The Tennessee Insuror Sep/Oct '18

THE TENNESSEE

INSUROR September/October 2018

Vol. 29 No. 5

www.insurors.org

10 14 46

The 4th Annual INSBY Awards

The Birds!

Follow the Leader: Reducing E&O Exposures

Welcome to Nashville And the Insurors of Tennessee 125th Anniversary Convention

Expect big things in workers’ compensation. Most classes approved, nationwide. It pays to get a quote from Applied.® For information call (877) 234-4450 or visit auw.com/us. Follow us at bigdoghq.com. ©2018 Applied Underwriters, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company. Rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best.

2Insurance plans protected U.S. Patent No. 7,908,157.

The Tennessee Insuror

contents

THE TENNESSEE

INSUROR Vol. XXIX, Number 5 September/October 2018

features

Phone (615) 385-1898 Toll Free: 1-800-264-1898 Email: info@insurors.org Editor: Charles T. Bidek, CPCU Publisher: Daniel D. Smith Jr., CAE COVER PHOTO: Courtesy DNJ/Helen Comer

INSURORS OFFICERS

President ............................................................... Chris Allison, CIC Immediate Past President ................ John McInturff III, ARM IIABA National Director ......................................... Lou Moran III VP, Region II and President Elect .................................. Joe Hunt Vice President, Region I ................................... Norfleet Anthony Vice President, Region III .......................................... Bob McIntire Treasurer .............................................. Battle Bagley III, CIC, CPA Secretary ........................................................................ Chip Hoover Director, Region I ............................................ Stephen Masterson Director, Region I .................................................... Tommy Allmon Director, Region I .................................. S. Keith Phelps, CIC, CRM Director, Region II ................................. Matt Swallows, CIC, CRM Director, Region II .................................. Christy Jones, CISR, CAPI Director, Region II .............................................. John McCord, CIC Director, Region III .................... Kym Clevenger, CPCU, CACW Director, Region III ............................................................ Tim Witt Director, Region III ................................................. Mark Slater Jr. Young Agents Chairperson ................... David Allen, CIC, CRM

ADVERTISING

Display advertising rates, deadlines and specifications may be obtained by writing to Insurors of Tennessee, 2500 21st Avenue South, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37212, calling 615.515.2601, e-mailing dsmith@insurors.org or online at www.insurors.org The Tennessee Insuror is provided to all Insurors of Tennessee members and associate members as a member service.

INSURORS OF TENNESSEE 2500 21st Avenue South, Suite 200 Nashville, TN 37212-0539 www.insurors.org

4 Welcome to Nashville

And the Insurors of Tennessee 125th Anniversary Convention

6

Convention Sponsors

8

Convention Guest Speakers

10 The 4th Annual INSBY Awards

INSBANK Honors Local Entrepreneurs with Fundraising and Awards Event

14 Daniel Learns About Insurance: The Birds!

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Follow the Leader: Reducing E&O Exposures from the Top...

departments 21

From Your President

The Culmination of 125 Years

23

From Your IIABA Chairman-Elect

25

From Your CEO

29

Education Calendar

31

Government and Legal Affairs

37

Company Spotlight

Big I Hires Aims to Build a Talent Base Some Pictures are Worth 43 Years

FSLA and Overtime Rules - A Refresher Nationwide Insurance

39 Program Spotlight

HostMyCalls 51 Meetings 53

Member Tips

RLI Announces Launch of its New Producer Portal

3

The panelists for our Agency Vision 2020 session

Carrie Cheshier Travelers

Jim Roe Arlington/Roe

Christine Sears Penn National Ins.

