HIN 2019-2020 1st Edition 12.31.2019

2019-2020 1st Edition

1st Annual Charity Tournament

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Young Insurance Professionals Join our Cause

YIPs’Spotlight

Our mission is to empower our young insurance professionals with education, inspiration, and opportunities that provide a platform to help launch their career in perpetuating success!

Our education, marketing, events, and complete structure is focused on the Young Insurance Professional, but we encourage our more experienced colleges to get involved with our cause as well, we need great leadership and mentors! No Age Restrictions.

What do we do? » Host EPIC Social Events, such as the Axe Throwing Social » Host an AMAZING Corn Hole Tournament generating thousands in donations for Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization started by our veterans! » Volunteer with the Houston Area Women’s Center for a school supplies drive and Houston Veterans Project where we scrubbed head stones of our fallen soldiers! » Coordinate the Charity Chili Cook Off raising money to help kids fight cancer! » Participate in Snow Day at TH Rogers Elementary School volunteering for our special needs kids! » Plan the Houston Insurance Day Social where we will be hosting what we believe will be our biggest social insurance event of the year! » New Education Projects directed to help a new insurance professional start a new career Committee Our committee is a team of individuals working together for a common cause and as you can see above they are incredible causes too! Our team is like a family… Come join our family!

Meeting Details When: Second Tuesday of Every Month @ 4:30 pm

Where: IIAH Office | 7700 San Felipe St. #310 Houston, TX 77063

Looking forward to seeing you there!

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Features

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1st Annual Fishin’ with a Mission Charity Tournament

16 Young Insurnace Professional’s 1st Annual Charity Corn Hole Tournament

20 Installation Dinner 2019

30 Fire Prevention Poster Contest

Table of Co 03 Comittee

05 Events & E

08 Presidents

09 Affiliate S

10 CPC

26-27 University of Ho

28-29 Coverag

34 Member S

35 Have you

44

41 Who has the

November Industry Luncheon

43 Affiliate S

52 Nutcracker Market

48-49 Legislat

57 In Mem

54 Christmas Open House

58 Young Insurance Professionals Snow Day

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Special I

49 Business C

49 Advertis

Upcoming events

ontents Spotlight

Education

January Industry Luncheon January 23, 2020

s Message

Spotlight

CU

ouston Downtown

ge Spotlight

Spotlight

u Heard

e Last Word

Spotlight ive Update

moriam

Items

Card Ads

se Index

24th Annual Chili Cook-Off Jan 25, 2020 YIP’s Salute to Exhibitors Feb 18,2020 Houston Insurance Day Feb 19, 2020

education

Commercial General Liability Jan 22, 2020

Insuring the Oil & Gas Industry January 29, 2020

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Committees of 2019-2020 Charitable Projects/ Fire Prevention Chairman: Sarah vBeck Vice Chairman: Education, I.T., CE Chairman: Katrina Masek Vice Chairman: Michelle Dennis Houston Insurance Day Chairman: Carmen Swift Vice Chairman: Ashley Newton Legislative Chairman: Kyle Dean Vice Chairman:

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President’s Message

Stuart Ray

Welcome to 2020! I hope everyone had safe and happy holidays. It is crazy to think 20 years ago we were afraid the Y2K Bug would end the world. Personally, I was hoping my transcripts would get changed to all A’s. Now our biggest worry as insurance agents is “What carrier can we get to write the Auto?!”.

I want to start off by giving thanks to our Immediate Past President, Wes Kurtz. We have spent countless hours working together these past few years and I enjoyed every minute. Wes utilized his extensive knowledge of computer systems and technology to help upgrade the association’s computers and database system to a more dependable and efficient platform. Wes was also a key advisor to the selection committee in charge of finding our new Executive Director, David Wuthrich.

Wes always did his research on topics of discussion his actions and the board’s actions benefited the association in a positive way. Wes was a great president and will always be a close friend.

We have a couple big ticket events I want you all to be aware of. Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 25th. The 24th Annual Charity Chili Cook Off will be taking place at Bayou Sports Bar. This year’s beneficiary is B.I.G. Love Cancer Care (biglovecancercare.org). Get your grandmother’s famous recipe from the cookbook and sign your team up! In February, IIAH will be putting on the largest insurance trade show in the state, Houston Insurance Day. This year’s theme is “The Kentucky Derby”, so get your hats ready ladies. The YIP’s will be kicking off the event with their annual Salute to Exhibitor’s Social at Nick’s Place on February 18th. Exhibit hall doors will open at 8am sharp on February 19th.

President 2019-2020 sray@higginbotham.net 713-952-9990

Affiliate Member Spotlight Founded in 1973 The Cole Group specializes in pre-employment screening aka background checks throughout the United States.

We are based in Houston Texas but have over 3000 clients in 46 states.

We have clients that are publicly traded on NYSE and NASDAQ, as well as privately owned companies. Often, we are recommended by insurance agents and brokers, as we help mitigate risk and loss claims for their clients.

Our unique process provides a much more holistic view of the applicants including prior employment history, red flags, theft, etc. We exceed client expectations in service, accuracy, turnaround time and most significantly slashing employee turnover, which is costly.

