Applied Underwriters Hails Founder’s Global Reach Initiative to Secure Return of US Citizens Held Hostage or Wrongfully Detained Abroad

Jamie Sahara, President of Applied Underwriters, cites insurance-related skill sets fittingly applied to critical service for those held by criminal gangs, terrorist groups, or foreign governments

Omaha, Nebraska -- Tuesday, February 27, 2024 -- Jamie Sahara, President of Applied Underwriters, expressed solidarity and support for Applied’s Founder and Chairman, Steve Menzies, upon his founding of a new nonprofit organization, Global Reach, to consolidate professional staff, nonprofit, and commercial resources together for the purpose of rescuing US citizens held hostage or otherwise wrongfully detained outside the US.

Mr. Sahara stated: “We support Steve’s carrying forward the work of the late Governor Bill Richardson’s third-party intervention and his record of success in helping to bring Americans home and out of harm's way. This is true engagement philanthropy well beyond simple giving, and we at Applied see in it a clear-cut application of several principles we trade in daily: loss control, risk management, recovery and, above all, care for victims of hardship at all levels. This is a courageous, singular effort, and we praise Steve for his leadership of it.”

Mr. Mickey Bergman, the long-standing Vice President and Executive Director of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, has been named to lead Global Reach as its CEO and to join together with a bench of experienced officers who have worked from both inside government and the nonprofit sector to collaborate with US government officials, foreign officials, business leaders, regional experts, other non-governmental organizations, and other third parties on a case-by-case basis.

Mr. Sahara explained how Global Reach will prove a unique resource in the sphere of human rights: “The leadership team Steve has assembled includes top-level individuals with an exceptional mix of skills, experience, and expertise; from national security, Track Two diplomacy, and private sector business relationships with foreign governments, to research and intermediation with families of victims. The complexity and depth of knowledge these cases require often transcends governmental and other established resources, indicating the need for identifying and realizing a sophisticated approach that adds up to the result they seek: the freedom of US citizens wrongfully detained. In Mickey Bergman, Global Reach has the ideal leader for the marshaling of strengths worldwide to help our fellow citizens—a promise Steve made to Bill Richardson and will keep with our added commitment.”

Mr. Bergman said "Steve Menzies and his Foundation have been generous, committed strategic partners to Governor Richardson. Following the Governor’s recent passing, Steve and I recognized that the mission had to continue, and the need was only becoming greater. His relationships in the business community and entrepreneurial approach amplify our ability to support families in our effort to bring Americans home and to be the go-to source for the most needful cases.”

Mr. Sahara concluded, “Insurance companies work tirelessly each and every day to help people who have suffered loss and tragedy. Collectively the insurance industry possesses immeasurable expertise and vast capabilities to assist with every conceivable sort of loss from caring for those when their home burns down, to negotiating a cyber ransom, to investigating stolen art. Steve has taken his expertise and knowledge won from a career in insurance as a way for us to give back beyond the usual corporate foundation that writes needed, yet passive grants. The formation of Global Reach is a unique accomplishment and point of pride for all of us at Applied and for the greater insurance community.”

For further information, contact press@auw.com.

About Global Reach (www.reach.global)
Global Reach, a 501(c)(3) organization, represents and works on behalf of the families of victims held hostage or otherwise wrongfully detained outside the US, at no cost to them. Global Reach is funded by concerned private citizens who are committed to the mission and want to do what they can to help innocent Americans. It does not accept money or any form of donation from the families served or from returned detainees. Global Reach also does not accept grants or donations from the US or foreign governments.

About Applied Underwriters (www.auw.com)
Applied Underwriters® is a global risk services firm that helps businesses and people manage uncertainty through its business services, insurance and reinsurance solutions. As a company, Applied Underwriters has been distinguished by its innovative approaches to client care and by its strong financial strength. Applied Underwriters operates widely throughout the US, UK, EU and Middle East. Its operational headquarters is located in Omaha, Nebraska.