Craig Muirhead: Building Safer, Stronger Trades Businesses

In this episode of TradesTalk, Justin and Maggie sit down with Craig Muirhead, founder of Canopy Insurance Services, to talk about what it takes to build long-term business partnerships and scalable safety programs in the trades industry. Craig, based in Santa Cruz, started his brokerage in 2020 after years in the corporate insurance world. He shares how he built his book of business from the ground up and why he walked away from the big firm model to deliver more personalized, relationship-driven service. Justin reflects on their 12-year journey together, from when K&D was a $1 million business to now a $20 million company and how Craig was one of the few vendors to scale with them, playing a key role in shaping their internal safety culture. Craig shares actionable advice on launching employee-led safety committees, when to implement them, and how to get real results with full management buy-in. He also explains how safety programs can reduce insurance costs and become a long-term asset, not just an annual task. Whether you're focused on scaling your company, improving internal safety, or building better vendor relationships, this episode is packed with practical insights from one of the most trusted names in trades insurance.