April 2015 Wisconsin Independent Agent Magazine

wisconsin

INDEPENDENT AGENT APRIL 2015

THANK YOU

see page 5

At West Bend, we’re proud of our broad base of knowledge when it comes to commercial risks. Over the years, however, we’ve developed extensive expertise of certain risks and the skills needed to underwrite them.

That’s why we’re more competitive in writing these classes.

Like auto services.

If you have an auto service risk, contact your West Bend underwriter. We look forward to sharing our expertise with you, and providing the best coverages necessary to protect your valued customers.

wisconsin

INDEPENDENT AGENT APRIL 2015 Eric Schwartz, Editor

Open Door Policy Thank You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 2014-15 Exclusive Company Sponsors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Professional Development Good Character Important Trait of High Level Assistants . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Focus On Content How To Make Your Website a Sales Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Marketing Minute Relationship Selling in the Digital World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Virtual University Should the Same Insurer Write CGL and BAP Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 New Member Benefit Take Online Training to a New Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Errors & Omissions The Scary Tale of the E&O Audit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Public Service PROMise: AAA Targets Underage Drug Use & Impaired Driving . . . . . . .36 Members in the News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Commentary From Counsel Wisconsin Passes Right-to-Work Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

On The Cover…

This issue is all about gratitude and Matt Banaszynski’s article speaks to how much we appreciate our entire membership: “We receive incredible support from our member agencies and agents, volunteer committee members, board members, supporting companies, and our generous company sponsors...Their backing goes well beyond the financial assistance they provide; these companies are our strategic partners and go to great lengths to consult, educate and counsel the Association and its members to keep the independent agency system steadfast and unified.” For the rest of Matt’s article please see page 5. Exclusive Company information begins on page 6. To register for the annual convention (May 13 & 14!), go to IIAW.com.

Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin 725 John Nolen Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53713 Phone: (608) 256-4429 or (800) 362-7441 ■ Fax: (608) 256-0170 ■ Web: www.iiaw.com Executive Vice President - Matt Banaszynski 2014-2015 Executive Committee President.................................................... John Wickhem P.O. Box 1500, Janesville, 53547-15 President-elect ................................................ Steve Leitch P.O. Box 85, River Falls, WI 54022 Secretary-Treasurer ....................................... Matt Weimer 100 North Corporate Drive #100, Brookfield, WI 53045 Chairman of the Board ................................ Dave Dunker P.O. Box 443, Brookfield, WI 53008-0443 State National Director ................................ Linda Steiner 555 Main Street #320, Racine, WI 53403 2014-2015 Board of Directors Mike Ansay 101 East Grand Ave. #11, Port Washington, WI 53704 Mark Behrens 555 Main Street #320, Racine, WI 53403 Jason Bott 330 East Kilbourn Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53202 Gerald Couri 379 West Main Street, Waukesha, WI 53186 Mike Farrell 1300 S. Green Bay Rd., Racine, WI 53406 Chris Hanson 5601 Grande Market Drive, Appleton, WI 54913 Lise Meyer Kobussen P.O. Box 633, Sauk City, WI 53583 Brian McClone 505 North Westfield Street, Oshkosh, WI 54902 WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

Jeff Rasmussen 525 Junction Road, Madison, WI 53717 Michael Walston P.O. Box 236, Kewaunee, WI 54216-0236 Darrel Zaleski 4233 Southtowne Drive, Eau Claire, WI 54701 2014-2015 Committee Chairs Agency Operations....................................... Kim Dandrea 1300 South Green Bay Rd. #100, Racine, WI 53406 Automation/Technology ............... Cathleen Christensen P.O. Box 949, Fond du Lac, WI 54936-0949 Emerging Leaders ...................................... Janelle Higgins 6200 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705-4504 Employee Benefits............................................. Tim Bever 555 Main St. #320, Racine, WI 53403 Finance & Compensation ............................ Matt Weimer 100 North Corporate Drive #100, Brookfield, WI 53045 Government Affairs .......................................Skip Hansen 100 North Corporate Drive #100 Brookfield, WI 53045 Industry Relations ....................................... Kevin Murray 525 Junction Road, Madison, WI 53717 Marketing & Membership Development ........... Jeff Thiel P.O. Box 1610, Waukesha, WI 53187-1610 Smaller Agencies .................................... Michael Walston P.O. Box 236, Kewaunee, WI 54216-0236 Technical ................................................... Mark Truyman P.O. Box 6 , Seymour, WI 54165

> OUR ADVERTISERS AAA ................................................................ 46 ACUITY Insurance ........................................... 47 Applied Underwriters ........................Back Cover Arlington/Roe ................................................ 25 Badger Mutual ................................................. 31 Burns & Wilcox ............................................... 23 EMC Insurance................................................ 44 Guard Insurance ............................................. 42 IIAW Continuing Education ............................. 34 Insurance Associates of America ................... 32 Partners Mutual ............................................. 43 Pekin Insurance............................................... 31 Robertson Ryan.............................................. 36 SECURA Insurance .......................................... 26 SFM Insurance ................................................ 29 InVEST ............................................................ 37 The IMT Group ................................................ 39 West Bend ........................................................ 2 Western National .............................................. 4 Wilson Mutual ................................................. 27 APRIL 2015 | 3

4 | NOVEMBER 2014

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

OPEN DOOR POLICY

Thank you Please indulge me for a moment as I use my monthly column to try and communicate my gratitude to our members and partners for their support and involvement in the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin.

Our Association has much to be thankful for.

We receive incredible support from our member agencies and agents, volunteer committee members, board members, supporting companies, and our generous company sponsors featured on the cover of this magazine.

Make no mistake about it, this Association could not provide many of the outstanding member benefits and services we offer without the support of our company partners. Their backing goes well beyond the financial assistance they provide; these companies are our strategic partners and go to great lengths to consult, educate and counsel the Association and its members to keep the independent agency system steadfast and unified. We couldn’t do it without them.

I am very grateful for the overall support of all of our supporting companies, 88 individual organizations that choose to back the IIAW. We are stronger because of you.

In a membership driven organization such as this one, it is easy to overlook the amount of time someone dedicates to support the Association for the betterment of our industry. We have an army of agent and company personnel working on committees as volunteers.

Few organizations have a mechanism in place like Fall Planning. Fall Planning sets the agenda for the year and is vital to the health of the IIAW. It wouldn’t be possible without the people that sit on our ten committees and board of directors. Their ideas drive progress and me to keep looking forward. Our committee system is as strong as ever.

A good illustration of this was a recent Emerging Leaders Committee meeting.

Committee meetings usually take place in our conference room but so many people WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

showed up we had to move downstairs to our classroom to accommodate everyone. That alone is impressive but the meeting was held on a Friday! That’s dedication.

The staff of the IIAW will donate their time to volunteer for Make-A-Wish and to further promote the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin and our Trusted Choice brand.

Last but not least, I must thank all of our agency members. Without you there would be no IIAW. Each agency, from the smallest to the largest, is important and valued. The staff of the IIAW comes to work each day trying to make this Association better for you. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve you and are grateful you chose to be a member of the IIAW.

The Green Bay Packers Tailgate Tour is a community outreach tour that serves as a thank you to their loyal fans while also assisting a local charity. Make-A-Wish Wisconsin is honored to be the recipient of this event! Fans will have the opportunity for up-close and personal visits with a number of current and former players, and President/CEO Mark Murphy of the Green Bay Packers.

In today’s fast-paced society, where things seem to change every day, gratitude can be left behind without much thought. Have you ever thought about sending a thank you note for a job well done or an act of kindness but, because of the hectic nature of life, you forgot about it? I have. But not this time.

As a Gold Level sponsor of the event, the IIAW is honored to continue to collaborate and expand our partnership with Make-A-Wish Wisconsin to help make a big difference in the lives of Wisconsin children with lifethreatening medical conditions. This is an opportunity to further link our Association’s name and the Trusted Choice brand to two of the most well-known and respected brands in the area: the Green Bay Packers and Make-AWish Wisconsin!

We take our job here at the Association very seriously and are constantly working on your behalf to provide leading products, services and counsel to our members.

Thank you for making this possible.

Please let us know how we can ensure you receive a good return on your investment in the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin.

Packers Tailgate Tour and Make-A-Wish On April 18, the Green Bay Packers will be coming to Sheboygan, Wisconsin as part of their 2015 Tailgate Tour! This promises to be one of the largest events of the year, drawing nearly 700 Green Bay Packer fans from the Midwest.

They will be working with media outlets throughout the area to successfully promote this great community event and acknowledge our Association’s sponsorship and involvement.

Doors will open at 12:00 p.m., with festivities from 1-3:30 p.m. at the Blue Harbor Resort. It will be a fun-packed day including activities such as: a question and answer session with the Packers, an autograph session, food, drinks, door prizes, and much > Matt Banaszynski is more! the Executive Vice We hope to see you there. Be sure to seek us out and say hello.

President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin.

Contact him at matt@ iiaw.com.

APRIL 2015 | 5

INTRODUCING OUR

AAA Wisconsin, a member of the Auto Club Group Location of Company Headquarters: Madison, WI Founded: 1902 Officers: Chuck Podowski, Chief Executive Officer Terry McElroy, ACG Executive Vice President John Tomlin, ACG Chief Operating Officer Robert Jacobson, ACG Chief Underwriting Officer Steve Brown, Senior Vice President Steve Wagner, President - ACG North Field Operations Fausto Martin, Vice President and Chief Claim Officer Products Company Specializes In: The Auto Club Group Insurance Co. and Auto Club Insurance Association underwrite the insurance offered by AAA Wisconsin, which is part of the Auto Club Group, the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest and South with more than 9 million members in 11 states. We offer personal lines auto, home, umbrella and recreational vehicle products. Through our affiliate, AAA Life Insurance Company, we also offer Term, UL, Whole Life and annuities. Our Independent Agents also sell the safety and security of our AAA membership. The membership offers 24-hour emergency road service, exclusive member discounts of up to 20 percent or more on hotels, dining, shopping, free maps, and discounts off of auto and home insurance.

