Our work from home
JOURNEY E D I T I O N 10
Happy Thanksgiving— 2020 will be indelibly stamped in history and in each of our minds. America and the world have not only faced the COVID 19 Pandemic but also a dysfunctional political climate creating both anxiety and uncertainty. The current year has presented us with complexity and unanticipated events that have resulted in an inability to look forward with predictability. Recently, the development of several vaccines has brightened our future, giving us the optimism for which we all have been searching. Thanksgiving, the celebration of a successful harvest, in any form is the time of year that lets us put disparate events in their proper perspective. Thanksgiving allows us to see beyond our difficulties, to embrace the good in our lives and look with optimism toward a better future. It is a time to reflect, to take stock, and to be sure we see the many blessings in our lives. In the United States as well as around the world, political and global relationships are strained and have been exacerbated by COVID 19. We have taken a pause for now throughout the world from the rapid improvements in global healthcare and education. This is only a pause. While an overwhelming number of people have suffered, many of us have been able to continue functioning using caution, good judgement and appropriate medical guidelines. The number of people being infected within the United States and the world continues to rise. To place these facts in perspective, requires that we recognize more people will have died in America from COVID 19 than in any war except the Civil War. But while deaths continue to increase, however, the rate of death as a percentage of positive infection has declined dramatically. For America and the world, the price of the pandemic has been dreadful. There is nothing any of us can do about the past except to learn from it; we must focus on the future. We have not seen the end of the economic problems. As we work through these complexities, we operate in an economic structure that we have never before encountered: extremely low interest rates; substantial government deficits, but
no inflation; and governments that seem unwilling to do anything to balance the level of spending with the needs of the country. All of these uncertainties cannot be ignored— but, we will recover as trust is rebuilt. Although there are many things that concern us, we are optimistic. We see a bright future. The most notable is the globally shared effort and speed to develop vaccines against COVID 19. This was brought about by individual companies and groups of companies working together to achieve a common goal, and by global enterprises and cross border groups working together to solve a shared problem with amazing outcomes. There is no question that we have a bright future. Time and again, both America and the world have rebounded from crises. We shall do so again. Our future represents opportunity and for this, we must be grateful. In 1621, at America’s first Thanksgiving, the society, comprised of Pilgrims and Indians, was both thankful and grateful for the decisions that led to peace and a fruitful harvest. They built trust and with that they found understanding through accepting their differences. The participants trusted each other and celebrated. From that event in America, subsequently consecrated by George Washington and codified in 1941, the spirit of trust and gratitude and mutual interdependence became the cornerstone of the American creed. Many nations around the world had similar building blocks in their efforts to achieve democracy, embedding personal freedom in their societies. Ultimately, everything that happens in any society happens because one person decides to make an effort to bring about change. Each of us has that power to bring about change. If you are concerned about the hungry, there are many ways in which we can assist. If you are concerned about people needing a helping hand, extend your hand. You can do these things as an individual or through existing organizations. During these difficult, complex times each of us can make a difference. There are so many with needs. Our enterprise continues to succeed providing for our customers, employees, and shareholders because of all the efforts put forth by so many people. We have survived, we have done well, and we have an extraordinary future. Many of our employees have put forth extraordinary efforts to help our enterprise, and to meet the demands required of their families. We thank you and salute you. We wish each of our employees and their families good health, and thank them for all of their efforts on our behalf. Our team continues to do well and we are grateful for all the effort each of you has put forth. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Bill Berkley and Rob Berkley
Happy Thanksgiving to All of Our Employees
Cynthia Carter (Berkley Select) and her family are outside enjoying Thanksgiving.
Continental Western Group Luverne, MN
Thanks their local medical teams for their hard work with Thanksgiving treat.
HOLIDAY
PORK CHALLENGE #GiveAHam #HamsAcrossAmerica #okPORK
Thanks to Wayne Justice (Berkley Surety) for taking on this challenge.
Meet the Berkley
INNOVATION Behaviors (Part 2) A few months ago, we introduced you to the first three Berkley Innovation Behaviors behaviors, Sally, Leo, and Javier. Now it’s time to meet the remaining Berkley Innovation Behaviors.
