From the banks of the Mississippi River in Dubuque to the mouth of China’s Yangtze River is a long way. Longer still is the distance from Shanghai to the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, then back to Iowa’s oldest town.

Ryan Butler knows this geography better than most, as his journey to success took him to all these places.

The 38-year-old, a vice president at Cottingham & Butler, distinguished himself in other endeavors outside of Dubuque before returning to his hometown.

“My reasons for getting into the insurance business were two-fold,” Butler said. “I received my MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of management. Many of the alumni work in the insurance industry. I quickly realized it’s an incredible industry. There’s also opportunity for growth. I think 50% of the workforce will be gone (to retirement) in the next 10 to 15 years.”

After achieving success building a career in real estate investment and finance, Butler said another factor in his decision to enter the insurance industry was the opportunity to become a contributor to Cottingham & Butler and work with his family.

The firm was founded in 1887 in Dubuque and has become the third largest privately held insurance brokerage firm in the country. Ryan Butler marks the sixth generation of family working at Cottingham & Butler, and he gets a lot of joy working closely with his father, Andy, and grandfather, John, who is still active and was the third employee at the firm when he joined in 1957.

The company, traditionally known for being a broker and consultant in transportation and trucking, has been expanding its reach lately, due in large part to Butler’s contributions. He has focused on developing new “verticals” or business niches in which his company can provide services.

“Ryan has led the development of three significant new verticals: Food/at business, construction and manufacturing,” explained Cottingham & Butler Senior Vice President Dean Fair. “For the past few years these verticals, (our non-trucking P&C (property and casualty) insurance has been the fastest growing part of (Cottingham & Butler). This business has more than doubled in the past five years.”

Butler uses his research and people skills to achieve exceptional results, according to Fair.

“We are winning business not by bidding or being the lowest price, but rather by offering insight and better solutions to drive long-term cost savings,” Fair said. “Ryan has built a division focused on delivering for the client. Ryan has made significant hires and new additions to the team. He has a good eye for talent and loves to coach and develop his players. Ryan started by personally leading a vertical, then has transitioned one of his prodigies into a leadership position.”

Butler’s wide range of experiences before joining his current firm are unique. For example, from 2008 to 2011, he worked for a British company called Savills. He established the first cross-border investment operation for that firm in Shanghai, China.

From 2015 to 2018, Butler lived in Chicago, serving as a vice president for AmWins Group. He worked in special risk underwriting, which is a part of the insurance industry that focuses on unusual hazards that are not normally covered by other insurers. While there, he won employee of the year. Since 2011, Butler has been involved in a real estate enterprise based in Davenport called Treetop Properties. The company provides housing to college and graduate students in the Quad Cities.

Outside of work, Butler is an active volunteer. He serves on the advisory board for the University of Iowa Vaughan institute, helping to grow the newly formed risk management program. In addition, Butler has various speaking and mentoring engagements for the program.

He also is an adviser to Brain Health Now, a grassroots organization dedicated to ending the stigma surrounding the term mental health. Butler is a student mentor at Northwestern Kellogg School of Management. Each semester, he spends time with a group of students to advise and guide them as they plan their MBA and post MBA careers.

“I get a lot of fulfillment and joy in helping others,” Butler said. “I was blessed to have a good education and have some really good mentors. It’s not just about earning a paycheck. You have to use your skills to benefit others in the community.”

The young insurance broker’s work ethic is well known to his colleagues. According to Dean Fair, “the harder (Butler) works, the more energy he gets, and that is contagious.”

He has no plans to slow down.

“I hope I can keep being a valued contributor hopefully for the next 50 years or more,” Butler said.