Victoria Hanson Victoria Hanson, Regional President, Wisconsin Heidi Nienow, Regional Sales Director, Wisconsin Other Comments AAA is the insurance industry leader when it comes to advocating for the motoring public. Since AAA was formed on March 4, 1902, the organization has been campaigning for better roads, safer automobiles and uniform traffic laws and signage. Today as one of the largest membership organizations in the nation, we continue to advocate for all motorists, from our youngest citizens and the need to keep them secure in car seats, to our teen drivers in our driver training classes, and to our seasoned drivers and their desire to remain mobile for as long as safely possible. We are also proud of the fact that AAA is the largest leisure travel agency in the country.

Company Website: AAA.com

Outlook For The Company’s Future AAA continues to grow their membership base serving more than 629,000 members. AAA ranks as the 10th largest writer for both personal automobile and homeowners insurance for Wisconsin, with over 165 independent agencies carrying its products. Under Ms. Hanson’s leadership, AAA Wisconsin is committed to maintaining “best in class” service in all business lines, and will focus on always doing what is right for AAA’s members, customers, communities and employees. AAA values its brand and will continue to work towards building strong partnerships with our independent agents, as well as further our commitment to public service and traffic safety. AAA is committed to the independent agency distribution channel.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

APRIL 2015 | 7

Rated A+ by A.M. Best and S&P Ward’s 50 best-run company Named the #3 large company to work for in America Manages over $3 billion in assets 62nd largest insurer in the nation In business since 1925 Less than 2% voluntary employee turnover

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Wisconsin Location Of Company Headquarters: N17 W24340 Riverwood Drive, Pewaukee, WI 53188 Founded: We’ve been a proud resident of Wisconsin since 1940 and celebrating 75 years strong.

Wisconsin Leadership Team: Lawrence G. Schreiber, President & GM Paul Nobile, Regional Vice President Sales & Account Management Doug Arnold, Director, Individual and Small Group Sales Christy Neuber, Regional Vice President State Underwriting Matt Shumlas, Director of Sales - Account Management Our Purpose: Anthem is driving transformation. We believe health care should be personal, accessible and affordable. Our health plan delivers quality products and services that give our members access to the care they need. With nearly 69 million people served by our affiliated companies including more than 37 million enrolled in our family of health plans, Anthem is one of the nation’s leading health benefits companies.

Our Vision: To be America’s valued health partner Our Value: We’ve been serving our members in Wisconsin since 1940.

Located in Pewaukee, we have 1,100 associates on staff with over 1 million members in Wisconsin. Our parent company has over 60 years of experience and, for four years in a row, has been recognized among all health insurers as a Top 3 “America’s Most Admired Company” by Fortune magazine.

Personal Our approach is total well-being. We’re helping members take active control of their health by identifying and providing the right programs and engaging employees to use them — we can help improve health and reduce medical claims. Anthem.com offers health and wellness tools to help your employees make the most of their health care.

It includes LiveHealth Online which allows members to easily connect to a doctor online to address non-emergency health issues right away.

Your employees can also find up-to-date health information, watch videos about health and wellness topics, and take advantage of healthrelated discounts.

Complete Care We are transforming the face of health care by connecting our dental, vision, life, disability, pharmacy and medical plans resulting in better health and a simplified experience.

D Pharmacy Benefit Management D Behavioral and EAP D Dental D Vision D Life and Disability D Productivity Solutions

Lawrence Schreiber

Accessible We know ensuring broad access to quality care is key. We’re opening up access to health care by making it easier for our members to get the right care at the right time.

D Extensive provider networks. HMO/POS/PPO: 15,992 primary care physicians, OB/GYNs, other MD and DO specialists and 127 hospitals.

D The BlueCard® Program provides Blue Cross and Blue Shield members access to health care services when they’re traveling throughout the country — in addition to providers in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

D Access to a network of about 62,000 participating retail pharmacies across the country D Quick Care Options including a 24/7 nurseline and LiveHealth Online Service that exceeds expectations D 97% of claims are processed in 30 days D 99% claims dollar accuracy D Live service hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

D Claims status available 24/7 online or by phone Affordable Anthem is strengthening connections across the entire health care system. Our strategy, strength, reputation and reach allow us to improve the quality of health care for our members while reducing costs for all.

We have more contracted providers than other health plans.

Consumer driven health plans (CDHP) With Anthem CDHP, your employees are informed about their health care needs, invested in finding value options and in charge of their own decisions.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

APRIL 2015 | 9

THE RIGHT MIX Austin Mutual Insurance Company’s rich tradition and strong Wisconsin presence set us apart from other property/casualty carriers.

As a member of super-regional The Main Street America Group, we are committed to providing you with a full suite of commercial lines, personal lines and fidelity/surety bonds products that are competitive in the marketplace.

For more information about Austin Mutual’s wide array of products for your customers, please contact Wisconsin field sales representative Clint Collins at (920) 252–1316 or CollinsC@msagroup.com

www.msagroup.com

We Thank Wisconsin’s Independent Agents For All Your Great Work

• Bringing valued expertise • Local support of customers • Contributing to your communities THE HANOVER INSURANCE GROUP Exclusively distributing through Independent Agents Since 1852

YOUR LOCAL CONTACTS: Andrew Knipfer Commercial Lines RVP 262-796-6735 John Vose Personal Lines ARVP 262-796-6743

hanover.com

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by AM B ) t n e ll e c est ‘A’ (Ex the Midw · Rated in s r a e y ted 130+ s n la p s t o ight year e · Ro s u io v e ts or pr ent Agen growth f d e n e iv t p i e s d o I In · P s with W ip h s r e n t par re! · Strong Free futu y r r o W itted to a · Comm

Local Independent Agents interested in learning more about The IMT Group’s products can contact Matt Casey at (800) 274-3531, ext. 897.

WWW.IMTINS.COM

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA • 800.274.3531 • WWW.IMTINS.COM

FEATURED PARTNER Progressive Insurance CHIEF EXECTUTIVE OFFICER Glenn Renwick PERSONAL LINES PRESIDENT John Sauerland COMMERCIAL LINES PRESIDENT John Barbagallo COMPANY HEADQUARTERS Mayfield Village, OH A.M. BEST RATING “A+” (Superior) COMPANY WEBSITE www.ProgressiveAgent.com

Company Information Founded in 1937, today Progressive is the fourth largest auto insurer in the country and one of the fastest growing. Since 1992, Progressive has been the number one personal auto insurer through independent agents and is a leader in commercial lines and special lines, with coverages for motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, personal watercraft and RVs. Additionally, umbrella and homeowners products are available at competitive rates.*

Competitive Rates – Progressive offers competitive insurance rates and provides the industry’s leading usage-based insurance program, Snapshot® that allows safe drivers to save based on when and how they drive.

Progressive Benefits and Services

Financial Stability – Progressive is one of the most stable and secure insurers in the Industry, with an A+ (Superior) rating from A.M. Best Company, an independent firm that rates the financial strength and performance of auto insurers.

Superior Claims Service – Progressive works with customers throughout the entire claims process to provide fast and fair service. Its Service Centers located across the country provide a one-stop-shop for getting drivers back on the road quickly after an accident. Additionally, drivers can get a claim started anywhere, anytime through the mobile app.

Availability – Progressive is there 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer questions and service your insurance policy. Contacting the company is simple and can be done online at ProgressiveAgent. com, by phone, with a mobile app or through an agent.

14 | APRIL 2015

Discounts – Progressive offers discounts for customers’ who pay in full, enroll in our Paperless billing, bundle their home and auto policies or carry multiple policies with us. Discounts may vary, let us help you find ways to save on your insurance premiums by finding the discounts that are right for you.

Progressive has proudly supported agents for more than 75 years and is committed to offering competitive rates, best in class products, services and support. *Available to qualified agents on a limited rollout basis

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

QBE REGIONAL INSURANCE Location of Company Headquarters: One General Drive, Sun Prairie, WI 53596 Founded: 1925

Products Company Specializes In: QBE has partnered with Wisconsin’s independent agents to meet the needs of main street and personal lines clients for over 80 years. With local management and claims handling, the company is represented by over 275 agents across Wisconsin and has developed commercial and personal lines products to protect consumers’ most important assets.

Commercial Lines: From small storefronts to high-value multilocation corporations, QBE’s US Middle Market Division provides insurance protection across a wide spectrum of Wisconsin properties.

We leverage our Underwriting Expertise, Loss Control, Products and Services to make it possible. Our experts see opportunities where others don’t, looking at every way to contribute to your success. In fact, our understanding of risk and ability to manage it better gives your customers the reassurance they need to be successful. Our FlexBizSM program includes coverages, limits and extensions to meet the needs of over 400 classes of business.

Personal Lines: QBE offers products to meet the needs of almost every household in Wisconsin. The introduction of a new processing system has improved agency efficiency and is the foundation for our FlexAuto® and FlexHomeSM products. In addition, our Crowne CondominiumSM product has been designed and priced to offer superior features and protection compared to a standard HO-6.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

Outlook for the Company’s Future As a member of QBE North America, with gross written premium of $5.3 billion in 2014, the company offers Wisconsin agents financial strength, stability and access to additional products and markets through other QBE member companies. These include NAU, the third largest crop insurer in the US, QBE Aviation, QBE Programs and in the near future, QBE Specialty. QBE continues to maintain the local presence, approachability and individual service agents have come to expect from us. We are committed to maintaining healthy products that are open for business, enabling Wisconsin agencies to quote and close more customers, with confidence.