The Cole Group is committed to serving the Houston community where their corporate office is located. They are active members of IIAH and many other organizations and associations. Charley Katz is the Executive Vice President of The Cole Group and has helped the company grow and strategically positioned them for future growth.

Prior to The Cole Group, Charley had an 11-year career in private and commercial banking.

To learn more about The Cole Group feel free to contact Charley at Charleykatz@thecolegroup.com or visit our website www.thecolegroup.com

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The Institutes CPCU Society – Houston Chapter, established in 1951, completed its 70th year as a Houston-based community of highly credentialed property and casualty professionals who promote excellence and enable individuals to expand technical skills and business capabilities in the insurance and risk management industry.

The Houston chapter provides resources, educational programs and connections to those seeking careers and in the industry to expand their career opportunities by completing the requirements for the industry’s oldest and most highly esteemed professional designation. It builds and expands a resume that opens career doors and networking opportunities among a unique cadre of accomplished insurance specialists.

Led by its dedicated board of directors, and committee chairs, the chapter provides eight monthly luncheons that include continuing education presentations on cutting-edge and evolving resources, practices and innovations. It also hosts several socials during the year in a more casual atmosphere to allow members and guests to enjoy camaraderie and fun.

The chapter’s annual conferment of new inductees includes a seminar aimed at industry topics, a luncheon and presentations by local, state and industry leaders on emerging national/state/industry issues.

CPCU members and guests enjoy an evening of fun and revelry at General Public Meetings and socials are open to members and guests and listed on the Houston Chapter website at: https://houston.cpcusociety.org/ meetings-events. Houston chapter Society membership is open to anyone who has completed two CPCU courses and entitles members to a host of The Institutes’ resources. The Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU®) designation is conferred

by The Institutes and requires passing eight exams, meeting experience requirements, and agreeing to be bound by a code of professional ethics. Information about the CPCU designation can be found at: www.TheInstitutes.com

Executive Committee Stuart Ray President Chris Goff,CIC, LUTCF President Elect Jim Drew,ARM, CIC, CRM Vice President Jason Nybakken Treasurer David Wuthrich Executive Director Wes Kurtz, CIC Immediate Past President

Board of Directors Anais Babajanian Sarah Beck Robbie Darnell Adam Harris Brett Herrington Elizabeth Kirby Jason Knecht Ryan Moorehead Chuck Vieau Wes Weatherred Darrell Wolfe

Our Staff David Wuthrich Renee Stager Ayla Benavides

Executive Director Sr. Managing Director Managing Director

Office 7700 San Felipe, Suite 310 Houston, Texas 77063 P: 832. 769.4666 F: 832.324.3503 www.iiah.org

New Members New Affiliate Members SIS Insure Frontier Services Corp

Titanium Elite Sponsors Imperial PFS Burns & Wilcox, Ltd. CRC Group

Platinum Partners for Excellence

Lighthouse Property Insurance Corporation RT Specialty RPS Houston Texas Mutual Insurance Company UFG Insurance WSG Specialty Underwriters

Gold Patron Sponsors

AFS/IBEX A Division of MetaBank Blackmon Mooring of Houston Chubb CNA Insurance Companies Delta General Agency Houston International Insurance Group WRIGHT Flood

1st Annual Fishin’ with a Mission Charity Tournament The Independent Insurance Agents of Houston (IIAH) held it’s 1st annual Fishin’ with a Mission fishing tournament on October 24, 25 and 26, 2019 in Rockport, Texas.

Thank you to our wonderful Sponsors, RT Specialty, Burns & Wilcox and The Hanover Insurance Group for helping to make this possible.

A huge Thank you to Imperial PFS for stepping up as our Presenting Sponsor!

This tournament is a 2-day guided, catch and release event with two angles per boat fishing for Speckled Trout and Redfish in two divisions – Artificial and Live Bait.

The tournament started with a cocktail hour and meet and greet with your guides on Thursday evening. Since the weather forecast called for 40 to 45 mph winds the next day, the committee decided that for safety reasons, we would postpone the fishing on Friday. Anyone that wanted to fish could if they wanted. We had one brave team and their guide that decided to brave the elements and fish on a cold and windy Friday!

We had a nice catered breakfast and lunch on Friday at the Pavillion for those that decided to wait for better weather. On Friday night, we had a wonderful dinner catered by Ragin Cajun of all of our seafood favorites and then to watch the Astros play the Nationals in World Series Game 3. Astros Won!!!

Saturday brought much better weather and 13 teams hit the water before the sun came up. All of the teams seemed to have a great time and everyone caught fish of some kind or another! After another wonderful steak dinner from Ragin Cajun, the overall winners were announced:

Presenting Sponsor

1st place Artificial – Wes Kurtz and Robert Allbritton 1st place Live Bait – Amanda Fenn and Derek Pierce Most Redfish – Derek Pierce Most Trout – Robert Allbritton Longest Redfish – Robert Allbritton Longest Trout – Robert Allbritton One last note: The only team that braved the weather on Friday was the Kurtz/Allbritton team. Some folks have said that they caught all of the fish on Friday and tied them up to catch them again on Saturday! We will never know!! Ha ha

Hope to see everyone October 2020 for the 2nd annual Fishin’ with a Mission!

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Young Insurance Professionals 1st Annual Corn Hole Tournament Looking to Sponsor an YIP’s event?

