains the financial strength that our policyholders, agents and associates demand."

About Grange: Grange Insurance, with $2 billion in assets and $1.3 billion in annual revenue, is an insurance provider based in Columbus, Ohio. Through its network of independent agents, Grange offers auto, home, life and business insurance protection. Established in 1935, the company and its affiliates serve policyholders in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.grangeinsurance.com.