Other Comments QBE has insured Wisconsin autos, homes and businesses since 1925.

Our heritage continues with QBE Insurance Group Limited, one of the top 20 insurers and reinsurers worldwide, with operations in all key global insurance markets. QBE is an Australian listed company based in Sydney, with operations in 43 countries and over 13,000 staff worldwide. QBE’s gross written premium was $16.3 billion in 2014.

Company Website: qbena.com FlexAuto, FlexHome, FlexBiz and Crowne Condominium are registered service marks of QBE Regional Companies (N.A.) Inc.

APRIL 2015 | 15

“It’s about helping our neighbors and being there for them when they need us,” said Dave Gross, President and CEO of SECURA Insurance. “Caring for others is not just a part of our 115-year history, it’s the fabric of all we do and who we are today.”

The People A Midwest work ethic and helpful attitude are inherent qualities of SECURA’s people and culture. Headquartered in Appleton, Wis., the super-regional carrier attracts and develops the best and brightest employees, and provides opportunities for growth and advancement.

Employees are proud of their work and enjoy a culture that helps balance family, work, and life. That translates directly to how they genuinely care for and serve agents and policyholders.

The Policyholders SECURA is known for how well it treats policyholders, especially when handling claims fairly and promptly. Customers appreciate the company’s great insurance options. Even more so, they value the personal and compassionate service they receive.

Most policyholders rate SECURA a “Perfect 10” after their claims experience. Perhaps it’s because of the personal phone call they receive within one hour of hearing about an accident or loss, or maybe it’s because of the lengths someone goes to in order to restore life to normal.

This kind of refreshing approach earns the trust and praise of customers every day.

The Agents Committed to the independent agency model, the company does business with more than 450 agents in 12 states. Agents choose to partner with the company because of the real relationships they form with SECURA employees, and the responsive and flexible approach to underwriting, making it easy to do business and setting them up for success.

The carrier’s extensive agent training programs also provide professional development opportunities for agents to increase sales and profits, with follow up to help put what they learned into practice.

The Products SECURA offers Commercial, Personal, Farm-Ag, and Specialty insurance products and services. The latter two are the fastest growing segments, offering many profitable opportunities.

Commercial Lines is the company’s largest line of business, providing coverage for contractors, manufacturers, technology services, and numerous other markets. Setting SECURA apart from other carriers is a consultative approach to Risk Management and its unique Work Comp Nurse Hotline for commercial clients. The service results in better care

16 | APRIL 2015

Dave Gross for injured workers, fewer claims and lower premiums for employers, and a more profitable book of business for agents.

Personal Lines is SECURA’s second largest segment, with a MILE-STONE home and auto package that contains numerous enhancements, giving agents an edge in attracting and retaining customers.

Farm Lines, which is part of the company’s heritage, expanded to include Agribusiness, insuring niches like seed merchants, custom farming, and dairy product manufacturing. Specialty Lines covers unique programs such as non-emergency transport, YMCAs and health clubs, and sports and recreation, to name a few.

The Strength As a company in the service industry, SECURA continues to invest in people – its greatest asset.

Looking to the future, the carrier is devoting resources to product advancement and technology to reflect the ever-changing needs of agents and policyholders.

Agents know SECURA is a stable, long-term market for them. The company exceeded a half billion dollars in direct written premium in 2014, including 10 percent growth in Wisconsin. Those accomplishments speak volumes to the quality of SECURA’s agents and people.

The carrier is recognized among Ward’s Top 50 property and casualty insurance companies nationwide, and is consistently rated A (Excellent) with A.M. Best.

SECURA builds strength from its people, fostering relationships with agents, caring for policyholders, and supporting the community. Those genuine traits help the company maintain success for the future.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

SFM–The Work Comp Experts

Providing superior injury prevention, claims management and cost control services

sfmic.com

SOCIETY INSURANCE Location Of Company Headquarters: Fond du Lac, WI Founded: 1915 Senior Managers: Rick Parks, President and CEO William Reeves, Senior Vice President and COO Heather Boyer, Vice President – CFO and Treasurer Mike Zajicek, Vice President – Workers Compensation Claims Bill Bunzel, Vice President – Property, Auto and Liability Claims Amy Collett, Vice President – Human Resources Thomas Konop, Vice President – Information Systems D. Holly Lifke, Vice President – Commercial Lines Underwriting Dina S. Schultz, Vice President – Sales and Marketing Dominic Weber, Vice President – Actuary

Products Company Specializes In: Society Insurance writes only commercial lines. As a niche market leader, the company has developed in-depth expertise in its core classes of business. Supported by long-term trade association endorsements from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and the Tavern League of Wisconsin, Society writes policies for more than 25 percent of the food and beverage establishments in Wisconsin. Society’s strong tradition of association partnerships and niche expertise also extends into hotels and motels, grocery and convenience stores, artesian contractors and food processors, auto repair garages and health care clinics. The protection Society offers for its core classes of business are consistently some of the most comprehensive on the market.

Workers compensation insurance was the first coverage Society wrote when it was founded in 1915, and the company maintains a strong presence in this complicated and specialized line of business. Society’s claim management process keeps costs low for policyholders by stressing early intervention, advocating a quick return to work and obtaining the best medical provider discounts.

Loss control services are customer-focused and tailored to the needs of both small and large businesses. Society also offers a number of internet-based safety tools for customers of all sizes.

This combination of strong claim management and tailored loss control is a true competitive advantage that eliminates many problems business owners and agents may otherwise experience with workers compensation insurance.

Rick Parks

Outlook for the Company’s Future As Society Insurance celebrates its 100th year in business in 2015, the company continues to build on its strength as a regional carrier committed to service and value for its customers. In 2014, this focus helped Society Insurance continue to grow at a steady, sustainable pace. Since 2010, the company has increased direct written premium by more than 20 percent and policyholder surplus by nearly 31 percent. As a niche market leader, Society does not try to be all things to all businesses. Rather, the company concentrates on doing what it does better than anyone else — insuring its core niches — and will continue to do so going forward. Because of this focus on niche markets, the company better understands the lines of business it writes and has exceptional knowledge and experience with issues that are likely to arise.

Other Comments In an industry not known for its creativity, Society isn’t afraid to be different. And it’s the small details at Society — they’re in each policy and they’re in the way the company underwrites and handles claims — that set the company apart. Society knows that agents and policyholders have unique needs that don’t always fit neatly within a strictly defined category, so Society offers insurance uniquely tailored to the businesses they write. Sharing core values and a commitment to service with agency and association partners defines Society Insurance as a company where the small details make a big difference to agents and policyholders.

Company Website: societyinsurance.com

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WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

THE TRAVELERS COMPANIES INC. Location Of Company Headquarters: Hartford, CT Founded: 160 years ago Officers: Lorie Kates, Regional President George Hogan, Regional Director Paul Kyrilis, Regional Vice President - Commercial, Technology, Construction, Public Sector Lorie Kates Linda Petrillo, Regional Vice President - Personal Insurance Lisa Pechan, Regional Vice President - Select Mark O’Brien, Regional Vice President - National Accounts Casualty Mike Powers, Regional Vice President - National Property John Tsourmas, Zonal Vice President - Excess Casualty Allen Warner, Regional Vice President - Inland Marine Brendan Dunican, Regional Vice President - Ocean Marine Paul Andriscin, Regional Vice President - Boiler & Machinery Beth Printz, Regional Vice President - Claims Gail Schroeder, Regional Vice President - Bond & Financial Products Steve Ringler, Regional Risk Control Director

Outlook for the Company’s Future Travelers is an insurance leader, committed to keeping pace with the ever-changing needs of our customers, and anticipating their needs for the future. There is no stronger testament to our dedication to protecting customers from loss than our continued innovation and ability to transform our industry. Travelers is also committed to helping agents grow and be successful. Our people are professionals focused on delivering timely and professional service to you and our customers.

We are local. With over 200 employees in Wisconsin, Travelers delivers the many attributes of a large national carrier through one of the best-staffed field offices in the state. Our staff understands the Wisconsin marketplace and is committed to developing productive relationships with you and our insureds while delivering products and services your customers are looking for. For example: 1. Travelers is the #1 writer of Commercial Lines & Workers Comp in WI.* 2. Travelers has received two “Buyers Choice Awards” from Business Insurance magazine, taking home the top honors among insurers in both the Workers Compensation and Commercial Auto categories.

4. Travelers Quantum Auto 2.0® was launched in 2013 in WI. Developed in close collaboration with our independent agents, this new auto product offers more competitive pricing to a broader range of consumers.

5. Travelers Claim is continually developing innovative tools and resources designed to help you and your customers stay safe, including our Prepare and Prevent site on Travelers.com, and our new Weather Alerts. Offered through Weather Services International (WSI), a professional division of The Weather Company, the weather alerts are sent to subscribers of the service in advance of an approaching storm reaching a particular location.

Travelers understands that life and business are inherently dynamic and that the best way to serve customers is to deliver insurance that behaves the same way — evolving to keep in step with life and business as they change. Protect your clients under the red umbrella!

