J. Hyatt Brown

J. Hyatt Brown chairs New York Stock Exchange-traded Brown & Brown, the sixth largest insurance brokerage in the U.S.His father, J. Adrian Brown, cofounded the company in Daytona Beach in 1939, and Hyatt became CEO in 1961. Under Hyatt, Brown & Brown grew from a local, family-owned business to a national firm with over 7,000 employees and 200 offices.Hyatt's son, J. Powell Brown, took over as CEO in 2007; the elder Brown remains chairman. J. Hyatt Brown owns 15% of Brown & Brown.