As the IRMI Construction Risk Conference approaches, John Schwirtz is reflecting on the remarkable changes he has been a part of during his first two years leading the Construction business for U.S. Mid-Market at AXA XL, Americas. But he’s also looking ahead to 2026 and beyond and the tremendous opportunities for growth, particularly in the Eastern half of the U.S.
John has a reason to be optimistic about the future. The business is making inroads into new regions around the country while deepening relations with key brokers. And the entrepreneurial spirit that gives underwriters the freedom to make business decisions remains strong at AXA XL.
In this Q&A, John talks about the challenges that middle market construction companies face and what he hopes to accomplish at his second IRMI conference since joining AXA XL.
What is the state of the market now for middle market construction companies?
There are a lot of unknowns now, and the impact of tariffs and workforce stability are creating uncertainty in the market. It’s impacting some geographies more than others. Also, the evolving legal landscape is making it hard to place future bids in some areas of the country.
Construction firms that have a stockpile of materials and other necessary supplies can more accurately place a bid on projects. But for those that rely on importing goods from countries that may or may not be facing tariffs now or in the future, it can be hard to place an accurate bid that they can stand behind. Some construction firms that have the equipment and workforce in hand are pursuing opportunities outside the norm of what they typically offer where additional revenue sources may exist.
You’re attending the IRMI Construction Risk Conference in November. What are you hoping to accomplish there?
I think back to last year when we were brand new in the middle market construction space. We had just hired our second underwriter, and we had seven accounts at that time. We’re still relatively new, but we’ve had more than a year of capacity and experience in growing our portfolio and staff. We’ve focused on growing in the Midwest in the past year, so with the conference being in Indianapolis, this is an opportunity to get together with some of our key broker partners and celebrate our success. We also hope to deepen those relationships to further penetrate the market.
How has AXA XL evolved since you joined the organization in January 2024?
It’s evolved dramatically. The Americas organization is not at all the same as what it was even just two years ago. We’ve reorganized the business in the Americas to focus more on what the buyer needs and what AXA XL can bring to the market. We’ve expanded dramatically and have access now to products within our Mid-Market team that we didn’t before—environmental, inland marine and excess casualty. That makes AXA XL a more attractive insurance option. It is much easier and efficient for our brokers to offer a comprehensive insurance program consisting of products from one insurance provider instead of working with three or more insurers to support the clients’ needs. Through it all, we have retained our entrepreneurial spirit. We give our underwriters a lot of freedom to make business decisions, which allows us to be nimble and, also, to attract the kind of underwriting talent we need to keep growing profitably.
We’ve expanded dramatically and have access now to products within our Mid-Market team that we didn’t before—environmental, inland marine and excess casualty.
What’s ahead for 2026 and beyond?
Growth. We have tremendous growth goals within the U.S., and that includes future expansion out West. We’ve double our team this year on the underwriting side, which will help us expand. But we also see great opportunity to grow our inland marine business, particularly in the Midwest. We also plan to deepen our existing broker relationships, getting deeper into the local territories where we operate today.
AXA XL has been insuring the construction industry for a long time. How has that long experience and expertise helped you to support middle market clients?
It has helped us tremendously, not just from the internal expertise and the brand that that team has created in the construction space, but it also allowed us to move the starting line much further ahead because the products had already been developed. We don’t have to file construction-specific endorsements and other key coverage endorsements and products that we use on a day-to-day basis. We work in lockstep with AXA XL colleagues who focus on larger construction clients. That means we’re sometimes able to offer insurance solutions to clients that might not have been a good fit for the other side of the business. They’ve really been great partners for us.
It sounds like there’s a lot of positive momentum for you and your team to support the middle market construction space.
We are thrilled with the strong momentum we currently have in the market. Our initial partnerships have yielded exceptional results, and we have recently established strategic new relationships to further enhance our efforts. IRMI presents a valuable opportunity to celebrate these achievements with our partners and to reinforce our momentum. We remain dedicated to delivering innovative solutions tailored to the middle-market construction industry, supported by the authority and agility necessary to meet its evolving needs.
