Leave it to a kid from Monfort Heights to brave the initial public offering market during one of the worst climates ever on Wall Street.

David L. Eslick, a 1977 graduate of Colerain High School, is the chairman, president and chief executive officer of U.S.I. Holdings Corp., the country's eighth-largest business insurance broker.

The San Francisco-based company went public Tuesday, offering 9 million shares at $10 apiece. The $90 million raised will pay down U.S.I.'s long-term debt. It is now listed on Nasdaq under the ticker USIH.

Mr. Eslick attended the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University's Executive MBA program. He moved up the rank of insurance brokerages in Cincinnati, ultimately serving as president of ABI/Frederick Rauh & Co. When the firm was sold to Acordia, he remained as president and chief executive officer of the Cincinnati operation.

In 1997, he was offered the position of senior vice president of marketing and sales at the newly formed U.S.I. Holdings. He and his family moved to San Francisco in 1999 when he was named chief operating officer.

"It is a different environment, but what I try to do is bring some Midwestern conservatism'' to San Francisco, Mr. Eslick said. "But I don't think I'm making a dent."

Amy Higgins