Independent risk management consultants · 85+ years

Guiding businesses through risk.

Impartial risk advice. No commissions. No conflicts. We review your entire insurance program, paid only by you, never by insurers or brokers.

Independence

Advice that answers only to you.

No commissions or incentives influence our analysis, advice or advocacy. That is what allows us to deliver professional, equitable and unbiased risk management advice.

  • We don’t sell insurance

    We never engage in the sale of insurance, so there is no product to push and no placement to protect.

  • No intermediary ties

    We are not related to any insurance broker, agent, third-party administrator or other intermediary.

  • Fee-based, client-paid

    Our services are exclusively fee-based, with payments made directly by our clients — full stop.

Services

What we do.

Crain Langner provides independent risk management and insurance consulting to organizations with complex exposures, from public and private companies to real estate owners, nonprofits and public entities. Our services begin with a thorough review of your operations, contracts and insurance program, identifying coverage gaps, redundant spending and exposures that may be going unaddressed.

From there, we design and manage your insurance program and guide the strategic decisions that shape it, which can include conducting RFP and marketing processes, evaluating broker and carrier proposals, and recommending appropriate limits, retentions and alternative risk financing strategies. We review leases, vendor agreements, M&A agreements, loan documents, and other third-party contracts to ensure risk is transferred where it belongs, develop loss control and safety programs, and help reduce your total cost of risk over time.

When a loss occurs, we advise on claims strategy and advocate for fair, complete recovery. And through PolicyStack, our AI-powered platform, clients can keep their entire program organized, searchable and renewal-ready year-round.

We can be engaged on a time-and-expense basis for specific projects or on an annual retainer for ongoing consultation. Because we are paid only by our clients and never by insurers or brokers, every recommendation we make is shaped solely by your interests.

Principles

Three principles behind every engagement.

  1. Analysis

    We see your program the way an underwriter would, from your side of the table.


    We dig into your operations, contracts, loss history and policy language to find the gaps, overlaps and hidden costs that routine renewals miss. Every exposure is measured against the coverage you actually carry, not the coverage you assume you have. The result is a clear, documented picture of where you stand, written in plain language rather than insurance jargon.

  2. Advice

    Recommendations shaped only by your interests.


    Because we don’t sell insurance or earn commissions, our recommendations are never tied to a product, a carrier or a placement. We help you choose the right limits, retentions, risk transfer strategies, brokers, and markets for your organization, then guide you through renewals so each decision is made with full information. Our job is to make you a smarter buyer, not a bigger one.

  3. Advocacy

    In your corner when it matters most.


    When a claim is disputed, a contract is negotiated or a renewal turns difficult, we stand with you. We work directly with brokers, carriers and adjusters to press for fair terms and full recovery, drawing on decades of experience reading policy language closely. Whatever the size or complexity of the organization, from public companies to public agencies, the same independent, fee-based advice applies.

Who we serve

Organizations with complex risks, in every sector.

  1. Corporate & financial

    Public and private companies, banks, investment firms, private equity and family offices.

  2. Real estate & construction

    Owners, developers, managers and contractors.

  3. Institutions & nonprofits

    Universities, hospitals, foundations and cultural institutions.

  4. Public entities

    Municipalities, K-12 school districts, authorities and public agencies.

  5. Manufacturing

    Manufacturing, logistics, consumer products, chemical and service companies.

Timeline

Serving policyholders since 1939.

  1. 1939

    Founded

    Jason Crain hangs the first shingle as a risk management consultant for Union Commerce Bank in Cleveland, Ohio.

  2. 1967

    Incorporated

    David Langner joins Jason, and Crain, Langner & Co. is incorporated.

  3. 2013

    Acquisition

    Acquires Aldrich & Cox Incorporated in Buffalo, New York.

  4. 2014

    Acquisition

    Acquires Legacy Risk Solutions, LLC, a practice focused on family offices.

  5. 2025

    Innovation

    The PolicyStack team begins building the current version of its AI-powered policy management platform.


    Acquisition

    Acquires Baily Raabe Associates in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

New Innovation for insureds

Introducing PolicyStack.

For more than 85 years, our work has been about one thing: making life better for the insured. Drawing on decades of reviewing complex commercial policies side by side with our clients, our team designed PolicyStack to put that same clarity directly in their hands. We’re proud to announce its launch.

PolicyStack is an AI-powered policy management dashboard built specifically for insureds. It turns dense commercial insurance policies into searchable dashboards and structured data — so you can understand exactly what you’re covered for, without the jargon.

  • Every policy, one dashboard

    Bring your entire commercial insurance program into a single, organized view — no more digging through binders, inboxes and PDFs.

  • Walk into renewal prepared

    Start each renewal cycle with your coverage, limits and open questions already organized, so the time goes to negotiating terms instead of gathering paperwork.

  • Coverage, structured into visual artifacts

    Limits, deductibles, exclusions and endorsements are extracted into clean, structured data and visual graphs you can review, compare and share.

  • Your total cost of risk, clearly

    See premiums, retentions, losses and employee benefits side by side, so you can measure your total cost of risk (TCOR) year over year and spot where it’s climbing.

Partners

A partner leads every engagement.

You work directly with a senior partner, from the first call through every annual review.

Portrait of Dan Buser, smiling, in a navy suit and light blue shirt

Dan Buser, CPCU, Esq.

Principal and Senior Partner

Dan advises clients on corporate risk strategy, insurance program design and policy evaluation with unbiased independence, and is a Fellow of the Society of Risk Management Consultants. His recent work includes participating in nationwide studies aimed at curbing insurance costs for affordable housing owners and developers.

Credentials and education

He holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. Admitted to the Ohio bar, he earned his JD and MPA from The University of Akron and a BA from The University of Toledo.

Portrait of Kelly Wierzchowski, smiling, in a navy blazer over a floral blouse

Kelly Wierzchowski

Consultant and Partner

Kelly serves as a director for the Society of Risk Management Consultants, having been elected to the board in December 2015. Her work aligns with the organization’s rigorous ethical standards, operating on a fee-only basis without ties to insurance brokerages, agencies, or carriers to ensure fully independent client representation.

Credentials and education

She holds a BS from The Ohio State University.

Portrait of Brad Weber, smiling, in a dark suit and tie

Brad Weber, CRM

Consultant and Partner

Brad works with a diverse range of clients with a focus on exposure/coverage analysis, policy review, contractual risk transfer, loss control, and total cost of risk reduction. He leads insurance marketing and RFP processes, evaluates third-party agreements for appropriate risk transfer, and consults on claims and renewal submissions.

Credentials and education

He holds the Certified Risk Manager (CRM) designation and a BS Risk Management & Insurance and Finance from Butler University.

Contact

Start a conversation.

Tell us about your organization and we will arrange a confidential first call with a partner.