Amerisure by North American Constructors Journal

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Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company:

Providing Insurance Across the Construction Industry Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company of Farmington Hills, MI has provided top-shelf services to policyholders for more than a century. Written by Kevin Doyle Produced by Stephen Marino

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stablished in 1912 as a workers’ compensation specialist, Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company of Farmington Hills, MI has provided top-shelf services to policyholders for more than a century. “In the early 1990s we introduced a contractors’ standards program which brought together highly exclusive construction-only aspects that helped us dominate the market with 30 years experience. With the downturn in the economy in the early 2000s we were able to stay true to construction and followed the rebound, if you will, all the way up. Construction has been a major driver of our growth over time so we’ve remained focused in the construction industry,” explains President and CEO Greg Crabb. Today the company maintains $2.9 billion in assets, a $984 million surplus, and $840 million in direct written premium. The company employs approximately 750 people and is especially proud of its customer service, which is reaffirmed by the 80 aggregate Net Promoter Score it maintains among agents and policyholders. That’s more than double the industry average. The company writes all lines in construction except D&O and E&O, accounting for two-thirds of its business. Of that amount, 23 percent is within the commercial general contractor’s space. The company

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brings the same level of service and expertise to the healthcare and manufacturing sectors. The cornerstone of the company’s business model is its Partners For Success® program, which gives an exclusive group of approximately 120 independent agencies access to Amerisure products. The company is “A” rated (Excellent) by A.M. Best and is licensed in all 50 states.. “We are doubling down on specialization, expertise in construction and dedication to our highly exclusive distribution model,” explains Matt Ford, the company’s Vice President of Field Marketing and Underwriting. “We really focus on dealing with actual agency construction experts to help us build out our expertise. We work primarily with heavy bond agencies that are involved with construction agencies. That’s what has made us successful for a long time.” “Construction is a big umbrella and we have expert employees who are able to partner with the construction firms, understand their business, and deliver added value. That’s really our differentiator,” notes Vice President of Risk Management Kevin Clary. “One thing about our model that I really enjoy is because we have exclusive relationships with a relatively small number of sophisticated agency partners, we can spend a lot of time

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“ Greg Crabb

Matt Ford

“We work primarily with heavy bond agencies that are involved with construction agencies. That’s what has made us successful for a long time.” - Matt Ford, VP of Field Marketing and Underwriting

Kevin Clary

working with them to understand their needs and, equally importantly, the needs of their clients and our policyholders in the contracting space,” Crabb adds.

What They Do The company focuses on providing unmatched service and protection primarily to commercial general contractors and the specialty trades, including carpenters, concrete, electrical, drywall, insulation, plumbing, and HVAC.

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Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company | 7 By collaborating with a network of independent agents, the company is able to connect those agents, policyholders and employees to provide communication and tools to manage the policyholder’s business. That includes training its own construction experts. “There aren’t as many qualified experts as we’d like there to be so we’re developing our own. It’s a pretty powerful added value proposition to attract and retain those folks. We spend a lot more time on that today than we did five years ago,” says Clary. By developing its own team of experts, Ford says, the company provides a powerful differentiator between itself and its competitors. “It is a major problem, the number one challenge in the industry. Everyone is constantly trying to find talent so being able to provide our own team of experts separates us from our competitors,” he explains.

Day to Day With its intimate understanding of the construction industry, Amerisure aims to reduce exposure to job site injuries, vehicle accidents and equipment theft, lowering the total cost of risk in the process. The company provides this value add for its healthcare, manufacturing and special risk policyholders as well.

This year, the company has been honored with a pair of prestigious national industry awards. In July, Amerisure earned an Impact Award from the Novarica Insurance Technology Research Council for continued improvement in its digital capabilities in the two years since launching its emerging technologies initiative. The insurance technology industry’s largest peer-juried award features a council of more than 100 insurance carriers, including more than one-quarter of the industry’s Fortune 500 companies. Dozens of case studies examined by the 50-person Chief Information Officer Council determined the winners. Additionally the company has been a Best and Brightest company to work for in the nation from 2014-19 and one of Business Insurance magazine’s Best Places to Work in Insurance from 2011-19. “We view that as proof positive of our commitment to our employees and our value proposition, which focuses on the ability to deliver the customer experience, and to be passionate about the relationship and collaboration that’s needed with our agency partners and policyholders to be successful in the contracting space,” Crabb says.

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EXPERIENCE INDUSTRY LEADING SERVICE Partnering with an exclusive group of independent agencies is a cornerstone of our strategy. Our Partners For Success® agency program is strategically focused on offering industry-leading commercial insurance solutions, with a flexible and superior service delivery. And when it comes to service, policyholders give Amerisure a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 84, more than twice the commercial insurance industry average.

