Columbia, South Carolina (USA) is home to some thirty companies who provide information technology, services, or outsourcing to the global insurance industry.  Some of these companies are purely focused on technology; others are insurers or intermediaries with strong technology operations.  These firms employ 8,000 to 10,000 insurance technology and services professionals.  It is one of Columbia's most important industries and its payroll impact alone to the local economy is over half a billion dollars a year.  Columbia has a rich history in this field and is recognized around the world as a leading center of insurance technology. 

In September 2006, some of these companies began to seek how they might collaborate...especially for the purpose of growing the talent pool for the future growth of their respective companies.  These efforts were dubbed the Columbia Insurance Technology Cluster (CITC), evoking the economic "cluster" terminology popularized by the research of Harvard professor Michael Porter, and adopted by South Carolina business and political leaders as key to growing the state's economy.  By September 2008, an annual budget had been proposed and a process for formalizing the organization including election of officers was launched.  This page is dedicated to the CITC and its interests.

As the CITC has yet to officially organize, its unofficial board met Tuesday, September 10 in the board room of the Municipal Association of South Carolina on Gervais Street in Columbia to launch efforts to formally organize the group with a governing board, elected officers, and proposed budget for 2009.

Present and unanimously voting for the launch were:

Pete Ashi (CSC), Lonnie Emard (BCBSSC), Terry Floyd (T.M. Floyd), Joe Doyle (Eagle Eye Analytics), Barbara Blau (DP Professionals), John Denise (Advanced Automation Consulting), Stan Dowd (Unum), David Keels (The Benefit Company), Bentley Murrell (SEEC), Robert Phibbs (CAIC Worksite), Jeff Thompson (Municipal Association of South Carolina), Alan Whelchel (Colonial Life), and Mary Onate (Innovation Group).

Also present and supportive were representatives of New Carolina: Neil McLean, Greg Hilton, and Katherine Robinson; and the Columbia Chamber of Commerce: Grant Jackson.