Agent News
Second Quarter 2014
With more than 30 years in the insurance business, Don Denbo, owner and president of Commercial Insurance Associates in Brentwood, Tenn., says the biggest challenge is finding partners who share his same approach to workers’ compensation. That’s why he’s such a believer in 3CU. “3CU exemplifies everything I have believed in for not only my own business, but my clients’ businesses,” Denbo said.
Denbo is not only one of 3CU’s trusted agent partners – he’s also a valued policyholder. He moved his family’s fourth-generation scrap metal business, Tennessee Valley Recycling to Third Coast Underwriters earlier this year. Underwriting Manager Jerry Self says that CNA, who was the previous carrier on the account for several years, had recently moved away from the scrap metal business, but remained aggressive on pricing for the account. “Don told me that he wanted to put his family business with 3CU because our values were the same and we were selective in what we do,” Self says. “He also had other options that were less expensive, but he trusted our approach.”
Denbo has been a supporter of 3CU from the start. When Self joined the 3CU team, Denbo contacted him and sold Self and the rest of the 3CU team on how scrap metal dealers would be a great fit for the 3CU business model. As a result, it’s become a successful segment for 3CU and we write four of Denbo’s larger accounts in this segment.
“Workers’ compensation insurance is both terribly simple and terribly complicated. It comes down to pre-loss, what you do through training before an injury occurs, and post-loss, how you respond to that injury,” Denbo explained. “3CU has excellent people to handle both of these issues. Midwest Regional Loss Control Manager Dave Brandolino is a great believer in the human element approach to loss control and the impact of behavioral adjustment, which we’ve been doing for a long time as well. And Director of Claims Brad Schmitt is one of the best people I know in the industry, he’s just extraordinary.”
Denbo also has placed other business outside of his scrap metal accounts with 3CU, including a mergers and acquisitions account, but says that agents should keep a customer’s culture in mind when considering 3CU. “The first thing we consider when placing business is the culture of our prospective client,” Denbo said. “If the cultures don’t match, if they’re not going to accept the 3CU approach, then you’ve made a mistake. Luckily for us, our cultures match perfectly.”
As mentioned in the previous edition of The Angle, profitable growth is a top priority for Third Coast Underwriters (3CU) in 2014. We are continuing to pursue our expansion into the Southeast and penetrate further into the Gulf region, but we’re also seeing other exciting areas of growth as well:
- Growth of premium and underwriting gain: As of April 30, direct written premium is up 13.5% from the same period in 2013. Our calendar year underwriting gain has also increased for the same period versus 2013, up 48%.
- Growth of agency partnerships: In early May, 3CU held our first Agency Partnership Event in Chicago where we brought in select agency partners for dinner and discussions with our executive team. It was a great opportunity for us to get to know attendees better as well as gain their feedback on our strengths as a carrier, how we can better service our agents and your customers and their overall view of the current state of the industry. We look forward to doing similar events in the future and continue building our relationships with each of you.
- Growth of our team: As part of commitment to better serve you and your customers, 3CU continues to add resources so we can ensure that we meet all your needs. To that end, we’ve recently added four individuals possessing the expertise and experience you’ve grown to expect. They are:
- Senior Underwriting Technical Advisor Gary Booth, who is based in Charlotte, N.C.
- Claims Consultant Bonnie Brown, who is based in our Chicago office.
- Senior Loss Control Consultant Alan Ponder, who is based in the Gulf region.
- Claims Consultant Kristin Shortess, who is based in the Gulf region.
3CU expects these growth trends to continue as we enter the latter half of 2014 and we look forward to growing with you as we work toward mutual business success.
Customers often cite 3CU’s high level of expertise as a reason they choose us as a carrier. Because of this, we want to give them even greater access to our expert resources. The 3CU Segment Leaders Knowledge Center offers enhanced service to our customers working in construction, specialty transportation, energy, emerging markets, longshore and mergers and acquisitions.
“The businesses we insure are highly complex with very specific needs,” said Scott Babcock, vice president of Customer Operations and Loss Control for 3CU. “We want to provide customers with responsive, real-person access to practical information that can be applied in their specific work environments. The 3CU Segment Leaders Knowledge Center allows customers access to a very high level of knowledge that will ensure their success in controlling costs and maintaining a safe workplace.”
Expertise provided by the Knowledge Center includes coverage issues, segment operations overviews, exposures and controls, industry trends and program design.
Segment Leaders include:
- Construction: Kevin Rakow, [email protected], 312-443-4063
- Energy and Longshore: Bob Hamilton, [email protected], 713-208-8347
- Mergers and Acquisitions: Mike Valiante, [email protected], 312-443-4055
- Recycling, Scrap and Garbage: Jerry Self, [email protected], 312-443-4048
- Transportation: Scott Babcock, [email protected], 312-443-4042
Share the details of the 3CU Segment Leaders Knowledge Center with your customers today with this downloadable flier.
