Our work from home
JOURNEY EDITION 7
Preferred Employers In this summer edition of our work from home journey we are delighted to share the creative, athletic and fun adventures our friends and colleagues across the enterprise are enjoying all while staying safe during these warm days of summer. We hope you enjoy these special moments as much as we did.
Dennis & Susan Levesque enjoying a round of golf
Jacque Kelso’ trip to the top of Paloman Mountain
David Silva kayaking by the Bay
Berkley Alliance Managers Chris Downs and Jackie Neal are making memories
JACKIE NEAL spent time in Lake Placid, NY. She hiked the tallest of the Saranac 6, McKenzie Mountain, where she got a great view of Lake Placid.
CHRIS DOWNS installed a fire pit and has been enjoying s’mores and wine by the fire.
Berkley Industrial Comp JUNE was National Safety Month #GoGreenforSafety
STAYCATIONS
Outdoors
Betty Niebanck from Berkley Asset Protection is hiking to places in New Jersey that she has never visited before (sometimes the hikes are steeper than expected!). Amee Yunn from Berkley Asset Protection has been taking local trips with her dog in an open car. Matthew Harrison has enjoyed some rounds of golf this summer. Ryan Wenzel from Berkley FIN Secure and his family have been visiting Long Island beaches. Sherry Coffman from Berkley Environmental is spending her summer outdoors kayaking and working on a deck project.
WRBC Support Services
Michelle Giuffrida built a chicken coop during COVID. She is the proud mama of 19 little chicks that arrived by USPS mail from a hatchery in Ohio (crazy!)
CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SEE A SHORT VIDEO OF THE CHICK DELIVERY IN A BOX THROUGH THE MAIL (BY WAY OF NEWARK AIRPORT)
Ask Me Anything Meeting
BERKLEY NORTH PACIFIC
BNP is staying #innovative as we continue to work from home and stay connected with our co-workers. The leadership team recently hosted an “Ask Me Anything” on-line session with BNP President, Gary Gudex. A group of BNP employees were asked to submit questions for our President, and login to ask Mr. Gudex “almost” anything! A great time was had by all as you can see from the smiling faces pictured below!
Meet the Berkley
INNOVATION Behaviors If we have learned anything in this tumultuous year, it’s that change is a constant. Steady, often predictable evolutions and massive, unforeseen upheavals punctuate our personal lives, careers, industry and society. How can we turn this chaos into creativity? Overcoming habitual patterns and thinking will allow us to develop the skills we will need as people and as a Company to create our own futures in a changing world. Two years ago, Berkley began our Innovation journey. One of the most important elements of that journey is for each of us to change our habits, and develop each of the 7 behaviors of a Berkley Innovator: Managing Self, Courage, Reflective Listening, Challenging the Status Quo, Evidence Based Decision Making, Resilience, and Effective Collaboration. Because developing these behaviors is an ongoing task for each of us, we’d like to introduce the Berkley Innovation Behaviors video series featuring a cast of characters who can help us think differently and keep the 7 Berkley Innovation Behaviors top of mind. We caught up with three of the Berkley Innovation Behaviors and asked them to tell us a little more about themselves and why their behavior is so important.
MEET SALLY — managing self Nice to meet you, Sally. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Hi! I’m Sally! I focus on the behavior of Managing Self. My favorite color is blue, I love pearls (of wisdom and on my favorite necklace), and I always start my day with a latte and a long walk. It helps me to check in with myself to make sure I’m fully present and have my emotions under control so I can connect with others. Your expertise is Managing Self. Can you tell us what Managing Self means to you? Managing Self is being open-minded, not judgmental, not having a big ego, thinking critically, managing emotions, and connecting with others. What is one fact about yourself that might surprise people? I have a collection of eyeglasses to see myself clearly!