Contact Ayla Benavidas: 832.769.5247 abenavides@iiah.org

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Our Young Insurance Professionals had their 1st Annual Charity Corn Hole Tournament on September 25, 2019 at Little Woodrow’s Midtown.

They raised over 5K for our benefactor Team Rubicon. There were over 60 people in attendance and 1st place took home their very own set of corn hole boards.

Thank you so much to our sponsors Crum & Forster, OneBeacon Insurance Group, Blackmon Mooring of Houston, AmWINS Group, Specialty Insurance Mangers and Great American Ins. Co. PropIMDivd.for helping to make this day possible!

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Installation Dinner 2019

Root…root…root…for Stuart Ray!

gift cards, a painting party, vintage bottles of wine were just a few of the items that Stuart Ray with Higginbotham Insurance were generously donated by Houston-area was officially elected as IIAH President for companies. A huge thank you to all When the 2019-2020 year September 1st but we IIAH asks for support, our celebrated that election by having a home industry delivers. As the YIPs reached out to run request donations for the auction, several celebration party at Minute Maid Park on companies that have been contributors to September 14th! Much to the chagrin of the the silent auction for years were eager to attendees, the Astros were not playing that participate and offered up fun items for night. However, a fun time was had by all at bid. The proceeds for this auction reached the unique and exciting venue change! $5,595.00 and The Brookwood Community was extremely Stuart’s choice for the benefactor of the grateful. night as well as our very first “LIVE” auction was Brookwood Community in Brookshire, There was also a baseball roundtable with Texas. Brookwood Community provides an Bill Brown, the sports announcer for the educational environment that creates Houston Astros from 1987 to 2016. Mr. meaningful work, builds a sense of belonging Brown told some very interesting stories and awakens genuine purpose in the lives about baseball and the history of it and the of adults with disabilities. Our special guest audience was able to ask questions of him! from Brookwood Community was Austin We have had a few changes this year and Hanson who is a wonderful and talented the Executive Committee of IIAH has artist. The live auction was one of his decided that this installation was our last drawings that sold for over $500.00!

“Installation Dinner”. Be on the lookout next year for new time and place that the officers Our Young Insurance Professionals (YIPS) of 2020-2021 will be installed. hit it out of the park too by having a silent auction during IIAH’s installation dinner.

Items included sports event packages,

A time to celebrate & be in fellowship 21

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Welcome Stuart!

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Events and Education January 22 Commercial General Liability

January 23 January Industry Luncheon

January 25 24th Annual Chili Charity Cook-Off

February 18 YIP’s Salute to Exhibitors Social

February 19 Houston Insurance Day

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University of Houston Downtown

Here to Serve 26

Rainy w e a t h e r failed to deter 430 insurance professionals who volunteered to clean headstones at the Houston National Cemetery during the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation - Houston Chapter’s annual Veteran’s Volunteer Project on October 16. University of Houston–Downtown’s Insurance and Risk Management students were among those who together cleaned over 50,000 headstones – over half of those onsite at the nation’s 12th largest and 8th busiest national cemetery.

UH-D IRM students, Gamma Iota Sigma members and graduates, including Carmela Cancino, Sean Barnett, Lillian Everson, Beverly Ezenta, Ricardo Melchor, Jose Salinas, Elijah Kabalka, Ayla Benavides, Scott Long, Yhontou Jackson, Becky Dickson, and Manuel Solano participated in the project. They were joined by UH GIS members Michael Brucia, Ross Brown and Jamar Clemons.

“This is an excellent opportunity for our IRM student s to learn how competitors within the Houston insurance industry work together by participating in an industrywide community service project,” stated Priscilla Oehlert, UH-D IRM Center Director. “Employers look for community service on our students’ and graduates’ resumes, and this project provides them a great way to fulfill that requirement while working shoulder-to-shoulder with industry professionals.”

34 insurance agencies, companies, associated entities and university programs whose employees and students contributed their time and considerable effort logged over 1,200 volunteer hours in this Houston-wide community service project. All the equipment is donated to the cemetery at the end of the project for other National Cemetery volunteer groups to use, so the Houston insurance industry’s gift keeps giving throughout the entire year.

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Coverage Spotlight Show Me the Data: A Property Marketplace Rundown Published on 10/03/2019 by Raul E. Plasencia, ASLI, ARM-P Executive Vice President RPS Boca Raton The Property insurance marketplace has hardened and become more challenging following multiple years of natural catastrophe claims and a frequency of claims on specific classes of business.

The importance of quality underwriting data has grown significantly to secure the best terms from carriers. Underwriters price risk on the basis of predictability and uncertainty; the more uncertainty, the higher the price. Most carriers are using science, technology, engineering, and data to better understand the risks they are assuming to accurately analyze rate adequacy.

Providing the best underwriting data available will reduce the underwriting uncertainty of any given risk. Carriers have become more dependent on a variety of exposure rating models and tools to develop loss projections. What is consistent in all of the models and tools is they depend on thorough and accurate data in order to produce the most absolute results.

The adage of “Garbage in – garbage out” still rings true! The quality of exposure data has definitely been a concern for the industry, as the poor quality of data has been identified as a key component of the huge gaps between modeled losses and actual incurred losses in recent catastrophic events.