Company Website: www.Travelers.com * AM Best Data

3. Travelers recently opened a new ConciergeClaim Nurse® location in Milwaukee. ConciergeClaim Nurse® is a comprehensive workers compensation claim program designed to simplify the claim process for injured employees, enabling them to get back to work quickly and safely.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

APRIL 2015 | 19

WEST BEND MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY Location of Company Headquarters: 1900 South 18th Avenue, West Bend, WI 53095 Founded: April 1894 Officers: Kevin Steiner, President and Chief Executive Officer Dale Kent, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tracey Berg, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Gary Alexander, Vice President - NSI Bonds Heather Dunn, Vice President and Controller David Ertmer, Vice President - Claims Rick Fox, Vice President and Chief Actuary Paul Hingtgen, Vice President - Argent® Rob Jacques, Vice President - Commercial Lines Gary Klein, Vice President - NSI® Jim Pauly, General Counsel Jim Schwalen, Vice President - Personal Lines & Marketing Kelly Tighe, Vice President - Sales Christopher Zwygart, Vice President and Chief Risk Officer Debra Cahoon, Assistant Vice President - Human Resources Mike DeLaney, Assistant Vice President - Argent Loss Control

Products Company Specializes In: West Bend offers a broad-coverage personal lines package with multiple rating tiers for home and auto. Many innovative enhancements and features are also available. The company also offers a full range of commercial products and services, as well as specialty lines, such as social services, sports and leisure, special events, childcare, and bonds through NSI, its specialty division. Its monoline workers’ compensation division, Argent, works closely with agents and policyholders to determine their most critical workers’ compensation needs and improve results through loss control, medical cost containment, and education.

Outlook for the Company’s Future West Bend is well positioned to capitalize on the current market conditions. In 2014, the company was rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best. A.M. Best also recognizes West Bend as one of the 100 largest property/casualty insurers in the country. West Bend was added to Ward Group’s 2014 list of the 50 top-performing property/casualty insurers, and is listed as a top company in a nationwide ease-ofdoing-business survey. The company will strive to maintain these rankings by advancing its technology, products, and services, while retaining its small-company, relationship-driven culture.

20 | APRIL 2015

Kevin Steiner

Scott Grinna, Assistant Vice President – PAS Program Management Mike Kapfer, Assistant Vice President – NSI Underwriting Jim Keal, Assistant Vice President - Argent Operations Jason Moore, Assistant Vice President – IT Business Application Services Laura Morrow – Assistant Vice President – NSI Claims Dave Nettum, Assistant Vice President – Argent Claims John Reyzer, Assistant Vice President – NSI Finance

Company Philanthropy The West Bend Independent Agents’ Fund was established in 2006 for nonprofit organizations served by the independent insurance agents who represent the company. Grants from the fund are aimed at improving these organizations and the lives of those served by them. In 2015, West Bend awarded $164,000 to non-profit organizations supported by its independent agents. Grants awarded from the Independent Agents’ Fund now total more than $900,000.

In August 2014, West Bend, along with independent insurance agents who represent the company and key business partners, came together to raise $458,000 for the MACC Fund, Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer. Since 2006, West Bend and the company’s independent agent partners have helped raise more than $1 million for the MACC Fund.

Company Website: thesilverlining.com

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

D Allowed trend: down 5.6% vs. traditional plans.

Wisconsin Network D 1,735 unique dentists

D Preventive care usage: up 3% overall, up 8% for men.

D 6,255 access points D Office visits: down 9.3% overall.

D Prescription drug usage: down overall with no negative impact on medications taken by members with chronic conditions.

Blue Distinction Centers This is a strong network of recognized specialty centers across the country that are committed to providing better clinical and cost outcomes.

Blue Precision A network of providers with cost and quality in mind for these specialties: cardiologists, OB/GYN, endocrinologists, rheumatologists and pulmonologists.

Blue View Vision Blue View Vision can give your employees coverage to help maintain healthy eyes, while giving you coverage to help maintain a healthy bottom line.

Outlook for the Company’s Future By driving transformation, we can accomplish our goal to make health care more personal, affordable and accessible. We will continue our efforts to help improve the quality of care while keeping costs down.

And with our local presence in Wisconsin, we’ll keep building strong relationships with employers and the community.

Contact Phone Number: (262) 523-249 Company Web site: www.anthem.com

Dental Blue - Anthem covers a lot of smiles.

8.5 million people in 70,000+ employer groups nationwide, including some of the largest companies in the world. Highly customizable plans. Integrated health and dental benefits. Focus on overall health.

n o i t a i c o s s A Growth by 22 | APRIL 2015

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

BURNS &

PROVIDE THE ANSWERS TODAY

WILCOX SPEED IS OUR MIDDLE NAME.

Our vast global market relationships speed up our quoting and binding process, quickly providing insureds the solutions they need. When it comes to the hard-to-place, think fast. Think Burns & Wilcox.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 262.347.0266 toll free 800.544.5700 | fax 262.347.0440 milwaukee.burnsandwilcox.com Minneapolis, Minnesota | 612.564.1880 toll free 800.328.1693 | fax 612.564.1881 minneapolis.burnsandwilcox.com Commercial | Professional | Personal | Brokerage Binding | Risk Management Services

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

GOOD CHARACTER IMPORTANT TRAIT OF HIGH LEVEL ASSISTANTS

Let’s talk about character and break it down a bit further. I had mentioned in a prior article that character encompasses ethics, integrity, accountability and values guided by our moral principles.

Just like the head of a company is held accountable through his or her actions, so is the executive assistant.

Moral principles or ethics are defined as knowing the difference between right and wrong with a larger dictate of standards accepted by society and acted upon as a whole. To practice these principles is to treat others with respect, to be able to acknowledge differences while valuing others opinions, and to do business in an above board manner.

Power is not an excuse to act unprofessionally.

As a high level executive assistant, these same principals should be the norm. The assistant represents senior management and the company. The idea of partnering creates team synergy and cohesiveness.

Integrity and accountability are integral parts of doing business. We know that to do business well, we have to treat our customers well, acknowledge their needs, and do what will benefit them to the fullest while remaining ethical and compassionate. We also need to demonstrate accountability by acting responsibly and taking ownership for our decisions and, yes, even our mistakes. A high level assistant should have realistic optimism while remaining energetic and alert. To be a true gatekeeper, the assistant represents the CEO, utilizes leadership skills, shows patience, makes

24 | APRIL 2015

executive decisions when appropriate and keeps the boss fully informed. Maya Angelou said it best: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Your actions reflect not only on you but also on those you represent and work for. Simply put, treat others as you wish to be treated.

Self-accountability is key in setting a prime example for others. For the high level assistant, it means showing up early, being on time and following the guidelines of breaks and lunch hours. By adhering to timelines, you are sending a message that you respect the guidelines set by the company and management as well as setting an example for others to follow. There is no better way to gain respect than to lead by example. Taking the initiative, being a go-getter with a ‘can do’ attitude, and

staying one step ahead of your boss are all part of being an outstanding assistant.

A well-balanced demeanor to handle things under pressure while keeping a clear head to put out fires when or before they occur brings real value to a proficient gatekeeper. Skills alone will not gain the high level assistant respect. As I have mentioned before, this is earned. When you are respected, others will acknowledge you and recognize the value you bring to the company and its leaders.

Let’s not lose sight of appearance and how you look to others. How you dress and carry yourself can leave a lasting impression. We have entered an era where business casual is the norm. “Business casual” does not mean wearing poor fitting or wrinkled clothes that lean towards sloppy, and having an attitude that says, “I don’t care.” Clothes and attitude should convey confidence. If you question the appropriateness of an outfit then don’t wear it. Chances are that anything questionable is not office appropriate and that goes for wearing overbearing perfumes and aftershaves. How you dress reflects your attitude in respecting yourself, the company, and those you work with. Dressing for success is the easiest thing you can do to impact others.

Having integrity with a solid character and the right skills will create a great gatekeeper, one worth keeping!

> Kathy Paulson is the founder of The Assistants’ Coach. She is leading a session at the 2015 IIAW Annual Convention.

Contact Kathy at kapaulson48@ gmail.com, and 608.220.6918.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. From left to right: Andy Roe, Katie Roe Weiper, Jim Roe and Patrick Roe

Arlington/Roe. You have our word on it. “Whether you choose Arlington/Roe for our breadth of knowledge, product line diversity, market access or industry know-how, you may be assured we are in business primarily to serve you. We will do our best to earn and keep your trust. You have our word on it.� – James A. Roe, CPCU, ASLI, President

800.878.9891

•

ArlingtonRoe.com

Aviation | Bonds | Brokerage | Commercial Lines | Farm | Medical Professional | Personal Lines | Professional Liability | Transportation | Workers’ Compensation

© 2013 SECURA Insurance

Let’s make sure they always dig what they do.

Building working relationships since 1900 Commercial • Personal • Farm-Ag • Specialty 26 | APRIL 2015

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

FOCUS ON CONTENT

HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEBSITE

A SALES MACHINE

David Ogilvy was a legendary adman and salesman who cut his teeth selling stoves door to door. Decades ago, Ogilvy said, “The worst fault a salesman can commit is to be a bore. Foster any attempt to talk about other things; the longer you stay, the better you get to know the prospect, and the more you will be trusted.”

Now think about this in regard to your website. Is it boring? Strike one. Is it loaded with content and are there lots of things to talk about? If not, then strike two. Is it sticky?

Are people spending ample time on your site?

If they aren’t, strike three. Are you building trust by way of your website, nurturing leads, adding value because of your content, and being a thought leader? If not, strike four.

People can spot a pretender faster than you can say Bernie Madoff. Build trust and nurture leads by being consistently insightful.

Here are a few approaches to your next website redesign project that would win Ogilvy’s approval.

Website design is always based on content — the content you have now and the content your strategic website brief indicates you’ll have in the future. As improbable as it sounds, there are still plenty of Web companies that start the process with design. Wrong. You’re going to have a more compelling design that’s less boring when you start with content.

Websites are content-critical. You should have a lot to talk about because you do have satisfied customers who are probably willing to share how pleased they are with your company.