WATCH SALLY’S VIDEO English | Spanish | Brazilian Portuguese
MEET LEO — courage Great to meet you, Leo. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? How’re you doing? I’m Leo. My specialty is Courage. I’m pretty adventurous and love spending time outdoors – plenty of opportunities to encounter the unknown and practice courage! I’m also particular about styling my hair. That’s kind of important when you’re covered in fur! Your expertise is Courage. Can you tell us what Courage means to you? Courage is about being vulnerable and transparent, taking risks, sharing your views, admitting when you’re wrong, and asking for help or feedback. What is one fact about yourself that might surprise people? Courage is my middle name...literally! It’s a skill that requires practice, not just something brave people have by default.
WATCH LEO’S VIDEO English | Spanish | Brazilian Portuguese
MEET JAVIER — refelctive listening
Thanks for joining us, Javier. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Hey! I’m Javier, and my specialty is Reflective Listening. Some of my favorite things to do are listening to music, listening to audiobooks, and having long conversations with my family, friends, and coworkers. Your expertise is Reflective Listening. Can you tell us what that means to you? Reflective Listening means being fully present with positive, reinforcing body language, not multitasking or interrupting and seeking to learn, not to confirm. What is one fact about yourself that might surprise people? I hold the record for highest score on the quiz show “Berkley’s Who Wants to be a Relective Listener?”
WATCH JAVIER’S VIDEO English | Spanish | Brazilian Portuguese
Berkley
Agribusiness
(above)
Trisha Brown spent her staycation hiking. Chris Coleman’s kids traded an airplane trip (to an undisclosed destination) for a family visit; luckily Grandma had a pool! Andrea Stumpf celebrated a bachelorette party in Galena. (right)
Mike O’Keefe and his family bought an RV because they were tired of canceling trip plans! They have already visited Omaha, Lake Anita and have plans to visit Clear Lake and Mount Rushmore. Aaron Wych and his family (bottom two photos) had lots of swimming and slip & sliding at home.
KEY RISK
Look what Doc Carroll, Kate Dutrow, Kathryn Johnson,
and Kevin Waldman have been up to this summer.
Key Risk Employees
Jacqueline Byers, Kimberly Tuten, and Mike Kjelland make the most of their 2020 summer.
Key Risk 2020 Staycation
Pat Janke, Peaches Newby, Melissa Dicus, and Scott Holbrook are enjoying their summer.
Berkley Life Sciences
Kathy Johnson visits Dublin, Virginia to visit her grandson (not to be confused with Dublin, Ireland).
Tracey Hall and her family took a tour of Monticello. Mildred McPherson likes backyard movie night where thay are watching “Frozen�. Jennifer Widmer watches fireworks from the boat to be properly social-distanced. John Morel put together a virtual walking tour of NYC haunted sites and often stopped at favorite watering holes (virtually of course).
Claire Pollard (BLS) and Erik Perrella (Specialty IT Services) joined a bicycle team and are social distance riding; they log their miles and are part of a 5000+ member cycling community.
BERKLEY LUXURY GROUP Jean Johnson set out on a recent vacation from Chicago to Central NY and Lake Placid. Jean and her husband Paul traveled by truck, packed with their own food and drinks. They drove from Chicago directly to Hamilton, NY visit with Jean’s 85 year old Mom, who survived COVID-19 in April of this Year!!! They stayed in Hamilton, NY (COLGATE University where Jean once coached Division 1 Soccer and attended Grad School with her sister Kathy), then onto Lake Placid and enjoyed the outdoors for a few days before heading back to Hamilton and ultimately home. Being safe and responsible during these trying times is possible. Both Paul and Jean had Covid-19 tests prior to traveling and again upon their return.
BERKLEY LUXURY GROUP Look at all these funny hats for the August Town Hall Meeting
BERKLEY NET Kristen Borden and her daughter showed their horses in Lexington, VA. Stephanie Hyser and her family went on their annual family cabin trip to Northern Minnesota and Jeffrey Faulkner and his fiancĂŠe took a trip to the drive in theater.