Carriers can no longer avoid the detrimental effect of ignoring details in the underwriting data they have been collecting. Improving data quality in their portfolios has become a focal point for insurers, reinsurers and rating agencies.

The exposure data quality is one element of uncertainty in model-

ing that can be controlled by the industry. The industry is practicing more underwriting discipline in this marketplace and has become diligent and cautious with the capacity they deploy.

So what are the key data items that carriers are looking for in an Excel spreadsheet Statement of Values (SOV)?

The four Primary Physical Characteristics of every building: Construction type/coded properly Occupancy type Year built Building height/# of stories Pertinent Secondary Physical Characteristics for the relevant CAT-exposed perils: For Hurricane-exposed risks: Opening protection, roof geometry, roof age, etc.

For Earthquake-exposed risks: Engineered foundation, anchoring, soft story, etc.

Flood Risk Flood is a very large area of concern for risks throughout the country. Many carriers are actively testing and working with new predictive models for flood. There are a few key data points that can make a large impact on modeling results that aren’t typically captured in SOVs we receive: Precise coordinate data Basement Y/N First Floor Elevation/Elevation Certificates Base Flood Elevation (BFE) Many carriers are inspecting locations to validate the reported data on the SOVs to protect themselves from making underwriting and pricing decisions on faulty data.

When discrepancies are found in the reported information, they are acting swiftly to match what they quoted with the revised data. They rectify the issues by either changing terms, pricing, deductibles or

even coming off risk in the most severe instances.

Replacement Cost Values Having precise location data for flood risks is important. We recommend capturing coordinate data for all unique structures, particularly important where buildings are spread out across a large area that could have varying levels of flood exposure, but may otherwise share a single address. The presence of a basement has flood implications for obvious reasons, but First Floor Elevation is another critical piece of information in the event a structure is elevated high above the BFE (reducing its likelihood of flooding), or sits below the BFE (increasing likelihood of flooding).

Many carriers are inspecting locations to validate the reported data on the SOVs to protect themselves from making underwriting and pricing decisions on faulty data.

When discrepancies are found in the reported information, they are acting swiftly to match what they quoted with the revised data. They rectify the issues by either changing terms, pricing, deductibles or even coming off risk in the most severe instances.

Replacement Cost Values In addition to specific building characteristics, there has been a significant increase in underwriting questions relating to the reporting of proper replacement cost values. Quite often, businesses are inclined to use a tax or market valuation as their insurance limit when they seek coverage. However, insurance replacement costs have risen across most of the country and market values have not necessarily kept pace; this has created disparity. The insurance replacement cost is the value to rebuild the existing structure with a like and kind structure. If the building is older, and would require significant code or ordinance improvements if severely dam-

aged or destroyed, those should be considered in addition to the like and kind replacement value.

The significant storm damage in recent years has highlighted valuation problems on numerous insured losses. There is a common concern over underreported values and the related claim issues that arise post-loss. Ultimate replacement cost claims have been coming in significantly higher than the reported values on the Statements of Values. Many excess carriers were shocked they were paying claims on assets that were valued under their attachment point on insured property programs. Some carriers thought they had eliminated their CAT exposure by attaching excess of the reported values in CAT zones, but then claims were incurred that eroded through the underlying layers. The result of this was carriers paying claims on exposures they thought they did not have.

Inflated values can cause an insured to pay excessive premiums and carriers to overvalue their exposures. Having accurate replacement cost values would secure adequate insurance limits and help to resolve potential claims.

There are a number of ways to accurately develop the appropriate replacement cost value of a structure. These include: Professional physical appraisals Using original cost figures and adjusting for market trends Desktop appraisal services that utilize building size, class and regional factors to estimate the RC Business Interruption Business interruption values and limits are another heightened discussion area in this hardened marketplace. Accurately determining how long it would take to get an insured back in business is not a simple task. Predicting what will happen to the revenue stream and

what will happen to the expenses of an insured post-loss is a huge area of uncertainty. The preferred method to arrive at an appropriate valuation is to have an insured complete a business income worksheet. Although this can be quite detailed, it is worth the effort to make sure your insured is properly protected so the carriers understand the risk at the onset as well as assisting later in the resolving of claims post-loss.

Conclusion It is expected that most markets will continue to secure rate rises through the rest of 2019 and into next year. The admitted marketplace will continue to carefully analyze their books of business and more accounts could end up moving into the Excess & Surplus Lines marketplace as they de-risk their portfolios. The best way to help your client is to help them stay within the admitted marketplace, or obtain the best terms from the E&S marketplace. This can be achieved by improving the format and underwriting data that is being presented in submissions sent to carriers. Best in class submissions and data will produce the best results. To quote Coach Nick Saban, “Eliminate the clutter and all the things that are going on outside, and focus on the things that you can control with how you sort of go about and take care of your business. That’s something that’s ongoing, and it can never change.”

In addition to specific building characteristics, there has been a significant increase in underwriting questions relating to the reporting of proper replacement cost values. Quite often, businesses are inclined to use a tax or market valuation as their insurance limit when they seek coverage. However, insurance replacement costs have risen across most of the country and market values have not necessarily kept pace; this has created disparity. The insurance

replacement cost is the value to rebuild the existing structure with a like and kind structure. If the building is older, and would require significant code or ordinance improvements if severely damaged or destroyed, those should be considered in addition to the like and kind replacement value.