Nice to meet you, Mae. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What’s shaking? I’m Mae. I focus on Challenging the Status Quo! I’m an avid reader and love meeting new people to seek out new opinions and perspectives. Your expertise is Challenge the Status Quo. Can you tell us what Challenging the Status Quo means to you? Challenging the Status Quo
MEET MAE challenge the status quo
means asking why things are the way they are, what if there’s a better way, and why not try to find it. It means fighting complacency by seeking new opinions, exploring and discovering new things, being an avid learner and reader, and looking outside the company for ideas. What is one fact about yourself that might surprise people? Just because I’m always challenging the status quo, doesn’t mean I’m not content. I’m very proud of all the progress we’ve made, and I know we can get even further if we keep innovating!
WATCH MAE’S VIDEO English | Spanish | Brazilian Portuguese
Great to meet you, Gunther. Can you tell us about yourself? Hello. My name is Gunther. I specialize in the behavior of Evidence-Based Decision Making. When I’m not working in the lab, I enjoy exploring the lab…the Berkley I-Lab that is. I’d recommend checking it out if you haven’t yet!
MEET GUNTHER evidence-based decision making
Can you tell us what Evidence-Based Decision Making means to you? Evidence-Based Decision Making means making choices based on data, not opinion. It requires us to be open minded and seek out disconfirming data. We must stress-test our beliefs with others and evaluate the quality and quantity of the data that we have. Most importantly, we must be willing to change our views when better data becomes available. What is one fact about yourself that might surprise people? My favorite fictional character is Q from James Bond who has inspired me to research.
WATCH GUNTHER’S VIDEO English | Spanish | Brazilian Portuguese
Thanks for joining us, Zoe. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Hey! I’m Zoe! My specialty is Resilience. One of my favorite hobbies is learning about the history of ancient civilizations. There is so much we can learn from the mistakes and failures (and successes of course) of the past!
MEET ZOE resilience
Your expertise is Resilience. Can you tell us what Resilience means to you? Resilience means that you treat unexpected results or failures as opportunities, and that you’re able to bounce back from those situations. When you’re resilient, you’re always willing to try again when things don’t go as planned, and you share your mistakes and failures with others to help them to be resilient too. What is one fact about yourself that might surprise people? Well, 2020 has really been an opportunity to practice resilience! I had to cancel a big trip to Machu Picchu I had planned this summer, but I was able to find some local parks and hiking trails to explore instead!
WATCH ZOE’S VIDEO English | Spanish | Brazilian Portuguese
Glad to have you with us, Coach. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? They call me Coach, and I’m all about Effective Collaboration. You know I love sports! But I also love helping great groups of people to work together as a team!
COACH effective collaboration
Your expertise is Effective Collaboration. Can you tell us what Effective Collaboration means to you? Effective Collaboration takes everyone on the team being fully present to ensure the best idea wins. It’s important that newer team members and those who are less likely to participate speak first to encourage the sharing of all views. We also must enable psychological safety by making sure there is high emotional recognition and that there are no personal attacks. When we build upon ideas and collaborate rather than tearing each other down, we can all win! What is one fact about yourself that might surprise people? The highlight of my career so far has been coaching a game at Innovation Stadium. We were up against some unexpected obstacles, but by collaborating effectively, we were able to win!
WATCH COACH’S VIDEO English | Spanish | Brazilian Portuguese
Visit the WRBC Behaviors section of the I-Lab to learn more about the 7 Berkley Innovation Behaviors and to complete your certification for each behavior. You’ll earn a special reward for each certification you complete!
ADMIRAL Even in the midst of a pandemic, while navigating homeschooling, and in grief over cancelled social events, we have a lot to be thankful for! Angela Rando is thankful for her puppy naptime. Jennifer Hoopes is thankful for her Revlon one-step hair dryer and for Kimberly Caputo for making “RTO� feel as normal as possible. Danielle Focarile is thankful for 1,000 piece puzzles, FaceTime, and a good cocktail.
