04 / About

Pittsburgh brokers since 1987

Ed Brenner started Granite Ridge to insure the steel fabricators and contractors his father worked beside. Today 38 people serve 640 clients from the Strip District.

Story / 39 years

A broker that reads the contract first

In 1987, most contractors bought insurance from generalist agents who had never read a subcontract. Ed Brenner built Granite Ridge around one habit: read the contract, then build the program to match it.

His son Walt took over in 2004 and added a risk control team in 2015, after watching good companies lose bids over a high mod. The habit has not changed. Every new client relationship starts with their contracts on the table.

1987
Ed Brenner opens Granite Ridge on Penn Avenue with 11 contractor clients.
1996
First bonding program for public school projects.
2004
Walt Brenner becomes principal.
2015
Risk control team launches with a Certified Safety Professional.
2026
38 people, 28 carriers and 640 clients in five states.

Principles / How we work

Three rules we hold ourselves to

RULE 01
Read the contract first
We quote what your contracts require, not a generic package. That is why certificates pass the first time.
RULE 02
Stay through the claim
Your account team handles the carrier, the adjuster and the paperwork until the claim closes.
RULE 03
Measure ourselves
We track certificate turnaround, retention and client mods, and we share the numbers every year.

Team / Your account team