2024-2025 NASBP President Zach Mendelson presented the Bruce T. Wallace Award and the John “Jack” J. Curtin, Jr. President’s Award at this year’s NASBP Annual Meeting. A video highlighting the significance of these awards in the surety industry was also shown, in which past Bruce T. Wallace Award and President’s Award winners related the value of getting involved in the Association and how meaningful it was to receive the awards. The NASBP & SFAA Surety Industry Awards were also announced.

NASBP Awards

The Bruce T. Wallace Award was established in 1990 in memory of the Association’s first executive vice president, who served for over 29 years, and is awarded by the Executive Committee to an individual who has distinguished himself or herself through years of exceptional service to NASBP and to the surety industry. The recipient is an individual who has performed throughout his or her career in accordance with the highest ethical standards and demonstrated a service characterized by commitment, consistency, intensity, and impact.

This year’s winner is Bill Maroney, retired from C&H Agency. Accepting the award on his behalf were Bill’s wife Florence and daughter Florence. NASBP Past President Todd Loehnert, a close friend of Bill’s, was also on stage for the presentation.

👉Click the video play button below. This video was played during the awards ceremony, featuring Florence and Flo discussing Bill’s passion for surety and what his career and volunteer work with NASBP meant to Bill and to his family.

The John “Jack” J. Curtin, Jr. President’s Award honors an individual who is chosen by the NASBP President for his or her outstanding service contributions during the President’s term to the Association and to the surety industry. The award was first presented in 2007 to John “Jack” J. Curtin, Jr., for whom the award is named.

This year’s winner is Andrew Teeter of USI.

NASBP Awards Video

NASBP recognizes the outstanding contributions of NASBP surety professionals with the Bruce T. Wallace Award and the John “Jack” J. Curtin President’s Award. Past winners of these awards describe the reasons for these awards, share their experiences, and highlight the honor and importance of these awards in the surety industry. The winners discuss how meaningful their involvement with the Association is and relate the importance of volunteering for NASBP committees to make a difference for a career and the industry. 👉 Click on the video play button below.

Surety Industry Awards

The NASBP & SFAA Surety Industry Awards recognize surety professionals and local surety associations for promoting the value and protections of contract surety bonds in construction to non-surety audiences and for advocating on behalf of the surety industry to obligees and legislators.

Winners of the Platinum and Silver Award were recognized at the 2025 NASBP Annual Meeting & Expo and the 2025 SFAA Annual Meeting.

The Platinum Award is given to an individual, who is employed by a SFAA or NASBP member company, whose efforts to promote contract surety bonds have had a significant impact on the surety industry. This award is not based on the volume of activities, but on the successful outcome of the individual’s actions in promoting the value and benefits of contract surety bonds.

This year, the Platinum Award was given to Ralph Pulver, Vice President, Construction Services/Bond with Travelers Bond & Specialty Insurance. Pulver has dedicated his career to the promotion of surety bonds. He has been a NASBP William J. Angell Surety School faculty member for 25 years, mentoring the next generation of surety underwriters and bond producers. Pulver has also testified before Congress on the value of suretyship. His underwriting has spanned various territories during his career, and he has promoted suretyship throughout his amazing career. After congratulating him, Mendelson invited Pulver to the stage to say a few words. See photo at left. Congratulations Ralph!

 

 

The Silver Award is given to Local Surety Associations (LSAs) that conduct at least five public relations and educational activities in a calendar year that promote the use of contract surety bonds in construction to non-surety, non-insurance, or non-lawyer audiences. Two LSAs were honored this year:

 

The Surety Association of Ohio made educational presentations about the importance of surety bonding to small, emerging, and minority contractor groups. They also presented to contractors enrolled in the U.S. Department of Transportation Bonding Education Program.

 

The Surety Association of San Diego presented to contractors about the basics of bonding, understanding forms, and growing a surety program. They presented at a construction expo for public agencies about the value of surety bonds for private and public contracts and also presented to the Choctaw Tribe about the benefits of bonding.