Tis the Season for Giving
Pictured on the left, Daniel Mayo (Admiral) helped collect unused Halloween candy in the Mt. Laurel location to create blessing bags for homeless in Camden. Additionally, they have collected and donated over 1,000 articles of clothing for the homeless; plus shoes, hats, gloves, scarves, and coats. Blankets, bedding, and miscellaneous toiletries have been donated along with over 500 PB&J sandwiches! Daniel is thankful to be working at Admiral, a company that really supports their neighbors who may not be working. Pictured on the right, Admiral Toys for Tots collection and holiday decoration for the lobby in their Mt. Laurel branch. Even though most Admiral employees are back to working at home, they were still extremely successful in collecting Toys for Tots, for the South NJ chapter. It is truly a beautiful site to see the generosity considering our current situation.
WRBC Support Services
Suzanne Scelza’s family continued a long-standing Thanksgiving Eve pie-making party, just on a smaller scale this year (previous parties have included as many as 30 family members). This year was limited to just the immediate cousins, but we still had a great time making 9 pies!
Preferred Employers APPRECIATION WEEK
Preferred employees are thankful for time with family and fun!
Enjoying Thanksgiving with Family and Friends
Chris Downs (Berkley Alliance Managers) enjoying Thanksgiving with family. Bart Krom’s (Berkley Re) sons in their Thanksgiving PJs. David Studley (Berkley Select) celebrates Thanksgiving with his family. Jackie Arias (Berkley Select) celebrated with a painting party; they also celebrated her son’s birthday which fell on Thanksgiving this year. Don Asselin (Vela) spent their holiday at the beach in South Carolina.
LeeAnne MacCready (Berkley Select) and her daughter Katheryn put together this beautiful puzzle on Thanksgiving.
Berkley Technology Services Kelsey Olson – My husband, son and I made a full traditional turkey dinner and delivered it to the front porches of our family members so we could all enjoy the same meal safely in our own homes. Jason Titlow – This year our bubble was immediate family. We went to the Poconos and hiked outdoors instead of having a big family gathering indoors. Juris Omana – M nieces and nephews playing the LRC Dice game during Thanksgiving. I lost $6 while kids always win! Brian Davis – This year I spent Thanksgiving with two long-time friends that live in my neighborhood. We got our dogs matching bandanas, went for walks, and made a smaller scale meal with most of the dishes you expect...a 15lb turkey—a lot for three! Not the same shock factor as the meat scorpion from a previous year, but it was a cozy, welcome respite.
KEY RISK Key Risk employees are THANKFUL for FAMILY and so much more. CLICK on the picture above to see the Key Risk gallery of thankfulness.
BERKLEY ENTERTAINMENT World Kindness Day--CLICK on the picture above to see the random acts of kindness by our employees: Jenny Rieger, Eric Henry, Jeannette Griggs, Lynn Nguyen, Jessica Pettit, Lance Ledford, John Cosby, Kaitlyn Cowman, and Y’vonne Young.
MIDWEST Employers Casualty
Chris Hurst and his family had a fun Thanksgiving this year trying out some new recipes! The Thanksgiving feast began with drawing a name and a food course out of a hat. For each name drawn, the family picked a new recipe and the name drawn had to make it from scratch with no help. It was a huge success and certainly something they will remember! Danielle Schroeder and her family spent the Thanksgiving weekend celebrating family at the Missouri 6A high school football championship game and Hutson’s (#52) last high school game ever. He’s headed off to Tulane University to play football next year.
Linda Howell and her family celebrated Thanksgiving over zoom. It was an unusual but happy day because they were so grateful for so many things—especially health!
Enjoying Thanksgiving
Kathy Johhnson’s (Berkley Life Sciences) grandson John is quite the ham (or should we say Turkey) this season! Melissa Elke’s (Berkley Technology Underwriters) daughter, Eloise, was born on Thanksgiving Day 2019, so we feasted on Thursday, then celebrated her first birthday on Saturday! Colleen Brockway (Acadia) celebrating a small family Thanksgiving with her husband, Rob, and son Robert. Shannon Manning (Acadia) and family celebrate Thanksgiving together.
Berkley Shared Services
The BSS recruiting team shared a virtual Thanksgiving lunch break were they shared their favorite Thanksgiving recipes, discovered who were the cooks vs. non-cooks, and played a game.
Maybe the BSS Recruiting team could use a little help from Berkley Life Sciences. CLICK on the picture above to see some of their favorite holiday recipes!