BERKLEY
ACCIDENT & HEALTH
Alexander Larionov learned to solve a Rubik’s cube with his 8-year old. Becky Anthony set up a pool in her backyard. Matt Cooper ran in to a bear while getting coffee in downtown Telluride, CO. Dale Sagen stopped at Dinosaur World in Cave City, KY. Elaine Holzhauer has done a lot of bike riding and participated in a 5k Walk for Breast Cancer. Kris Williams has taken up quilting and has made some holiday decorations. Eslyn Byarm spent time kayaking in NJ and took a road trip to Colorado.
Berkley Technology Services
Kelsey Olson’s family has been outdoors visiting Iowa State Parks, which are celebrating their 100th Anniversary this summer.
Michelle Morris updated her bathroom—complete with bubble bath and wine. Dave Klemme and his family have been hiking, biking, kayaking, relaxing, and fly fishing in the Driftless area of NE Iowa; the pace is slower and the relaxation opportunities are numerous which allows time to recharge, reflect, and put things into perspective.
Brandon Lenzini’s daughter is quite an adventurer.
BERKLEY FIRE & MARINE Travis Campbell’s dog loves his pool time. Ashley Wiehe gets married on July 11, 2020. Quote from Dee Sherrard “Dance class—masks, social distancing and hand sanitizer required. Helps to keep away the quarantine blues.”
Christina Pieper’s family takes their first trip to Hilton Head, SC.
BERKLEY OIL & GAS
Galveston, TX was a popular destination —Samantha Thornton and Linda Eppolito spent time there. Look at the shark Linda caught (but then released)!
Christie Davant celebrated some birthdays with backyard pool fun. Tim Jensen works out in his indoor gym when he cannot be outdoors.
Midwest Employers Casualty
Danielle Schroeder is having some family fun playing Frisbee in the rain in their front yard. Jim Braisier enjoys some time fishing in Door County, Wisconsin.
MIDWEST EMPLOYERS CASUALTY Actuarial Management Team suprised everyone in the department with a special treat to celebrate their accomplishments during four months of Working from Home. The bundt cakes were delivered to the homes of the Actuarial team members and then they held a WebEx to celebrate their success together while eating their delicious treats!
BERKLEY
Regional Shared Services
Aehrar Tasavoff shares her view on this COVID-19 summer. “This summer has definitely been like no other. In some ways, the lockdown has been a blessing in disguise. We are exploring parks around Richmond, Virginia. Some days we leave early in the morning to catch the sunrise. Watching the sunrise is most beautiful and peaceful thing ever (as you can see in one of the pictures where my husband and I are together). Letting our bodies breathe in that morning breeze and bright sun helps improve our moods and resets us for the week ahead. I am so glad we are able to spend time with our families and nature has become our solace.�
BERKLEY
Southeast Group Laura Hargrove and her family spent a week in their camper at Topsail State Park in Santa Rosa Beach, FL where they took turns pulling the bike trailer full of beach supplies to and from the beach! The Hargrove family also spent time camping at Vogel State Park in the North Georgia Mountains near Blairsville. They hiked, biked, played putt-putt and enjoyed the cool mountain creek behind their campsite. .
Susan Ackerman went kayaking and hiking to the waterfalls. Debbie Wills tried indoor skydiving at iFly in NW Atlanta and had a great experience.
Click on the photo above to see how Stephen Saybolt spent his staycation.
CONTINENTAL WESTERN GROUP
Andrea Oye visited Custer State Park and did some hiking. Heather Houser and her family made s’mores in the backyard and did the Lego Wonders exhibit at Reiman Gardens.
Kiel Foster built a Lego remote control car to remind him of his younger days. LOVE the rainbow photo—Michael Burnham says “Brighter days are around the corner.”
More CWG
Michelle Rodemyer and her family rented a camper and visited Red Rock Lane in Iowa. Sara Kutovy keeps pretending they are in Punta Cana...rather than their Lincoln, NE backyard. Shelly Nibbelink and her family spent a week camping at Lake Ethel. #NibbelinksUpNorth #AWeekAtLakeEthel
Continental Western Tashia Klosterbuer and her family spent a week of vacation in the Black Hills.
