DOWLING HALES ANNOUNCES ANOTHER TOP 100 TRANSACTION: GOWRIE HOLDINGS, A HALES 100 BROKER, ANNOUNCES ITS SALE TO RISK STRATEGIES. Dowling Hales served as exclusive financial advisor to Gowrie Holdings Inc. (“Gowrie”), the largest independent marine-focused insurance broker in the U.S., in its sale to Risk Strategies. Founded in 1974 and based in Connecticut, Gowrie Holdings Inc. is a top 100-ranked U.S. insurance broker with two operating subsidiaries: Gowrie Group – a retail insurance broker offering property and casualty insurance, employee benefits solutions and a handful of specialty programs aligned with specific affinity segments. Maritime Program Group – a marine-focused specialty MGA and the largest program underwriter of recreational marine insurance in the U.S. Maritime Program Group and Gowrie Group will continue to operate under their respective brands, and will be led by Chris Pesce and Ed Gumbrecht post-transaction.