If you want people to spend time on your site, find out what your audience wants. Do a little voice-of-customer research and give the people what they want, which is a lot less about you and a lot more about solving problems.

I think it’s high time we apply the trust

barometer to websites. People can spot a pretender faster than you can say Bernie Madoff. Build trust and nurture leads by being consistently insightful. They’ll come back for more as long as you’re willing to put more into it.

Your website should be a sales machine.

Part David Ogilvy, part Dale Carnegie, and part Erica Feidner. Erica who?

Oh yes, she’s the one who sold more than $40 million in > Tom Marks founded Steinway pianos in TMA+Peritus many years ago and was an early spite of an incredibly proponent of electricity long sales cycle and and content marketing. virtually no repeat Find our more at tmaperitus.com. purchases.

MARKETING MINUTE

CUSTOMERS STILL VALUE SERVICE

RELATIONSHIP SELLING IN THE DIGITAL WORLD Worried that the modern insurance customer won’t respond to the relationship selling our industry was built on? Don’t give it another thought.

Recently, I had a conversation with an agent about how customers react when they receive great service. They are quick to brag about the agent to others and share their appreciation.

What had the agent done to deserve this praise?

He simply used his relational skills to meet the needs of the customer with the knowledge he shared. He exercised empathy about the obstacles consumers face when making insurance decisions and tried to make the purchase process as easy as possible.

They want to understand what they are doing.

They want to know their options.

waiter, waitress, retail clerk, or hotel employee knows the customer likes.

They want to interact with someone who is responsive. They don’t want to get hustled.

And trust is at the heart of it. Trust is a key component in a successful agent-customer relationship.

It’s being friendly.

It’s showing empathy for the customer and the situation they are in.

It’s listening closely.

In fact, trusting the agency professional was found to be central in a study done with independent insurance agents in Texas some years back. The study, conducted by the Mays Business School at Texas A&M, was exploring whether there was a link between the relational intelligence of an individual and the impact that it had on the relationship with customers, specifically the customer’s desire to look for substitutes.

It’s using your knowledge to help them reach their goals.

It’s doing what you said you would.

All these behaviors build trust. It’s like the guy at the home improvement store who is helping you get that “thing” you need for a job, and takes the time to ask if you had the “goop” that you’ll need, too.

Relationship Selling in the Digital World What does this have to do with digital marketing and sales? Everything.

We can use our websites, social media, our online profiles and our contact methods to show our relational skill set.

The AGENT did all that. It wasn’t a website, although teaching the customer about tools on the agency website was part of it. It wasn’t a blog post, but the agent shared information that would work in a blog post.

In short, the agent gave the customer what they valued. Where he may do that can move around, but delivering on the value didn’t change.

Relationship Selling and the Insurance Agent So, what does an insurance consumer value?

It’s what we all value in a transaction of importance.

28 | APRIL 2015

The study did find a significant link. It found that agency staff with great relationship building skills was trusted to a greater degree than staff that lacked these skills.

It found that that trust in the individual was imputed to the agency as long as they were dealing with the agent they knew and trusted.

The more they trusted the agent, the more likely they were to stay with the agency.

Relational skill, sometimes called relational intelligence or emotional intelligence, is nothing new.

It’s the use of practical people skills that any

Is your presence friendly and warm? Do your online interactions make the customer smile?

Do you anticipate what may be frustrating a searching consumer?

Are you making it easy? Are you telling them the things they need to know? When they reach out, are you responsive and helpful?

Every interaction with customers in an office can be moved into a digital environment.

Customers will respond to relationship building regardless of the venue.

> Paul Martin is the state association liaison at TrustedChoice.com and the owner of PZ Martin Education Strategies.

He is a contributor to AgencyNation. com, Trusted Choice’s repository of articles, lead generation and more. Contact Paul at askanagent@ trustedchoice.com.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

SFM–The Work Comp Experts

Providing superior injury prevention, claims management and cost control services

sfmic.com WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

APRIL 2015 | 29

VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY

SHOULD THE SAME INSURER WRITE CGL AND BAP POLICIES? The most common questions submitted to the Ask An Expert service of the Virtual University are about whether the same carrier should write CGL and business auto policies. Example questions include:

Regarding a commercial plumbing and HVAC contractor, what are the potential coverage problems that may result from placing the CGL and the Auto with different insurance carriers?

I know it is best to write GL and Auto with the same carrier because of potential gaps in coverage but I cannot remember what those gaps are. Can you help?

We write the CGL coverage on a moving and storage company but they have their auto coverage with a different allegedly ‘neighborly’ insurer. Are there pitfalls to this arrangement we can cite to convince them to allow us to write all of their coverages?

There are at least four primary reasons why insuring both CGL and auto in the same carrier is often advantageous at claim time: (1) loading or unloading exposures; (2) “auto” vs. “mobile equipment”; (3) gray situational areas; and (4) auto exposures covered by the CGL policy.

First, with regard to the loading and unloading of a vehicle, not long ago, we had an Ask an Expert question where an independent agency carrier wrote the CGL coverage on a moving and storage company but their auto was written by a captive agency carrier. There was a claim that occurred while property was being unloaded. The ISO CGL carrier pointed at the non-ISO auto carrier and vice versa.

In many instances, there is no question that the claim is covered, it’s simply a matter of determining which policy applies. ISO has designed its CGL and BAP policies to fit together so that, in the vast majority of situations, one or the other responds. In the claim above, the ISO CGL policy did not cover the damage. An ISO BAP would have covered the damage; however, the auto carrier (perhaps not as “neighborly” as they profess to be) said their policy did not cover the damage because it only covered “ownership, maintenance or use” of an auto and, in their opinion, “use” did not include carrying transported property 200 feet from the vehicle. Unlike ISO’s BAP (but like ISO’s PAP), this carrier’s policy did not specifically mention “loading and unloading” or “movement or property.”

Second, some types of vehicles can

be autos when driven on the road, then become “mobile equipment” while being operated. And, beginning with the 2004 ISO CGL policy, a vehicle that had formerly been considered “mobile equipment” all of the time, has since been considered an “auto” while subject to motor vehicle laws. At that time, ISO created a bridge endorsement for the BAP until it was revised to reflect this change in 2006. It’s easy to see how you might have different edition dates in conflict between carriers or one carrier may be using a non-ISO CGL or BAP or even a PAP being used, for example, on business by a contractor.

Third, situations can arise where it is not clear which policy applies.

To cite a real-life claim example, a school bus arrived at a school, a child jumped/ran off the bus, slipped on an icy sidewalk, and broke her leg. The CGL and BAP were with different insurers and neither was willing to accept responsibility. Was she still in the process of exiting the vehicle or was this a premises slip and fall? When it comes to pure policy interpretation, often that can be done by a judge via declaratory judgment; however, facts are decided by juries when the parties can’t agree on exactly what happened, where it happened, how it happened, and why.

If both policies are written with the same carrier, these disputes are far less likely.

Fourth, we all know that CGL policies don’t cover autos, right? Not necessarily.

Here’s the relevant stem of the ISO CGL ‘auto’ exclusion: “Bodily injury” or “property damage” arising out of the ownership,

The Virtual University is a Big “I” members-only resource. Many articles are based on real-life questions received by the Ask an Expert service. This service ensures that the information is current and topical. Go to www.independentagent. com/Education/VU/. You will need to login with your IIABA username and password before using the VU. The IIABA does not assume and has no responsibility for liability or damage which may result from the use of any of this information.

30 | APRIL 2015

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY maintenance, use or entrustment to others of any aircraft, “auto” or watercraft owned or operated by or rented or loaned to any insured.

Use includes operation and “loading or unloading”.

The exclusion requires that both of two conditions be met in order for it to apply. First, the claim must arise from the “ownership, maintenance, use or entrustment” of an auto. If an insured doesn’t own it, isn’t maintaining it at the time of loss, isn’t using it, and hasn’t entrusted it, then the exclusion doesn’t apply. Second, even if the church, for example, is using the auto, the exclusion doesn’t apply unless the auto is “owned or operated by” or “rented or loaned to” an insured.

So, if the church is sued, perhaps vicariously, because of an accident involving an auto not owned by, operated by, rented to, or loaned to an insured, the CGL policy should respond.

So, if there is a CGL and an auto policy involved with different carriers, fingerpointing might arise or a coordination of Other Insurance clauses might create problems.

Sometimes it’s not possible to write both CGL and auto in the same carrier, but when it is, it is often the advisable way to go if the scenarios outlined in this article are of concern.

> Bill Wilson is Director of the Virtual University of the IIABA. Contact Bill at bill.wilson@iiaba. net.

THINKING FOR TOMORROW TO HELP YOU AND YOUR POLICYHOLDERS TODAY

We are dedicated to becoming the easiest company for you and your policyholders to do business with!

That’s why we have taken advantage of technology to serve you both better!

MOBILE APP

Take the wait out of filing a claim, viewing your current claim status, obtaining your personal policy information, and so much more!

Download the mobile app by searching Pekin Insurance in the App Store or Google Play.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay connected with us via our social media outlets, Facebook and YouTube. Weekly posts on our Facebook page provide both fun and useful information while videos on our YouTube channel provide new information regarding products and endorsements for you to share with your policyholders.

FROM THE COMFORT OF HOME

With My PI, policyholders have secure online access to policy information, policy documents, billing information, auto ID cards, and claim information right from their smartphone, tablet, or computer!

WWW.PEKININSURANCE.COM WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

APRIL 2015 | 31

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When you become a part of the Insurance Associates of America family, your agency keeps its unique style, familiar identity, and personalized customer service.

What we offer is access to over 30 carriers along with industry expertise and support to help you grow your agency. You’ll retain 100% ownership of your agency, while benefiting from the shared strength of all of our Insurance Associates of America members.