The significant storm damage in recent years has highlighted valuation problems on numerous insured losses. There is a common concern over underreported values and the related claim issues that arise post-loss. Ultimate replacement cost claims have been coming in significantly higher than the reported values on the Statements of Values. Many excess carriers were shocked they were paying claims on assets that were valued under their attachment point on insured property programs. Some carriers thought they had eliminated their CAT exposure by attaching excess of the reported values in CAT zones, but then claims were incurred that eroded through the underlying layers. The result of this was carriers paying claims on exposures they thought they did not have.

Inflated values can cause an insured to pay excessive premiums and carriers to overvalue their exposures. Having accurate replacement cost values would secure adequate insurance limits and help to resolve potential claims.

There are a number of ways to accurately develop the appropriate replacement cost value of a structure. These include: Professional physical appraisals Using original cost figures and adjusting for market trends Desktop appraisal services that utilize building size, class and regional factors to estimate the RC

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Fire Poster Contest 2019

Serving our Community basis. After the awards, the firefighters gladly showed off the station and equipment to anyone that wanted to see and touch real fire trucks and gear!

October was National Fire Prevention Month!

The Houston Fire Museum, in cooperation with the Houston Fire Department and The Independent Insurance Agents of Houston (IIAH) have held a poster contest for the past 45 years. We invite students to use their artistic ability to help spread the fire prevention messages. There have been some recent changes and the Independent Insurance Agents of Houston has now taken the lead for coordination of this event.

This contest was open to all Houston and surrounding area elementary, middle, and high school students. This year we had over 300 entries. The charitable committee of IIAH along with Houston Fire Chief, Samuel Pena, and his lieutenant chiefs, made up the panel of judges. An awards ceremony recognizing the winning posters and their artists was held the morning of Saturday, November 16th at Houston Fire Station # 8 in downtown Houston.

Over 100 artists, parents, grandparents, siblings and teachers participated. This was the first year that the awards ceremony was held on a weekend, giving more people the opportunity to attend. Many of the participants parents thanked us for the change so that they could attend. We even had a firefighter as one of the parents of a winning artist! During the awards ceremony, certainly unplanned, the Station got a fire call. Lights, sirens and running firefighters gave the audience an up close and personal view of what firefighters do on a daily

Contest winners in each grade level were presented with award ribbons for the first, second and third place. Grand prize winners received ribbons and cash prizes as shown below. The 1st place Grand Winner will have their poster displayed on a billboard around Houston for a year courtesy of Clear Channel Outdoor. Images of grand prize-winning posters will be posted on the IIAH website, www.iiah.org.

Overall Grand Prize Winners (judged from the winners in each grade level) Third Place and the winner of a $ 100 cash award

Amudhini Chinnasamy Stanley Elementary, Katy ISD Runner-up and the winner of a $200 cash award Sofia Nathani Copeland Elementary, Cy-Fair ISD Grand Prize Winner and the winner of a $ 300 cash award, their poster on the billboard for a year and $ 500 to their school art program to be used for educational materials and art supplies Tanvi Gupta Friendswood High, Friendswood ISD Next year we hope to have many more participants from the 20 school districts around the Houston area. If you would like to be on this committee or know of a school that we should contact to make sure that they participate, please give us a call at the IIAH office.

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Member Spotlight

At its core, Hotchkiss Insurance is about providing protection in a world of unknowns. The Texasbased agency has been driven by this purpose since Doug Hotchkiss founded it in 1975. A successful CPA and real estate executive, he brought a fresh approach and innovative strategies to Hotchkiss that have fueled sustained organic growth for decades to come. More than 40 years later, Hotchkiss Insurance is one of the largest privately owned agencies in Texas with a continued dedication to its purpose and strong culture.

In 2019 alone, the agency ranked 12th on the Houston Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list, secured a place on the Dallas Morning News Top 100 Places to Work list for the fourth year in a row and was named the Insurance Journal’s South Central Gold Winner for the 2019 Best Places to Work. This honor places Hotchkiss as the top selection for the best place to work in the South/Central region of the US and highlights the agency’s focus on customer service and culture.

“We have worked hard to create a values-based culture at Hotchkiss that gives team members room for initiative and growth. When these aspects come together and we provide valuable impact to our clients, work becomes a great place to be,” said CEO Michael Hotchkiss.

With more than 120 employees in offices in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio, employees in all roles play an important part in bringing the Hotchkiss purpose to life – providing protection in a world of unknowns. While many days this looks like protecting clients with the right coverage, walking a client through a claim, or triple checking the details on a certificate, other days, employees live this out outside the office walls.

Through Hotchkiss Helps, the charitable arm of the organization, Hotchkiss has fundraised tens of thousands of dollars and volunteered with organizations including Soldiers’ Angels, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Make a Wish Foundation, and more.

In 2019, the Hotchkiss Helps focus was on Soldiers’ Angels, a nonprofit that supports members of the military, their families and veterans. Along with assembling care kits for the veterans’ hospital, writing notes to deployed service members and sorting blankets for veterans throughout the year, Hotchkiss was proud to donate $30,040.