IDEAS ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT FROM CWG •
Use video with phone calls—even for simple questions or interactions; this provides an element of connection you don’t get with audio (Scott Spengler)
•
Try a “Who Am I” game with a list of interesting Q&A (Michelle August)
•
Incorporate more “FUN” into meetings; build in room for conversation (Scott Spengler)
•
Try a Quarantine BINGO exercise or Zoom Happy Hour (Scott Spengler)
•
Do some social distance golfing with colleagues and associates (Scott Paulson)
•
Set up a “telebuddy” system where you get paired up with someone different each week to chat with (Holly Sanders)
•
Publish a monthly celebration calendar then rotate responsibility for planning and communicating. PRO TIP: “National Cookie Day” (Jamie Van Treeck)
•
Try a music contest or an “Identify the SNL character” event (Greg Johnson)
•
Incorporate a “Cribs” event where each employee chooses their favorite room in their home, collect all photos and share why that is your happy space (Claire Muselman)
OUTDOOR FUN STAYCATIONS
Sarah Makin-Shaw of Berkley Global Product Recall UK and her 2-year-old daughter Elanor are enjoying some special outdoor activities this summer from picking daisies on the cricket field, learning to bicycle, carrot picking and most exciting tasting her first chocolate ice cream.
Brenda Menichillo of Berkley Global Underwriting and her family had to forego the long awaited trip to Disneyworld and instead opted for a day at Chocolate World in Hersey Park, PA. Notice the fashionable masks! (Picture – Brenda Menichillo at Hershey Park) .
BERKLEY
LATIN AMERICA
CHILDREN’S DAY In celebration of Children’s Day in Argentina, Berkley Latin America invited all employees (flyer shown on right) and their children to participate in a contest that was held the third Sunday in August. The children participated with a photo of a hat, costume or mask, made with materials they have at home. The drawing was made through a public notary with three prizes raffled. Additionally, all children who participated, received a gift.
MEDITATION CLASSES To support employees, Berkley Latin America hosted a meditation class with an Acupuncturist Doctor in Miami, Mexico. She talked about the benefits of meditation and taught specific breathing exercises and visualization techniques.
BERKLEY NORTH PACIFIC
Gary Gudex shared some beautiful shots he captured of Olympic National Park where he hiked through the Hoh Rain Forest and walked along ocean beaches
Larry Splinter enjoys time away in his RV with his wife Georgia and his dog Abraham. Kellie Coughlin visits Shoshone Falls in Idaho. Tate Namie goes on local hikes with the kiddos to get outside and avoid the crowds.
medi
BERKLEY
Offshore Underwriting Managers
Chris Hill organizes a 5k in honor of his late father, but this year the event occurred virtually due to the pandemic. However, this meant that more members of the Berkley family were able to participate from wherever they were. The weekend of July 31 to August 2, Chris’ family hosted a Virtual 5K, the James D. Hill Run to Read, in honor and memory of his father. Several of the 123 participants and 99 donors were Berkley employees and
BOUM’s Rich Dalton came in first overall with a really fast time of 20:01!! We raised Total Net Proceeds of $5,867, which were distributed as follows: • $3,000 to Reading Is Fundamental, our nation’s largest children’s literacy non-profit • $1,867 to the James D. Hill Memorial Fund, used to purchase new books at the Albright
Memorial Library
• $1,000 set aside for a Class of 2021 graduating senior at Holy Cross High School (PA), where
Jim was a volunteer assistant coach for the girls’ varsity soccer team
Here is the link to the race website to read our mission and story: James D. Hill Run to Read.
Mandi Nickerson and her kids making the best of this COVID-19 summer.
BERKLEY ONE Christopher Ritterson enjoyed some mountain biking and sunset strolls along Lake Michigan. Emily Powell’s family built a patio, adopted a donkey and spent quality time together outdoors. Joel Corallo’s family enjoyed some pool time.