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Sell more. Make more. Stress less.

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For more information call Mike Sabourin 866-789-9712

Not all markets are available in all states.

IN

NEW MEMBER BENEFIT

TAKE ONLINE TRAINING TO A NEW LEVEL It’s a familiar scenario: A candidate accepts a job offer after an extensive recruiting and interview process. The new employee is excited about the fresh opportunity and the company is eager to have their prized recruit on board and ready to contribute. Expectations and energy are high.

Then the enthusiastic new hire tackles the company’s ‘comprehensive’ training program.

In one or two days, the trainer bombards the employee with a Wikipedia’s worth of information, most of which has nothing to do

For example, the Commercial Lines Coverage Basics module contains sections on Commercial Property, Commercial Lines –

with the job at hand.

General Liability, Workers Compensation, Business Auto and Garage Coverages, Commercial Umbrella Liability, and Business Owners Policy. The module ends with the Commercial Lines Coverage Challenge, a test of 25 questions.

A lot of time and money are spent hiring a qualified candidate but the same resources are not allotted for training.

What’s the answer?

New Level Partners (NLP) is a Princeton, New Jersey-based company that specializes in customized online training and education for its clients. The Independent Insurance Agents of Wisconsin has partnered with NLP to offer new hire training as a member benefit.

“The training is geared for staff coming into the insurance industry,” said Nancy Langton, co-founder and president. “The courses are interactive with clickable links and audio throughout the presentation. These are not recorded webinars.”

In Wisconsin, modules include personal and commercial lines basics, essentials for CSRs and account managers, and a manager’s series.

The onboarding coursework is broken into major topics.

Check out NLP’s online courses at IIAW.com by going to our homepage, scrolling over Member Resources and clicking New Hire Training. You can also go directly to iiawstore. mycoursecenter.com.

For more about New Level Partners LLC, visit their website at newlevelpartners.com.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

Each section contains classes Nancy Langton and Bill Harwood founded New Level Partners (NLP) in 2001. The company specializes in customized online training and education for its clients. that are approximately 30 to The IIAW has partnered with NLP to offer new hire training as a member benefit.

45 minutes in length. The entire curriculum for each module is meant to be reviewed and digested marketing, HR management and commercial over the course of weeks or months. lines and underwriting.

“The generation coming into the industry demands access all the time. We have to provide flexible learning opportunities that are accessible anywhere.

“

And that’s it. Training is over and the employee is on the clock. Experienced employees and management, even with the best intentions, are busy and don’t have the time to answer questions. Over time, the new employee becomes overwhelmed and disappointed. Excitement and energy have turned to frustration.

This is where the trend is going.

Nancy Langton, co-founder and president, New Level Partners

“Once a module is purchased, students have access to the content for four months,” said Langton. “This ‘spaced repetition’ approach to learning increases retention. If not practiced or applied on the job, the knowledge and skills acquired during onboarding quickly disappear.”

Langton and her partner, Bill Harwood, founded NLP 15 years ago. Nancy has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry in human resources, training and development and recruiting. Bill’s expertise co-mingles strategic planning, sales and

Their practical business knowledge and skills led them to the conclusion that quality online training was lacking in the marketplace. For the insurance industry, where attracting young talent is a priority, online training is a must.

“The generation coming into the industry demands access all the time,” said Langton.

“We have to provide flexible learning opportunities that are accessible anywhere.

This is where the trend is going.”

New Level Partners has already rolled out training programs with the Big “I” in New Jersey and New York.

“We’ve had unbelievable success with associations,” said Langton. “We want to provide great tools so that new hires can get started with something that’s concrete. Both companies and agencies, especially smaller agencies, will benefit greatly > Eric Schwartz is the from the training IIAW’s communication modules.” supervisor.

APRIL 2015 | 33

ERRORS & OMISSIONS

THE SCARY TALE OF THE E&O AUD IT !

(ACTUALLY, THEY’RE NOT THAT BAD)

The word “audit” tends to make people cringe. They think of mean IRS bean counters scrutinizing their finances. Over the years we have referred to audits as “E&O Risk Management Reviews” or “Agency Operational Reviews,” but that’s just semantics. Although perceived as daunting, audits can be very positive.

Auditors gather a tremendous amount of agency operational knowledge from their exposure to so many different organizations.

We see and learn new things from innovative agencies all the time, giving us a good perspective of what’s going on in the industry.

On occasion we also see some of the worst of agency operations with little structure and little or no management. We learn from those agencies as well. Sometimes it can be scary for the auditor, too!

After performing hundreds of audits, I can assure you that the vast majority of agencies that have audits performed become repeat clients. I’m sure most auditors would tell you the same thing. The reason? There must be some significant benefit to the agency or this wouldn’t be the case. Let’s start with who the auditors are.

Most agency auditors have extensive agency backgrounds, some as managers, some as agency owners. The average auditor has over 20 years in the business. Some that are more “seasoned” (e.g., old) like me have over 40 years in the insurance business and have owned their own agency.

The “Trinity” of E&O Risk Management is Communication, Documentation and Consistency.

Most of us have performed audits in hundreds of agencies over the years and visit new agencies every month. These agencies vary in size from just a few people to the largest agencies in the country. My smallest client has two employees; the largest has over 1,200. Geographically, this includes agencies in the most rural areas to the largest cities. I’ve worked with generalists and niche agencies and every variation in between.

34 | APRIL 2015

Now that you are more comfortable with who will perform your audit, let’s look at some of the benefits the agency will derive from completing an agency audit.

The most obvious benefit is the reduction of E&O exposure for your agency. Going through an E&O claim is not a pleasant experience. Besides the financial impact, including the deductible, potential additional legal expenses, the cost of management and staff being tied up in depositions or court, it can be an emotional event for the employees involved. Completing an audit cannot guarantee that you will not be sued, but if you have followed the audit recommendations, it should put you in a more defensible position.

Another benefit that I have heard many times from my clients is that auditors bring new industry knowledge to the table. I am often asked, “How does my agency stack up to others you see?” Of course, things we see and hear that are proprietary within an agency are never shared with another agency. However, general things we see including industry trends, interesting communication methods used with agency clients, and innovative marketing ideas, can sometimes be shared as they are not specific to one agency.

An objection I sometimes hear, usually from

an agency that has not had an audit, is the fear that it will take too much time away from their work. I can assure you that an audit is not disruptive to the agency. We are well aware that your work with clients comes first. We normally have just one staff member away from their desk at a time for no more than 20-30 minutes. The discussions with the staff are workflow and communications oriented. How do they interact with your clients, with each other, and with your carriers? How is that communication documented, and are the processes of both communication and documentation consistent with procedures?

The “Trinity” of E&O Risk Management is Communication, Documentation and Consistency. Every agency can benefit from developing consistent workflow and documentation. Audits help to identify areas that can be improved, and provide the path to achieve consistency in the agency.

The good news is that most agency audits are done voluntarily. They are not punitive in nature, and it is a “win-win” for the agency, state association program, and the E&O carrier. Great ideas can be exchanged, new methods learned and developed, and E&O exposure reduced. The feedback from the staff is usually very positive as they feel they have been included in the opportunity to provide their input, and hopefully influence positive change within the agency. > Eric Moberg is So, let your fears subside.

The word audit does not have to invoke fear.

President/CEO of The Moberg Group, Inc., a leading provider of independent agency and broker consulting, and the largest provider of agency E&O audits in the country.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

CONTINUING EDUCATION

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PROM ISE : AAA TARGETS UNDERAGE DRINKING, DRUG USE & IMPAIRED DRIVING According to a survey recently commissioned by AAA, almost a third of teens (31%) said that it was likely that they or their friends would be under the influence of drugs or alcohol sometime during prom or graduation season. Those same teens said the No. 1 reason kids their age drive impaired is that they do not want to call their parents and get in trouble.

The survey also revealed that most teens are not comfortable talking to their parents about how to get home safely if they or their ride have

been drinking or doing drugs. To make matters worse, almost one out of five teens (19%) has ridden with a friend who was driving impaired.

In response to these troubling findings, AAA Wisconsin and the Auto Club Group Traffic Safety Foundation have launched a new program called AAA PROMise program, which encourages teens and their parents to talk about the dangers of underage drinking, drug use and impaired driving. This includes having a plan for a safe way home during prom and graduation.

As part of the initiative, teens and parents promise the following to each other:

AAA PROMISE FOR TEENS:

AAA PROMISE FOR PARENTS:

R I promise not to drink alcohol or take drugs.

R I promise to speak openly with my teen about the dangers of driving impaired.

R I promise not to drive impaired.

R I promise not to let my friends drive impaired.

R I promise my parents I will get home safely.

R I promise to complete the AAA parent-teen agreement with my teen so there is a plan for their safety on the road.

R I promise to calmly recognize that if my teen should call me for help, he/she made the adult decision to avoid a potentially deadly situation and kept their promise.

Schools can order a free AAA PROMise toolkit by visiting AAAPROMise. com. The kit includes a pledge board, pledge cards, t-shirts, adhesive screen microcleaners and an “impact panel” DVD featuring real life stories of victims and offenders of impaired driving and the drastic consequences involved.

To find out more about this program, and how to share it with schools in your community, please contact Nick Jarmusz at njjarmusz@ aaawisconsin.com, or (608) 828-2495.