Employees also regularly lock arms with others in the industry to serve the community. Hotchkiss favorites include the IIAH Chili Cook-off, the IIAH Charity Bowling Event, the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s (IICF) Week of Giving, and Turkeys for Troops, a volunteer-prepared Thanksgiving feast for military members.

As Hotchkiss Insurance continues to grow, at least one thing is sure to remain a constant – its purpose. CEO Michael Hotchkiss said it best: “We’re a purposedriven organization dedicated to impacting our clients and the world around us.

We know what we do, how we do it, and most importantly why we do it.”

Have you Heard?

Hotchkiss Insurance is proud to welcome Account Associate Reney Galvan’s beautiful baby boy Dominic James to the family!

Dominic was born on November 22, 2019 at 7lbs 9oz.

Congratulations to Reney & her family!

RPS is pleased to welcome Pat Broome to the RPS Dallas office as a Senior Underwriter/Broker.

Pat has over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry in the greater DFW area and across all of Texas. Pat brings to the position a wealth of knowledge and experience on many different products and markets. For RPS, Pat will be focusing on Commercial Lines P&C and Garage risks.

RPS is committed to growing Texas with top talent & exceptional products to meet the needs of our existing customers and develop relationships with new ones. Please join us in welcoming Pat to the team!

W e r e ached new heights in 2019.

A nd w e h av e you t o th a nk.

(800) 859 -5995

H

TexasM u tual .com/ Than ks

We’ve taken workers’ comp to a whole new level, and you’re a big reason why. From the very beginning, our agents have kept us moving upward. As we look ahead to 2020, we couldn’t ask for better partners. And thanks to you, the view ahead is amazing.

F rom Your T exas Mutual Partners (Closest in center) R ich Gergasko, CEO

Jeanette Ward, COO

Underwriting Claim Operations Safety Services Information Service Center IT Strategic Alliances and Distribution Financial Services Enterprise Affairs General Counsel Network and Medical Operations Human Resources Premium Audit Marketing and Community Affairs ©2019 Texas Mutual Insurance Company

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Featured Benefactor

B.I.G. Love Cancer Care Providing Love and Support to Cancer Kids and their families 52 Weeks a Year!!!

B.I.G. Love Cancer Care Services was founded in 2007 by Jessica Philips in memory of her 5 year old daughter, Brooke, who fought a 2 year battle with Leukemia.

The program began modestly with a Holiday Gift Basket program. B.I.G. Love programming expanded to Texas Children’s Hospital’s West Campus in Katy in 2011, to Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas in 2014 and to Texas Children’s Hospital’s North campus in The Woodlands in 2016. On January 8, 2018, BIG Love Cancer Care added the 32 bed inpatient unit of The University of Texas MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital. BIG Love expanded to Methodist in San Antonio this past fall and we currently have other hospitals on the waiting list. Programs include catered meals, weekly wish lists, diagnosis bags, scholarships, snack carts, carnivals, and granting end of life wishes (just to name a few).

Today, the organization reaches more than 140,000 individuals annually, offering 20 service-based programs at five Texas hospitals, 52 weeks of every year.

“Our hopes continue to remain steadfast….to always work diligently and tirelessly to help ease the childhood cancer journey.”

Who has the Last Word Q: What is your pet peeve in traffic?

A: Traffic in General Q: Do you have any hidden talents?

A: I am ambidextrous

Stuart Ray Q: Where you work: A: Higginbotham Insurance Q: What sound do you love?

A: The crackling of a burning camp fire Q: If you could paint a picture of any scenery you’ve seen before, what would you paint?

A: A flock of ducks landing on a roosting pond as the sun sets in the background.

Q: What is your favorite flavor of jelly beans?

A: Strawberry Cheesecake Q: What is your LEAST favorite electronic device?

A: My alarm clock (I could not think of a favorite) Q: What is the longest car trip you have ever taken?

A: Asheville, NC to Katy, TX

Q: Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

Q: What was the first thing you bought with A: Probably not your own money?

A: A pack of baseball cards.

Q: Ninjas or pirates?

A: Pirate Q: If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?

Q: What was your favorite childhood A: 2, I don’t remember what is was like but television program? every two year old I’ve been around seems A: Walker Texas Ranger to have life figured out.

Q: Are you a collector of anything?

Q: What did you do growing up that got you A: No. I have too many other hobbies as it into trouble? is.

A: I plead the 5th.

Q: What is something you learned in the last week?

A: The cost of a round bale of hay can double overnight.

Q: At a movie theater, which arm rest is yours?

A: Both

Q: Weirdest thing you have ever eaten?

A: Armadillo Soup 41

Affiliate Spotlight

Delta Celebrates 50 Years Trading as a Lloyd’s Coverholder Delta General Agency celebrated 50 years of doing business with Lloyd’s of London in July. Lloyd’s was delighted to host the event in the historic ADAM room at the Lloyd’s of London headquarters to recognize Delta’s 50th year trading as a Lloyd’s Coverholder.

The Lloyd’s relationship began in 1969 when Avrohm Wisenberg, Delta General Agency Founder and President, seized the opportunity to pursue the surplus lines business. This was at a time when only a handful of insurance companies recognized the concept of freedom of rate and form.

