FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Acquire Stanton Group

ITASCA, Ill., Dec. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE: AJG) today announced the acquisitions of Stanton Group LLC and Stanton Group Risk Management Services LLC, both headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

With roots back to 1953, Stanton Group LLC is an employee benefit broker that offers a broad range of employee benefits consulting and brokerage services to their clients throughout the Midwest and Texas including benefit analysis, planning and design; compensation consulting; training and development; actuarial and retirement consulting and employee communications support.

Stanton Group Risk Management Services LLC is a retail insurance broker providing commercial property/casualty and risk management services to their mid-western clients. They specialize in executive risk services including Directors & Officers, professional and fiduciary liability as well as Errors & Omissions and kidnap and ransom coverages.

Michael O'Brien and his associates will continue to operate from their Minneapolis headquarters. Their benefits operations in Minneapolis and Plymouth, Minnesota and Dallas, Texas will report through William Ziebell, North Central Regional Executive Vice President of Gallagher's employee benefit consulting and brokerage operations. Their retail property/casualty operations in Bloomington and Shakopee, Minnesota will report through Thomas Gallagher, Midwest Regional Manager of Gallagher's retail property/casualty brokerage operations.

"For almost 60 years, the Stanton Group has been dedicated to helping their clients maximize their human resources, benefit and insurance plans," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "Their depth of experience, client-focused service, and market relationships, will be a terrific complement to both our employee benefit and property/casualty operations. We are pleased to welcome Mike and his associates to our growing Gallagher family of professionals."

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, has operations in 14 countries and does business in more than 100 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants. Gallagher is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AJG.

CONTACT: Investor Relations, Marsha J. Akin of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., 1-630-773-3800

Web site: http://www.ajg.com (AJG)

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