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UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Applied Systems presented its inaugural Pinnacle Awards, the companyas highest customer honor, to a select group of leading agencies for their partnerships with Applied Systems and their deployment of the companyas software in making significant contributions to their businesses and the insurance industry.

"All of us at Applied Systems are honored to support these fine organizations in their innovative usage of technology for the betterment of their agencies and the business of insurance."

The company announced this yearas Pinnacle Awards today at TENCon 2012, the flagship event for users of Applied Systems software. The award recipients were selected based on their embodiment of the spirit of the Pinnacle Award, including innovation in product deployment, the power of partnership, and the ability to deliver proven and tangible business results to their organizations.

The 2012 Pinnacle Award winners are: Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.; Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG); Harrington Insurance Agency, Inc.; Hoffman Brown Company; and Willis North America, Inc., a unit of Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH).

aEach of these key industry leaders has used Applied Systems software to achieve their business objectives with greater efficiency and speed than ever before,a said Reid French, Applied Systems chief executive officer. aAll of us at Applied Systems are honored to support these fine organizations in their innovative usage of technology for the betterment of their agencies and the business of insurance.a

Pinnacle Award Winner Profiles

Alliant Insurance Services, Inc., headquartered in Newport Beach, California, is one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the United States and has a history dating back to 1925. Alliant selected Applied Systemsa Epic to deploy a single enterprise agency management platform to streamline their operations and better serve their more than 20,000 nationwide clients. A large measure of their success has been due to outstanding coordination between their IT department and the business team to foster local subject matter experts. In addition, Alliant has pioneered the integration of CSR24 and Epic, placing the agency at the forefront of extending customer self-service capabilities to the insured.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., (NYSE: AJG), an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, has operations in 17 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 110 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Currently representing the largest single user of Applied Systemsa Epic, Arthur J. Gallagher began the move to Epic as an early adopter with Epic 3.0. Gallagheras outstanding technical staff has successfully aligned their business processes and technology with Epic to enable multiple new offices to merge into the largest single instance of Epic each and every month.

Harrington Insurance Agency, Inc., a member of the Arbella Insurance Group, is a leading provider of insurance products ranging from personal to commercial lines in the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine. Committed to technology as a business enabler, Harrington moved to Applied Systemsa EpicOnline to replace their six separate databases and three systems with a single enterprise agency management platform. Due to the efficiencies gained through Epic, they have seamlessly added multiple locations, significantly increased premium under management, and effectively moved to a paperless office.

Hoffman Brown Company, established in 1961, is an elite independent broker of insurance in Southern California and one of the early adopters of cloud-based Applied Systemsa EpicOnline. Understanding the benefits and business impacts of moving to a new agency management system, Hoffman Brown became an integral part of the Epic beta program, inviting Applied Systems product management to work in their offices in the development of enhancements and workflows to improve the business value they can provide their clients. It is this commitment to success that ranks Hoffman Brownas customer satisfaction amongst the highest in our industry.

Willis North America, Inc., a unit of Willis Group Holdings (NYSE: WSH), is a leading global insurance broker that provides risk management and human capital solutions across a wide range of industries. The operation includes more than 200 retail offices across the United States, Canada and Mexico as supported by over 6,000 employees. As one of the largest and most sophisticated insurance brokers in North America, Willis selected Applied Systemsa Epic to provide their organization with a single enterprise agency management platform to streamline operations. Their detailed requirements and sophisticated processes have resulted in the development of advanced accounting capabilities and best practice workflows within the Epic platform.

To learn more about the Pinnacle Awards, visit [ www.appliedsystems.com ].

About Applied Systems

Applied Systems is a leading provider of software that powers the business of insurance. The company is recognized as a pioneer in agency management systems and data exchange between agencies, brokers, carriers and their clients. By automating the insurance lifecycle, Applied Systems software enables millions of people around the world to safeguard and protect what matters most. To learn more, please visit [ www.appliedsystems.com ].