From these early beginnings, Delta has grown as a wholesale intermediary representing many standard lines, admitted and nonadmitted special risk carriers. In addition, Delta is authorized by Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London with binding authority contracts through a number of Lloyd’s syndicates.

Among the attendees were Jon Hancock, Performance Management Director from the Corporation of Lloyd’s; Hank Watkins, President Lloyd’s U.S.; Underwriting executives from Lloyd’s syndicates Atrium, Chubb and DTW1991; David Rawlinson, Lloyd’s broker, and others from RFIB. Honorees from Delta included President and CEO, Bill Fink; Roya Azari, Commercial Property and Casualty Vice-President; and Commercial Transportation Vice-President, Penny Restrepo.

Fink commented, “We are very proud to hold the pen for the very prestigious Lloyd’s of London and especially, to celebrate doing business with Lloyd’s continuously for 50 years.”

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November Industry Luncheon

Networking Netowrking

IIAH November Industry Luncheon Keynote Speaker, HPD Chief Art Acevado November 5, 2019 The luncheon opened with IIAH President Stuart Ray greeting members and guests. He also thanked our Titanium, Platinum Partners for Excellence and Gold Patron Sponsors for their continued support. Titanium and Platinum Partners sponsor the Mix & Mingle reception before each luncheon while the Gold Patrons Sponsors fund the refreshments during our Free CE Seminars.

November 5th 2019 was the IIAH “Houston Police Department” Industry Luncheon featuring Keynote Speaker, Houston Police Chief Art Acevado. Also in attendance with Chief Acevado was Seattle Police Department Assistant Chief, Adrian Diaz.

Art Acevado has been Chief of the Houston Police Department (HPD) since November 30, 2016 when he was sworn in. He believes good communication is vital for a successful community and steadily works to strengthen the bond between the community and its police department. Chief Acevado is the first Hispanic to lead the HPD and brings a unique understanding to the concerns of the diverse communities in the City of Houston. If you’ve seen him speak before you know he is passionate about protecting the people and property of our city.

Visit www.iiah.org to for information and to register for the next IIAH luncheon.

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e v i t a l s i g e L Update by

Thomas M. Braniff, JD, CPCU “The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is…as a last resort…to protect themselves against tyranny in government. “ - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) Key Insurance Legislation From The 2019 Legislative Session

Flood Notification. After the massive flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and the realization that many were without flood coverage, SB 442 was passed and will require insurers to add a plain-language notice to every commercial and residential policy. The notice will advise that the policy does not cover flood, and the insured should discuss purchasing flood coverage with their agent or insurer.

This bill became effective 9/1/19 Named-Driver Policies. HB 259 eliminates what.is known as “named-driver” policies. While these policies were marketed as a low-cost option for minimum limit personal auto insurance, the number of uncovered claims on named-driver policies far exceeded those of “standard” auto policies. These policies were a result of form freedom that was allowed after the mold crisis, but due to the confusion of who could or could not drive, it became a contentious issue that led to the total elimination. The bill is effective 9/1/19, and will affect policies written or renewed on or after 1/1/20.

Surprise or Balance Billing. Balance or surprise billing occurs when an insured follows all requirements of insurance policy as it relates to in-network health care providers and physicians, yet later finds out that certain providers 50

not in- network. This problem has been addressed in each of the past three sessions, but the practice continued. SB 1264 removes the insured from responsibility of such charges, other than the insured’s deductible and coinsurance, the insured, but can submit the disputed charge to the insurer for payment. The disputed charges will be resolved between the provider and the insurer, not the insured. Baseball style arbitration will be used to settle disputes between the two parties. The bill became effective 9/1/19, and will apply to health care or service provided on or after 1/1/20.

Flood Coverage by Surplus Lines Insurers. The statute was amended to allow Surplus Lines insurers to provide flood coverage without the agent making a diligent effort to find an admitted carrier, and removing the requirement of only being allowed to provide what exceeds the available coverage from authorized insurers.

The bill became effective 9/1/19.

Surplus Lines Providing Wind and Hail. This bill merely clarifies that the surplus lines statute does not preclude an eligible Surplus Lines carrier from providing wind and hail coverage in Tier 1; nor does it limit the amount of insurance ii may provide.

The bill became effective immediately.

Property Deductibles. This legislation is an attempt to strengthen the requirement that an insured pay property deductibles on their policy. Unscrupulous contractors have developed a pattern of “waiving” or absorbing the deductible in order to get a job. HB 2102 requires the insured to offer proof that the deductible was paid by the insured. Agents will need to help educate consumers as to the new requirement, which became effective 9/1/19.

TWIA Improvements. Every governmental agency must undergo the “Sunset” review process. This session, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association completed the process and our association offered some significant recommendations. In SB 615, many statutory roadblocks were removed which will allow TWIA to improve their payment processes and their renewal processes. TWIA will now be required to offer payment options, direct bill policies and accept credit card payments. Also included is an automatic renewal option, All of the improvements will make dealing with TWIA much easier for consumers and agents alike. The bill became effective 9/1/19, but many of the modernizations will not occur until 1/1/20.