Berkley One
Staycation Stories
SHE SAID YES! Thwarted vacation plans did not stop Berkley One employee Brandon Plank from surprising his girlfriend. A trip planned for Hawaii had to be scrapped. Then a trip to the Jersey shore fell through. But Brandon made the most of his staycation plans and proposed to his girlfriend who said YES!!
CLAD CLAN SAVORS SUMMER
Craig Lowenthal is lucky to have his family together along with this recreational activity that they can all enjoy. The boat, CLAD Clan, is an acronym representing the first name of each family member (Craig, Laura, Adam and Dana). Craig is working on adding a superscript TM after the name which will represent his kids significant others (TJ and Maddy).
CONVERTIBLE RIDES SCREAM SUMMER
Joel Corallo and his family enjoy taking drives in the country on nice days to relish the summer sun.
Berkley One
Employees Enjoy the Outdoors
Michele White did the fishing tournament in Ocean City, MD where there was a recordsetting catch worth over $350,000 and saw Michael Jordan’s boat (Catch 23).
Shelley Fey enjoyed family time boating, tubing, fishing, and camping. Aislinn Longano and family were able to find unique and quiet (non-crowded) swimming holes to cool off in.
UNION STANDARD
Small Business Team
Margie Gonzales has been on the Jurassic Dinosaur Tour at the Freeman Coliseum and took a trip to Austin, Texas; she also participated in the car parade to support Vanessa Guillen and watched the movie “Selena� from her car.
Union Standard CELEBRATES
Celebrating Christine’s and Bea’s birthdays; Christine’s one-year anniversary and Tyler’s first home purchase—we love the Aloha Theme!
David Faith (Union Station) had to cancel their Disney World trip, but they have been enjoying camping and fishing at Arkansas lakes and rivers.
ENJOYS THE OUTDOORS
Sacha Gonzalez and her husband Jerry had a safe mini getaway in Ruidoso, NM and enjoyed some mountain biking around a beautiful lake and woke up in the mornings to deer that were so tame they could feed them.
NAUTILUS
John Christopher announces they are having a BABY GIRL. Matt McCormick and his family went camping across northern Arizona. Amanda Guimond built a new patio in their backyard and got her daughter licensed to drive. Elizabeth Sharlot taught her teenage daughter to drive and went to Bearizona to enjoy some wildlife up close.
POEM
by Gina Butchin (Nautilus) From the heat of the desert, we took off for the pines, making sure what we did, followed guidelines. On the way there, we took it real slow, Seeing a crater, a forest, and a corner in Winslow. We rode a Razor over a mountain, and a bike along a river and the drive to Silverton give us all reason to quiver. We stopped at a hot spring on the side of the road and the gondola in Telluride was a sight to behold. Durango was full of fun shops and good eats and everyone there wore their masks on the streets. The sightseeing trip was rich with things new and one we could take without fear of the flu.
ACADIA SUMMER FUN
Matt Dunn has an outdoor manicure with his daughters, Kay Whitmore enjoys kayaking with some friends, EJ Ososki spends time at the lake with his family, Shannon Manning has ice cream with her kids, Danielle McCarraher drove up to Mt Washington, Rebecca Burgess’ kids and dog enjoy some time at Acadia National park, and Linda Clark is Roller Dancing with her daughter.
ACADIA
Employee Appreciation Day
ACADIA
Employee Appreciation Day
BERKLEY
Prime Transportation
Berkley Prime Employees had some fun in the sun, enjoyed some time boating, and even adopted some cute puppies.
Celebrating their First Year
Berkley Industrial Comp EMPLOYEES:
Dave Rapacchietta, Chris Turner, Cindy Housel, Duane Hathaway, and Durb Christner are enjoying the summer while respecting COVID restrictions.
Berkley Industrial Comp “Today Show” Feature
Evie Morris’ family represents Birmingham in the top left corner of the TODAY Show screen.