Buffalo Business First has recognized Charles E. Makey, III, President and Chief Executive Officer of Merchants Insurance Group, on its annual Power 250, a list which highlights Western New York’s most influential leaders, for the third consecutive year.
Candidates are selected by a committee comprised of the publication’s editors and reporters. This year, Mr. Makey ranks #177 on the publication’s 12th annual Power 250 list.
On receiving this distinction for a third consecutive year, Charles Makey stated: “I am honored to be on the Business First’s Power 250 list again with so many strong leaders in the Western New York community.”
In February 2024, Charles Makey was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer of Merchants Insurance Group and has served as the company’s president since 2021. Mr. Makey is the 10th president in Merchants’ 106-year history.
Mr. Makey’s career with Merchants Insurance Group spans three decades, beginning in 1996 when he joined the company as Director of Sales. In 1998, he was promoted to Assistant Vice President/Regional Manager of Merchants’ New England Regional Office. He spent six years in this position before he was named Vice President and Regional Manager of the company’s Central States Strategic Business Center in Dublin, Ohio in 2004.
In 2009, Mr. Makey became the Senior Vice President of Insurance Operations at the Merchants Insurance Group corporate headquarters in Buffalo, New York. On April 1, 2021, he was appointed President of Merchants Insurance Group, and in his most recent promotion last month, he was named President and Chief Executive Officer.
Charles Makey earned his Master of Business Administration from Daniel Webster College in 2007. He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and management from St. Bonaventure University and a degree in Business Acumen from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Mr. Makey also holds several designations from the Insurance Institute of America: Associate in Insurance Services (AIS), Associate in Management (AIM), and General Insurance (INS).
Mr. Makey currently serves as a board member, trustee, or council member for a number of organizations, including:
- New York Insurance Association (NYIA) – Board Member, Immediate Past Chair (served as Chair for a two-year term, 2022-2023).
- New York Insurance Scholarship Foundation (NYISF) – Board Member, Trustee
- Long Island Insurance Education Foundation (LIIEF) – Board Member, Director
- AON Client Advisory Board Member
- Birdsong Association – Board Member, Treasurer
- Invest Buffalo Niagara – Board Member
Click here to view Buffalo Business First’s Complete 2024 Power 250 List.