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Nutcracker Market 2019

A day filled with Shopping, fun and networking was enjoyed by many at the Houston Nutcracker Market on Friday November 15, 2019. Our VIP guest enjoyed lunch and the Macy’s Fashion show. This is our second year hosting this event & its been wonderful spending the day away from the office to enjoy the holiday spirit.

Join us next year for a jolly good time in November 2020.

Thank you to our wonderful Sponsors HARCO Insurance Services Travelers GeoVera Specialty Insurance Company FIRST Insurance Funding Select Insurance Markets, LP Craig & Leicht Great American Ins. PropIMDivd

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Christmas Celebration 2019

A time to be merry The IIAH held in annual Christmas Open House on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at Maggiano’s Little Italy.

We had a good crowd again this year, over 200, to enjoy all of the holiday festivities. Those in attendance enjoyed a hosted bar, courtesy of Burns and Wilcox, with lots of always wonderful Maggiano’s food.

Thanks again to all of our wonderful sponsors Midwest Insurance Company, Blackmon- Mooring of Houston, Specialty Insurance Managers, Great American PropIMDivd, Travelers, McClelland & Hine of Houston, Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Co., Philadelphia Insurance Company, NFIB, MissionSelect Insurance Services, and FIRST Insurance Funding who made this event possible and also those that brought door prizes for our raffle. Those are always very much appreciated.

See you in 2020 for another eventful year wth IIAH.

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In Memoriam

Courtney Roy Pollard Steves 1943-2019 Courtney Roy Pollard Steves (age 76) died September 23, 2019, following a stroke with her husband, Fred, by her side. She was a native Houstonian born at St. Joseph’s Hospital February 28, 1943, to Eloise Antonia Dabadie and William Green Pollard. She was the second of four Pollard girls who grew up on Sunset Boulevard in West University. She was educated at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School, Lanier Middle School, Lamar High School, and the University of Texas in Austin where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. Courtney later received her American Montessori Society early childhood certification at Cornell University. Courtney thoroughly enjoyed her work as a Montessori teacher for 20 years; first at Palmer Episcopal Montessori and then at Montessori Country Day School.

Courtney met Frederick Benteen Steves at a wedding reception for a dear friend. They married on December 4, 1965, and began a wonderful 54-year adventure together. First, they went east to Quantico, VA, while Fred attended Marine Corps Officer Training at The Basic School and Naval Justice School in Newport, RI. Then they took leave for their first trip to Europe before being stationed in Hawaii for three years. Their two sons, Ben and Roy, were born in Honolulu. They moved back to Houston and lived in Southampton, near Rice University for 31 years. She was a member of the Rice University Catholic Student Center and one of the many non-student “friends” of the center that considered it their parish church.

For the past 20 years, Courtney and Fred have lived in Old Braeswood where she was a longstanding member of Old Braeswood Garden Club and Book Club. Courtney was a docent at The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park and at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, where she enjoyed giving tours to school children. She was a devoted volunteer and Board member with Crossroads at Park Place, a non-profit daycare facility “promoting the health hygiene and dignity of persons experiencing

homelessness and poverty” in Houston. For over 40 years, Courtney met with beloved friends in Rice Village each Saturday. It began as early morning runs and eventually became a not-to-be-missed weekly coffee group. She was a loved and respected member of these groups with many close friends in each.

Courtney was all about family. Her sons and grandsons gave her continued joy, and she spent as much time as possible with them.

Courtney and Fred’s love of Hawaii grew while living there, and they returned many times with family. She traveled extensively with family and friends to the UK, Papua New Guinea, Africa, Italy, France, Thailand, Hong Kong, Brazil, Russia, and also Alaska and Maine. In the earlier years, there were backpacking trips to Yosemite, King’s Canyon, and the Tetons.

Some of her favorite activities were relaxing at their beach house in Galveston, annual sister trips, cooking, playing Mahjong with her sisters, watching Deadliest Catch, Masterpiece Theater, and Astros baseball.

Courtney was the inspiration behind the renovation of their 1936 Mid-Century modern home in Old Braeswood for which the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance awarded a Good Brick Award in 2003.

Courtney is survived by her husband, Fred, and two sons, Frederick Benteen Steves, Jr. (Ben) Commander, U.S. Navy and wife, Andrea Thrasher Steves, of San Diego, CA and Roy Pollard Steves, a decorative painter in Portland, OR. Cortie is also survived by her beloved grandsons, Frederick B. Steves III (Trey), Andrew Thompson Steves, and Jackson Fuller Steves of San Diego, CA, and her sisters, Nancy Pollard Werner and husband, Christian, of Portland OR, Eloise Antonia (Pinkie) Searls and husband, David, of Houston, TX, Mary Edny Underwood of Houston, TX, and many nieces and nephews.

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Young Insurance Professioanls Another year the Young Insurance Professional’s went out to support and volunteer for “Be an Angel” Organization as they put on Snow Day for the kids at T.H. Rodgers School.

The YIP’s look forward to this event every year, its so much fun passing out cookies and juice while playing with the kids and supporting a great cause!

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Snow Day Thank you to Securance Corp. Agency for making over 52 Dozen cookies and sponsoring the juice! We couldn’t do this without your continuous support!

We look forward to participating next year!

Come join the holiday cheer.

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