MEET
LEO Balestri, VP of Talent
Leo Balestri joined Berkley as Vice President – Talent Management, focusing on building world-class talent and employee development programs for the Berkley family of companies. He has almost 20 years’ experience in both domestic and international talent management. His most recent position was at Sutherland Global Services as AVP, Global Talent Strategies and prior to this position he worked for a well-known International Property and Casualty Insurer as AVP, Global Talent Management. Leo presently resides in Garwood, NJ, but is planning to move to Connecticut in the near future. He lives with his wife, Nicole who is an early childhood education and special education teacher, and Josephine, their 11 – week old daughter and bundle of joy. In addition, they have two dogs, Tootle, a 5-year-old Rottweiler and Josephine’s bodyguard, and Odin, a 3-year-old Newfoundland. Leo is a life-long, long-suffering Philadelphia Eagles fan and Eagle Scout, an enthusiastic gardener and reader of history and biography.
Leo’s daughter, Josephine, enjoying the Matchbox Twenty concert. As you can see, she is as excited about joining the Berkley HR family as I am—not sure about Odin, the Newfoundland, but he’ll figure it out!
November Concert Series MATCHBOX TWENTY
On November 18th 2020 at 7pm EST, WR Berkley Corporation hosted our second virtual concert featuring Rob Thomas, this was held globally to over 5,000 agents, internal employees, and valued clients.
Adam Cantu’s wife, Sarah, correctly guessed Matchbox Twenty!
BERKLEY SURETY Pre-Rock Concert
Employees wore their favorite rock concert attire, THEY played a fun music/artist based trivia (through Kahoot.it) and a “guess the artist”, we also enjoyed a little solo music by some of Surety’s own music artists (Carol Felano and Brian Pugh).
ACADIA
& BERKLEY ASPIRE
Katie Wilson (Berkley Aspire) said she was: “Turning up the volume to Matchbox Twenty and enjoying a wonderful show in a time where we all need a little bit of fun! Thank you to W. R. Berkley”. Also featured above from Berkley Aspire are Pam Jury, Pam Pruitt, and Kristy Searle and from Acadia, Chrystina Hubbell, Cindy Harris and Harriet Buck.
ROCK ON Employees from Berkley Cyber, Berkley FinSecure, Berkley Human Services, and Berkley Surety enjoyed the Matchbox Twenty Concert too
BERKLEY
Technology Services
Brian Kerns watched Matchbox Twenty from his movie room (top left photo). The curtains, chairs, and an exit sign all came from the Mann Chinese Theatre (circa 2000), also known as Grauman’s or TCL Chinese Theatre. Talk about great seats for concert viewing! We would also like to thank Amy Giesking, Mark Christensen, and Carolyn Israel for sharing concert photos.
Matchbox Twenty
CONCERT
Our employees and agent partners were thrilled to be a part of the Berkley sponsored concert. Thanks for the photos from Nautilus, Continental Western Group, and Berkley Life Sciences.
BERKLEY
LIFE SCIENCES
It’s Sweet Being a Pop Star! Berkley Life Sciences sent these sweet and salty snacks to their producers to accompany the concert.
Picture This—Music Edition Berkley Life Sciences created a Picture This— Music Edition. Want to play along? CLICK on the picture and see how many bands you can name! You can contact Claire Pollard if you get stuck or just want to see how many you got right.
Berkly Life Sciences Employees and Producers enjoying the concert.
UNION STANDARD
Insurance Group
USIG had some fun guessing the artist and playing some trivia.
BERKLEY ONE Keep Rocking With Us — Berkley Virtual Concert Series
BERKLEY ONE... ...employees do some tailgating prior to the Matchbox Twenty concert.
Thanks to Berkley One for sharing these photos: Jill Scanlan (daughter Jemma), Sarah Nimphie (daughter Harlow), Sara Murphy (son Aaron), Julianne Trasatti (with dog Cody), Christi Bohnsack (twin daughters McKenzie and Riley), Frances Brodeur (daughters Evelyn and Lilly), Tim Dadik (daughter Taylor with her friend and pet), Sarah Mashek (puppy Walter), and Christoph Ritterson.