ϳϬй ŽĨ ĂŐĞŶĐLJ ŽǁŶĞƌƐ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ŚĂǀĞ Ă ƉĞƌƉĞƚƵĂƟŽŶ ƉůĂŶ Ͳ >Ğƚ ZK Zd^KE Zz E Ğ WĂƌƚ KĨ zŽƵƌ &ƵƚƵƌĞ You’ve built a successful agency and book of business but don’t have someone to take it ŽǀĞƌ ǁŚĞŶ LJŽƵ ƌĞƟƌĞ͘ tŚĂƚ ĚŽ LJŽƵ ĚŽ͍

Plan your future with Robertson Ryan & Associates͘ LJ ũŽŝŶŝŶŐ ŽƵƌ ƚĞĂŵ ŝƚ ĂůůŽǁƐ LJŽƵ ƚŽ͗ ͻ ͻ ͻ ͻ ͻ

Keep your book Remain a trusted advisor to your clients to give them peace of mind ŽŶƟŶƵĞ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ƵŶƟů LJŽƵ ĚĞĐŝĚĞ ƚŽ ƌĞƟƌĞ Find the right buyer for your book within Robertson Ryan to maximize your return Ğ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ϯϬй ƚŚĂƚ ŚĂǀĞ Ă ƉůĂŶ

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APRIL 2015 | 37

3 ESSENTIAL SECRETS TO RETAINING YOUR BEST EMPLOYEES You can’t do it all alone. In order to succeed, it’s essential to build exactly the kind of staff you want. But building your staff doesn’t end at the hiring process. You’ve got to be able to foresee the challenges ahead. And when it comes to creating an amazing team, you can count on the fact that employee retention will be a challenge.

Everyone wants to hire the best. How can you ensure that you’ll retain your most valuable employees amid all the changes occurring within and outside of your organization?

If you want employees who innovate vigorously and who stay with you for the long haul, you need to reward their hardwon wisdom by teaching them to see the importance of their contribution to building All that trouble that your company put into a shared knowledge base. As I’ve said before: searching and interviewing and hiring the best You get the behavior you reward, so you have to put in place a rewards system for sharing knowledge — which is, You get the behavior you reward, so you have to put after all, your most crucial in place a rewards system for sharing knowledge. asset. Keep at the top of your mind that there are many significant ways to reward people, and not all candidate for the position, all the resources of them involve compensation. spent on training that person and acclimating them to your business culture – it all goes right 2. It’s not just the money, it’s the purpose. out the window if they leave. Money goes right It’s common to think that the fattest salaries out of your pocket and into your competitors’ will do the best job of retaining talented coffers the moment that employee decides employees. That’s just not so. Money is that his or her value will be better appreciated important, but humans don’t live on bread somewhere else. alone.

The good news is that you can retain valuable employees with the right combination of thoughtful communication and collaboration.

You can’t cut corners on this piece of the puzzle without the risk of losing the best talent and brains of your organization to your competitors.

Your top employees need a sense of being validated, seen, and recognized for their work.

They also need to feel vividly that their efforts are making an impact in your organization.

How do you let your employees see and feel and experience the positive effects of their work? In a world where many of us work in intangibles like ideas and information, it’s absolutely key to provide people with the feedback letting them know that they’ve made a difference.

In order to really reward your employees, you need to not only pay them competitive salaries, you need to also align them with your sense of purpose and show them tangible signs that their efforts help to drive that purpose forward.

3. Relate to your employees — from your Futureview to theirs. Most organizations make the mistake of relating to their employees on the basis of the short-sighted demands of the present moment and from past habits. This is a fast way to nip innovation in the bud among even the most talented and committed staff members.

And I can tell you this: most organizations are totally doing it wrong. They’re hemorrhaging their top talent. Here’s why — and here’s how you can avoid doing it.

1. You get the behaviors you reward. Your organization is probably rewarding plenty of counterproductive behaviors in your employees without even realizing it. Does your company reward loyalty and the creation and sharing of truly new knowledge? Or does it reward knowledge hoarding and an everyman-for-himself attitude and routinely make a big deal about achievements that aren’t truly meaningful advances in wisdom, but instead just puffed-up chances to showboat?

38 | APRIL 2015

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

>>Your top employees need a sense of being validated, seen, and recognized for their work.

In order to succeed, you need to communicate and collaborate with your staff from your Futureview.

I coined the term Futureview over thirty years ago to refer to the vivid mental picture we each hold of our future existence. This is not the same thing as a goal, plan, ambition, or aspiration. Your Futureview is not what you hope for or are trying to create — it is the picture you actually hold, for better or for worse, of what you expect and believe about your future.

Most people are not fully aware of what their Futureview is. You have one — everyone has a Futureview — but often without realizing it or examining what it looks like. Being unaware of it does not mean it doesn’t

control you; it most certainly does.

You have to become aware of your own Futureview because it puts a tremendously powerful strategic tool in your hands. It hands you the control of your own future. Your Futureview determines which actions you’ll take in the present, and which you’ll avoid taking. Different Futureviews create different realities.

Therefore, as an executive, are you managing the Futureview of your employees, regardless of current economic conditions? There are people working in your company right now who are already online or on the phone looking for another job. Why? Because of their Futureview as it pertains to working for your company.

There are also people who are planning on

staying. Why? Because the Futureview of working for your company factors into their Futureview.

To have the best chance of retaining your most essential employees, you need to get clear on what your own Futureview is, and communicate and collaborate with your staff to make sure theirs aligns with yours. With the proper application > Daniel Burrus (burrus. of these principles, you com) is considered one and your staff can look of the world’s leading forward to a productive technology forecasters and innovation experts, and rewarding future and is the founder and CEO of Burrus Research. together.

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APRIL 2015 | 39

S W E N E H T N I S R E B MEM WPS Named to Worldwide Ethical Companies List for 6th Straight Year Madison-based Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corp. is among 132 worldwide to be named by international think tank Ethisphere to its list of the world’s most ethical companies.

WPS earned it for the sixth consecutive year.

Pekin Insurance in many ways. The company wouldn’t exist without their efforts.”

A graduate of Bradley University, Martin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and administration.

Pursuing excellence in the life insurance industry, he earned the Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI) Designation in 1987.

To learn more about Pekin Insurance, please visit pekininsurance.com.

The designation recognizes companies that go beyond making statements about doing business “ethically” and translate those words into action, according to Ethisphere’s website (ethisphere.com).

Integrity Insurance Honors Outstanding Associates with Inaugural Accolades Award

To learn more about WPS, please visit wpsic.com.

Integrity Insurance and affiliate partner, Grange Insurance, honored three Integrity associates at the inaugural Accolades Award ceremony to celebrate their outstanding achievements in 2014.

Walker Retires as Chairman of the Board of Pekin Insurance, Martin Named New Chairman Pekin Insurance has announced the retirement of Gordon Walker as Chairman of the Board, a position he has held since February 2008.

The announcement was made at the Annual Subscribers Meeting of The Farmers Automobile Insurance Association on February 10, 2015, held at the home office of Pekin Insurance.

Gordon Walker

D Dave Borgerding of Northfield, MN, commercial field underwriter Cathy Schwieso

The news follows Walker’s retirement as Chief Executive Officer nearly one year ago. Current President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Martin was elected as the new Chairman of the Board.

Walker’s career at Pekin Insurance has spanned over 43 years. His leadership allowed the company to tackle some of the industry’s toughest issues and see it grow and prosper as the result of his vision and hard work.

Walker has served as a member of the Board Scott Martin of Directors since 2005 and will finish the remaining two years of his three-year term as Director.

Incoming Chairman Scott Martin has served on the board since 2004.

He was promoted to President of Pekin Insurance in 2010 and Chief Executive Officer in 2014. He will continue to serve in this role.

Martin commented, “It is an honor and privilege to be given the opportunity to lead this great organization. I look forward to working with our awesome employees to continue on our journey of making this a better company. I also want to thank the agents who support

40 | APRIL 2015

Recipients of this prestigious award were:

D Nate Rebarchik of Appleton, property claims manager D Cathy Schwieso of Appleton, communications coordinator

Dave Borgerding

Integrity and Grange established the enterprise-wide Accolades Award program in 2014 as a way to recognize associates whose accomplishments are so exemplary that their work has left a significant and lasting impact.

President Jill Wagner of Integrity Insurance praised the award-winners.

“Cathy, Nate and Dave are extraordinary associates who truly embrace and exemplify the culture at Integrity. They’ve taken our core values of teamwork, integrity, candor, ownership and do-theNate Rebarchick right thing and put them into action in order to help make Integrity a high-performing company.”

To learn more about Integrity Insurance, please visit integrityinsurance.com.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

WS E N E H T N I S R E B MEM Dan Meschefske Joins Compass Insurance Services Dan Meschefske has recently been named Commercial Lines Account Executive with Compass Insurance Services. Meschefske joins Compass Insurance with over 30 years of insurance experience and expertise in underwriting and commercial lines sales, with River Valley Insurance and most recently with Ansay & Associates.

Dan is very active in the community serving Dan Meschefske on several non-profit boards in the area, including Homme Home Inc. and Center for the Visual Arts.

To learn more about Compass Insurance, please visit compassinsurance.net.

Johnson Insurance Services to Merge with Higgins Insurance Employee benefits agency Higgins Insurance Group of Madison has merged with Johnson Insurance Services, part of Racine-based Johnson Financial Group. Financial terms of the merger deal were not publicly announced.

“We are tremendously honored and proud to be named to the top 3 of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For,” said Ben Salzmann, ACUITY President and CEO. “We want to be not just a great company to work for, but a great experience to be part of. We want our staff to be part of an environment of trust, camaraderie, and pride.”

The Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list recognizes companies that have exceptional workplace cultures. In compiling the annual ranking, Great Place to Work® evaluates companies using its unique methodology based on five dimensions: credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie.

Great Place to Work has found that employees believe they work for great organizations when they consistently trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do, and enjoy the people they work with.

