Our Team

Bruce D. Baker — Founder

Bruce Baker, with over 45 years of business insurance experience, is Sweet & Baker’s senior advisor. He is responsible for establishing and fostering relationships within the insurance and small business industries. Mr. Baker and Don Sweet formed Sweet & Baker as a general insurance brokerage agency, and they have grown the firm to become one of the most successful mid-sized brokerage firms in the Bay area.

Prior to starting Sweet & Baker, Mr. Baker was president of Fritz International Brokers; prior to that, he was President of the Western Association of Insurance Brokers. Active in community service, Mr. Baker has presided as the chairman of the board of a local private high school and as the vice chairman of the board of a non-profit hospital. Mr. Baker is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, and he has served as an officer in the US Navy.

Bruce H. Callander — President

Bruce Callander is the owner and president of Sweet & Baker and is responsible both for contracting with insurance companies and for the general operations of the agency. Mr. Callander has over 16 years experience in the insurance industry and in 1998 purchased the agency from Don Sweet and Bruce Baker. Within three years of Mr. Callander’s becoming president, the agency’s income growth began to exceed the industry average by a factor of five.

Prior to joining Sweet & Baker, Mr. Callander worked in commercial real estate finance for McDonnell Finance Corporation, placing multi-million dollar loans on commercial property on the Pacific Coast. His previous business experience also includes the coordination and budgeting of real estate syndications for a large property company.  Mr. Callander is active in the San Francisco community, having served on the BRAVO! Board of the San Francisco Opera.  He has also served on the boards of the Guardsmen, the University Club, and the Katherine Delmar Burke School.  Mr. Callander is a graduate of the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a degree in Economics, including an emphasis in Computer Science.

Bill Ryan — Executive Vice President

Bill Ryan joined Sweet and Baker Insurance Brokers as a producer in 1998 and became a joint owner in 2000. He has 14 years experience in the insurance industry, primarily focused on property and casualty commercial business. Since joining the firm, Mr. Ryan has helped quadruple the commercial department’s revenues.  He is currently serving on the board of directors of Insurance Brokers and Agents of the West (IBA West). Over the years, Mr. Ryan has also served as the vice president and president of the San Francisco chapter.

Prior to joining Sweet and Baker, Mr. Ryan produced commercial accounts for Calco Insurance Brokers, Inc. (a division of California Casualty) and Diversified Risk Insurance Brokers.  He is a member of The Guardsmen, a non-profit organization dedicating its resources and time to under-privileged children in the Bay Area. Mr. Ryan graduated in 1989 from Menlo College with a bachelor of science in Business Administration. He started and played wide receiver on the football team for 4 years.

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