AmWINS Group, Inc., a leading specialty wholesale insurance distributor, has been included among the Top 15 private companies in North Carolina, according to the N.C. Top 100, an annual ranking by Grant Thornton that ranks the state’s largest private companies.

AmWINS is ranked No. 14 in the 2013 compilation, continuing a trend that has shown the Charlotte-based company making a steady climb among the rankings in each of the four years it has participated in the survey since 2010. Previous AmWINS Group rankings among the N.C. Top 100 have been: 16 (2012); 22 (2011); 23 (2010).

“We constantly strive for a better way to do things in every part of our business, and I’m proud that our steady, stable growth is reflected in this list over the last four years, during what has arguably been one of the most tumultuous and volatile economic periods in recent history,” said M. Steven DeCarlo, CEO of AmWINS Group. “A lot of our success is due to the culture we have instilled here, which in turn allows us to attract the best local and national talent across our group.

“It’s great to be recognized among the most successful private companies in our state, and we are equally proud of our role as a leader in our industry and our community,” DeCarlo said.

AmWINS Group, Inc. (“AmWINS”) has been a leader in the wholesale insurance industry since its formation in 1998. The firm is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina and has 90 locations across 18 countries, including 60 in the United States. The firm has expertise across a diversified mix of property, casualty and group benefits products. AmWINS also offers value-added services to support some of these products, including product development, underwriting, premium and claims administration and actuarial services.

With more than 2,800 employees, AmWINS is an amalgamation of 30+ wholesale brokerage, underwriting and group benefit operations which have been acquired over the course of 12 years. The firm currently receives more than 250,000 submissions a year from retail insurance agents across the United States. More than $8.7 billion in premium placements makes AmWINS the second largest wholesale broker in the U.S. as ranked by Business Insurance magazine. AmWINS has extensive relationships with more than 17,000 retail insurance brokerage firms and more than 1,500 insurance underwriting firms.