“It is no coincidence that the 100 best workplaces are also extremely profitable and successful companies,” said China Gorman, CEO of Great Place to Work. “Research by our firm definitively showcases that the best places to work outperform their competitors. There is an absolute ROI when companies invest in creating a high-trust workplace culture. Great workplaces have significantly less turnover and produce employees who have a vested interest in the company.”

Agency principal Don Higgins and Rachel Leader, a benefit analyst, will join Johnson Insurance Services, according to a news release from Johnson Monday.

Being a best workplace is a key reason ACUITY’s 15-year combined ratio is over 8 points better than the industry and its growth over those same years is nearly 2.5 times higher. It’s also a dominant factor in ACUITY’s continued low voluntary turnover rate of less than 2 percent.

Higgins said the merger would allow his agency to provide clients with expanded insurance services and financial resources. Johnson Insurance Services was started in 1985 and employs over 160 people.

“Being recognized as a top employer validates our day in and day out commitment to build a great workplace and achieve excellence in all that we do,” Salzmann said.

Johnson Bank and Johnson Insurance are a part of Johnson Financial Group, a $4.2 billion, privately held, full service financial services company, based in Racine and operating throughout Wisconsin and Arizona.

Although this is ACUITY’s first year of eligibility for the list of top employers with more than 1,000 employees, it is not the company’s first time being named a great workplace. Previously, ACUITY had been eligible for the mid-sized employer list and earned the number one spot five times, including in the company’s last year of eligibility. ACUITY was named to the

To learn more about Johnson Insurance, please visit johnsonbank. com/johnsoninsurance.

Fortune’s Best Companies: ACUITY Ranked in Top 3 ACUITY is named a top employer in the 2015 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®, ranking at number 3 in the company’s first year of eligibility for the large-company list.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

mid-sized list for 10 consecutive years.

“ACUITY’s consistent recognition as a top employer demonstrates our commitment to building and maintaining a great workplace,” said Joan Ravanelli Miller, ACUITY General Counsel/Vice President - Human Resources.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 43

APRIL 2015 | 41

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S W E N E TH N I S R E B MEM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 41

ACUITY Honored as Top Services Company The Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) recognized ACUITY as the Services Company of the Year.

The award was presented at the 2015 Champions Gala held at The Osthoff Resort on February 26.

In selecting its Services Company of the Year, the SCCC looks for a business Receiving the Services Company of that is a leader and recognized the Year award from the Sheboygan innovator within its sector. A County Chamber of Commerce are (from left): ACUITY’s Brian Gensch, Company of the Year will have Mike Moegenburg, Wally Waldhart, Paul demonstrated success through Hanley, and Jennifer Weber. growth in revenues, profits, facilities, and/or job opportunities during the most recent fiscal year, and it must be committed to growth and development of its employees.

“We are honored to be recognized as the Services Company of the Year,” said Ben Salzmann, ACUITY President and CEO. “This award reflects our commitment to our mission of service to our customers and community and to helping people rebuild shattered lives.”

ACUITY’s 2014 Annual Report Highlights Financial Strength ACUITY released its 2014 Annual Report, including its Financial Statement that details the insurer’s profitability, strength, and stability.

Highlighting ACUITY’s 2014 financial results is a 94.9 combined ratio, nearly 5 points better than the insurer’s competitors in the property/ casualty industry. For 15 consecutive years, ACUITY has scored higher than competitors in surplus and sales growth, produced a more profitable combined ratio, and achieved excellence across many other areas of financial and operational performance.

WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

“ACUITY is a source of strength for agents and policyholders because of the year-in, year-out consistency that we bring to the field,” said Ben Salzmann, ACUITY President and CEO. ACUITY’s 2014 Financial Statement showed other areas of continued strength as well. Assets under management increased by nearly 12 percent to reach an all-time high of $3.45 billion, and policyholders’ surplus increased to $1.46 billion, also an all-time record.

2014 marked the fourth straight year that ACUITY’s combined ratio finished below 100, and the company has averaged a 95.4 combined since 2000. Additionally, ACUITY maintained a leverage ratio under 1:1 for the sixth consecutive year, finishing 2014 with an incredibly strong 0.9:1.0.

In 2014, ACUITY also combined financial performance with sales growth that was balanced between personal and commercial lines.

ACUITY increased its total written premium by 10.6 percent and has averaged double-digit annual sales growth since 2000.

To learn more about ACUITY, please visit acuity.com.

the We look for the best independent agents and build relationships that last the duration. We are committed to the independent agency system as the only means to deliver our products. Because of that, we work hand-inhand to help our agencies grow profitably.

Our agents set us apart.

For information about becoming a Partners Mutual Insurance Agent please contact Brian Martin at 262.432.3439; Martin.Brian@PartnersMutual.com or Mike Ottman at 262.432.3418; Ottman.Michael@PartnersMutual.com.

APRIL 2015 | 43

EMC’s Commercial Policyholder Access saves your clients time by providing online information about their EMC policies, reducing the amount of time you spend answering routine questions.

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COMMENTARY FROM COUNSEL

WISCONSIN PASSES RIGHT-TO-WORK LEGISLATION CONTEMPLATES OVERHAUL OF NON-COMPETE LAWS than their public sector counterparts in Wisconsin, but recent studies suggest that nearly one in ten private sector workers in Wisconsin belong to unions. That number is down significantly from approximately 22 percent of employees 30 years ago.

Just one day after the rightto-work legislation was signed, the Wisconsin state AFL-CIO and two other unions (local chapters of the International Association of Machinists and United Steelworkers) filed a lawsuit in the Dane Governor Scott Walker signing the right-to-work bill into law on Monday, March County Circuit Court 9, in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. (Photograph by Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journalchallenging the law. The Sentinel via AP) unions have argued that the Right-to-Work law is unconstitutional. Based on the Wisconsin On Monday, March 9, 2015, Governor Scott Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Act 10 Walker signed into law right-to-work legislation, legislation, however, it seems highly unlikely making Wisconsin the 25th state to do so. The that the current challenge to the right-to-work law, which went into effect immediately after legislation will succeed. signing, ends mandatory union membership at private companies and prevents unions at Proposed Non-compete Legislation privately-owned businesses from requiring As right-to-work made its way through the union dues of their non-members. Governor legislature, a senate bill was introduced that Walker noted in a recent speech that right-towould repeal and recreate Wisconsin Statute

Governor Walker noted in a recent speech that right-to-work legislation is one part of a larger checklist of items that demonstrate to companies that Wisconsin is open for business. work legislation is one part of a larger checklist of items that demonstrate to companies that Wisconsin is open for business.

Four years ago, Governor Walker stole the show with Act 10, leading to massive protests, the flight of 13 legislators to Illinois and a recall election. In contrast, the right-to-work law has provoked a much smaller response.

While it remains to be seen what effect the right-to-work legislation will have in Wisconsin, it seems highly likely that membership in private sector unions will continue to drop as a result of this legislation. Private sector unions have traditionally been much less prominent WISCONSIN INDEPENDENT AGENT

D Requiring courts to find that a restrictive covenant agreement is essentially acceptable if the agreement: > Is signed at the beginning or near the beginning of the employment relationship and employment is contingent on signing the agreement; > Provides the employee consideration of any value acceptable to an employee that is above and beyond that due to the employee under the terms of some other agreement or promise; or > Offers the employee monetary consideration; a bonus; additional paid time off; access to a bonus or incentive program or pool; continuation of employment at a rate of pay and benefits the same as or more than those received by the employee before execution of the agreement if continued employment is contingent on signing the agreement; or “garden leave” (defined by the statute).

The aforementioned changes would represent a new era of restrictive covenants in Wisconsin, negating years of judicial precedent and providing clarification and guidance where there was previously uncertainty. More importantly, the proposed law would likely make enforcement of restrictive covenant agreements more likely, an effect that would generally benefit employers.

Conclusion

The Wisconsin legislature is working to propose and pass laws that make Wisconsin a more attractive state to companies considering where to do business and to provide employers with additional protections. Right-to-work may not Section 103.465, the state’s law governing directly impact your agency, but it will certainly restrictive covenant agreements (which are impact many of your clients. An overhaul of commonly known as non-compete agreements). restrictive covenants The proposed law would constitute a massive could impact many overhaul of Wisconsin’s rules for non-compete IIAW member agencies. agreements between employers and employees. Keep a close eye on If passed, the new law will apply to agreements these developments signed on or after its effective date. Some to ensure that your highlights the proposal include: operations are in compliance and that D Exclusion of certain confidentiality you take maximum > Josh Johanningmeier is the IIAW’s General agreements and certain employee nonadvantage of any new Counsel. Call the Legal solicitation agreements from the definition of a protections afforded by Services Hotline at (877) “restrictive covenant.” state law.

236-1669.

APRIL 2015 | 45

FOOD FOR THOUGHT DRIVE YOUR CAH TO THE BAHST-INN U BRIDGE

Boston is known for the Green Monster and the Red Sox, trading Babe Ruth to the Yankees, Paul Revere’s house, Samuel Adams lager, Boston University Bridge and wicked huge lahbstah. A lesser-known landmark is the Boston University Bridge on Commonwealth Avenue. It is the only place in the world where a boat can sail under a train driving under a car driving under an airplane. Boston is home to the first school, the first public park, the first library, the first university (Harvard!) and the first subway in the United States.

Source: geosboston.com

FINGERS FAMOUS FACIAL HAIR

Pitcher Rollie Fingers (Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers) first grew his iconic handlebar mustache because A’s owner Charlie Finley offered his players cash for growing a mustache by Father’s Day as part of a stunt. Fingers Rollie Fingers and his moustache got a $300 bonus for growing the mustache, as well as $100 for a jar of mustache wax.

Source: buzzfeed.com

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