AMERISURE IS LICENSED IN ALL 50 STATES. OUR AGENCY RELATIONSHIPS ARE LOCATED IN: Alabama ◆ Arizona ◆ Arkansas ◆ Florida ◆ Georgia ◆ Illinois ◆ Indiana ◆ Iowa ◆ Kansas ◆ Kentucky Michigan ◆ Minnesota ◆ Mississippi ◆ Missouri ◆ Nebraska ◆ North Carolina ◆ Ohio ◆ South Carolina Tennessee ◆ Texas ◆ Utah ◆ Virginia ◆ Wisconsin

CONTACT AN AMERISURE AGENCY NEAR YOU VISIT: AM E RISURE.C OM/ FIND-AN-AGENCY

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Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company | 10 The company belongs to numerous industry associations such as the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA) and the Construction Financial Management of America (CFMA) and is endorsed by both the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the AGC of Tennessee.

“When we partner with a vendor our name is on that product and because we’re recommending it we make sure the highest customer service is in place,” Clary says. “We understand we’re going to be learning together in a lot of cases. When you talk about the technology that’s coming, there are a lot of options out there and we need to have an understanding of them.”

“My job is to help construction companies and policyholders reduce loss. We are always looking for reduction of loss but one of the things that really separates us is bringing expertise and value to the operation to help reduce loss and cut costs operationally,” Clary explains.

Among the technologies the company is now involved in developing are telematics and wearables.

“We have a connection to contractors in the AGC. It is really important for us to be thought of as leaders in the construction industry. We are participating in the AGC National Convention next year on a panel discussing technology and its implementation in the construction industry. That allows our risk management employees to speak about the value we bring and the expertise we have in the industry,” adds Ford.

Innovative Operations Due diligence is part of the company’s success and it’s built into every partnership.

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Telematics tracks driver behavior to provide corrective actions that can help improve driver safety and reduce fleet accidents. Wearables are small devices clipped to a worker’s belt which track unsafe lifting behaviors.

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“Our value proposition focuses on the ability to deliver the customer experience and to be passionate about the relationship and collaboration that’s needed with our agency partners and policyholders to be successful in the contracting space.” - Greg Crabb, President and CEO

The devices may assist in reducing claims from strains and sprains. “Our folks engage with the policyholder to implement, gather and understand data to help companies be more successful. That’s an added value and something we do differently than our competitors,” explains Ford. “The expertise is there to transform an organization and do more with less labor. We take steps to understand the operation and add value through technology by identifying what is important to a construction company right now whether it’s wearables, telematics, or fleet maintenance,” Clary elaborates. “We want to help you transform your organization to be successful for the future because that’s how we’re successful.” Amerisure is 20 months at time of publication into a pilot program with a construction company that has reduced unsafe behavior on the job by 53 percent on average. “That is a perfect example of

expertise, being ahead of the curve and providing differentiation to our construction companies,” Clary says. The same methodology is applied to identifying imperfect technology. Clary cited one trial the company walked away from because it didn’t fully believe in the product. The company is revisiting that technology and is hopeful of making the changes necessary to make it market ready. “We want to validate before we roll something out. That pilot didn’t work as well as we’d hoped so we weren’t comfortable rolling it out,” explains Crabb.

Looking Forward As a committed community partner, Amerisure embraces the importance of its presence in the regions its employees work. That commitment is reflected in the nonprofit organizations it supports, such as Construction Angels, which

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supports the families of workers killed on the job; the Christopher Reeves Foundation for research of traumatic brain and spine injuries at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta; and countless regional initiatives selected by company employees. “We are proud that every year we give $500,000 or more to causes that our policyholders and our employees actively support. Those causes are critical to us as we go forward,” Crabb says.

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These members of the leadership team also have a bit of advice for those considering a career in construction. “Learn the industry. Take the time because it is complex and sophisticated. Make sure you have that skillset so you can add value,” says Crabb, who has 20 years of industry experience and holds degrees from Emory University (Juris Doctor) and the University of Western Ontario. He serves on numerous boards, including the American Property Casualty

Amerisure Mutual Insurance Company | 13 focusing on understanding that information is invaluable for those entering the industry. “Getting involved in the construction industry can be incredibly valuable. Become a known entity early on and it will carry you a long way through your career,” he concludes. Learning. Passion. Understanding. It sounds like the foundation has been laid for continued success as Amerisure embarks on its second century of providing quality service and innovative insurance products across the construction industry.