VIRTUAL HOLIDAY CONCERT Please plan to join us for our next virtual Berkley concert event, Holiday Edition, which will launch on December 16th at 7 pm EST
Please register by December 14th to secure your spot. After registering, you will be sent login instructions and password information. Click here to reserve your spot if you have not already done so. For any questions, email events@wrberkley.com
ADJUSTED Podcast Berkley Industrial Comp and Continental Western Group will launch the first ever Berkley claims podcast, “Adjusted”
Here is the hosting site: http://adjusted.buzzsprout.com You can find their name, trailer, description, and streaming sites using the link. They also have a “Meet the hosts” blog post: https://www.berkindcomp.com/blog/meet-the-hosts-greg-claire/ The first episode will launch December 7th, 2020 and will be available on most popular podcast streaming apps.
medi
BUCK
CANCER FOUNDATION
Carolyn Israel (BTS) is a board member for a non-profit cancer foundation (BUCK Cancer Foundation). They have a Warm Hugs program where they donate and deliver care packages of different types to cancer patients. Over the holiday, they delivered COVID-19 Care packages to three local Cancer centers. Thanks to Carolyn for all her work supporting this organization.
Decorating the TREE
Vee Burke (Berkley Re America) decorated her tree with an Angel theme, in memory of those we lost this year.
Tina Anderson and her husband Paul cut down their tree in the Lake of the Woods. Karen Schmalz’ grandson decorated his tree with sports trading cards. Bart Krom’s son Cooper and Jackson like their Advent Calendars. Tim Hellendrung simply enjoys decorating the tree with his kiddo.
HOLIDAY Lights Matt Baumann (BTS) and his family used a tractor to string their outdoor lights! Matt said it was a lot easier than trying to get ladders up that high, and it sure turned out great! Thanks to Eslyn Byarm (Berkley Accident and Health) for sharing a photo of their holiday lights too (bottom left photo).
HOLIDAY Traditions
Chris Dorko’s (BLS) children Robbie, Chris and Abby are gathered around the tree eating cookies—be sure to save some cookies for Santa! Kathy Moore-Stark (Berkley One) spends time ice skating and making gingerbread houses with her grandkids. Rachael Lux (Midwest Employers Casualty) has fun baking cookies with her daughter. Liz Dodson (Berkley Accident & Health) dresses with fiancé as Mr. and Mrs. Claus for the fire company. Shannon Fisher (Berkley Accident & Health) and her family wear the same holiday PJs. Gary Brown (Berkley Risk) have a tradition of taking the grandkids to Sliders with Santa at the Inver Grove White Castle every year.
Key Risk
“4 Weeks of Merry” Key Risk is hosting 4 Weeks of Merry this December! They plan to have different activities each week from a Holiday Movie Trivia to Gingerbread house contest. Here is a LINK to the Key Risk Holiday Movie Trivia if you would like to play along.
NOTE: It is challenging—no perfect scores yet!
Key Risk also compiled a Holiday Cookbook. One of the chili recipes is sure to warm you up on a cold, winter day. Be sure to read all the way to the end for some yummy cocktail recipes too!
LINK here:
to the Key Risk Holiday Cookbook
ACADIA
Harriet Buck (Acadia) made holiday elves of each of the employees who are currently working in the New Hampshire office. From left to right, the elves are: Nick Koravos, Lisa McPhail, Mike Reed, Debbie Cole, Jake Olson, Harriet Buck, Bryan Fucarile, Jessica Ogden, and Lisa Kilbreth.
Continental Western Group Setting up their Outdoor Light Display
HAPPY HOLIDAYS Happy Holidays from Berkley One Employees: Steve Lomax, Shane Avnet, Joel Corallo, Christi Bohnsack and their families
Peter Burt (BTU) said “I spend the holidays with my Irish Twin Daughters singing and playing the piano by the Christmas Tree. Each year they learn a few songs with choreographed dances that they have to perform in front of family, which is an ode to Christmas’s pasts when my father had me and my siblings do the same.”
We Love Our Pets
Proud owners of these cuties are: Emily Urban (BLS), Tamara Peterson (BOG), Steph Bruno (Berkley One), Kym Thew (Vela), and Ching Eng (Vela).
NAUTILUS The Nautilus underwriting team is all dressed up in their Holiday best—they sure look festive!