Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquires Strategic Health Plans Corporation

ITASCA, Ill., Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher &Co. (NYSE: AJG) today announced the acquisition of Strategic Health PlansCorporation of Carmel, Indiana. Terms of the transaction were notdisclosed. Established in 1995, Strategic Health Plans Corporation offers a widerange of employee benefit consultation and brokerage services which includebenefit planning design, report analysis, legislative compliance assistanceand employee communication strategies to their clients in the Midwest. Theyspecialize in both self-funded and fully insured benefit plans. Dane Hudsonand his associates will continue to operate at their current location underthe direction of William Ziebell, North Central Regional Manager andExecutive Vice President of Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc., a subsidiaryof Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. "A large part of Strategic Health Plans' successful growth is due totheir team-based approach to superior client service," said J. PatrickGallagher, Chairman, President and CEO of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. "Inaddition, their depth of insurance expertise and knowledge of self-fundedplans will be a wonderful complement to our Employee Benefits BrokerageDivision. We are pleased to welcome Dane and his associates to our growingGallagher family of professionals." Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage andrisk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, hasoperations in eight countries and does business in more than 100 countriesaround the world through a network of correspondent brokers andconsultants. Gallagher is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under thesymbol AJG.