Kevin Steiner West Bend Mutual

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Welcome to the Insurors 125th Anniversary Convention

It's a special anniversary to reach 125 years, and our Association has planned a special event to commemorate that milestone. This year's schedule of events includes (all times CST):

Saturday, October 27th 2:00 - 5:00 pm 6:30 - 9:30 pm

Nashville Predators vs. Edmonton hockey (separate ticket required) Bridgestone Arena Football Viewing Party presented by Titan Web Marketing Solutions Omni Barlines Nashville Predators take on the Edmonton Oilers live at Bridgestone Arena Check out the top college football games at our watch party at Omni Barlines presented by

Sunday, October 28th 9:00 - 11:00 am 11:30 - 12:30 pm Noon - 5:00 pm 2:00 - 6:00 pm 2:00 - 6:00 pm 2:00 - 6:00 pm 2:30 - 4:20 pm

2:30 - 2:50 pm

3:00 - 3:20 pm

3:30 - 3:50 pm

4:00 - 4:20 pm 4:00 - 6:00 pm 4

Board of Directors Meeting Omni Old Hickory Room Board and Past Presidents Luncheon Omni Mockingbird 4 Room Registration Open Omni Broadway Prefunction Exhibit Hall and Trade Show Omni Broadway Ballroom Smile Power™ Headshot Lounge presented by Delta Dental of TN Omni Broadway Ballroom Business Connection Lounge presented by Chubb Omni Broadway Ballroom InsurTalks: Express Breakout Sessions Omni Broadway Ballroom A-B Michael Doran “Will Sales + Marketing Automation = Agency Growth?”

Ashley Gold “Agency/Carrier Contracts: Key Concerns” Dave Baker “How Premium Financing Can Help You Win Business and Add Revenue” Brad McMillan “SEO and Website Marketing” “Meet the Vendors” Exhibit Hall Reception Omni Broadway Ballroom The Tennessee Insuror

6:00 - 9:00 pm 9:00 - 11:00 pm

Opening Night Celebration and Dinner Young Agents After Party (Young Agents & invited guests only)

Top Golf Nashville HQ Beercade

Tee off as the Insurors convention takes over Top Golf! presented by

Our Young Agents After Party includes the arcade classics at HQ Beercade presented by

Monday, October 29th 8:00 - 10:00 am 8:00 - 10:00 am 8:00 - 10:00 am 8:00 - 10:00 am 10:00 - 11:30 am

Registration Open Exhibit Hall, Trade Show and Breakfast Smile Power™ Headshot Lounge presented by Delta Dental of TN Business Connection Lounge presented by Chubb General Session: “Agency Vision 2020: Company Executives Panel”

Omni Broadway Prefunction Omni Broadway Ballroom C-K Omni Broadway Ballroom Omni Broadway Ballroom Omni Broadway Ballroom A-B

Big "I" CEO Bob Rusbuldt moderates our panel of executives as they discuss the future of our channel Look your best with a new professional photo in the Smile Power™ Headshot Lounge presented by

Noon - 5:00 pm 12:30 - 4:00 pm 1:00 - 3:30 pm

Annual Convention Golf Tournament presented by Travelers Richland Country Club Clay Shoot presented by Markel Specialty Nashville Gun Club Cars & Cigars pres. by CHUBB, Accuworks, Dream Cars + Martin & Zerfoss Bridge Building/Nissan Stadium Lot N Hit the links at one of the premier courses in Nashville presented by

Feel the power as you drive and learn coverage tips for these high-end exotic autos

presented by

6:00 - 10:00 pm Company Night By Invitation 7:00 - 10:00 pm Career Achievement Dinner: Honoring Insurors CEO Chuck Bidek* Omni Broadway Ballroom East *Prior RSVP required Take your best shot at our Clay Shooting outing presented by

HONORING CHUCK BIDEK

Celebrate the 43-year career and achievements of our CEO Chuck Bidek, CPCU

CELEBRATING THE CAREER AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR INSURORS CEO CHARLES T. BIDEK, CPCU

presented by

Tuesday, October 30th 8:00 - 11:00 am

Insurors Association Day Breakfast & Annual Meeting

Omni Broadway Ballroom East

Convention Mobile App This year we have expanded our mobile Annual Convention app. Just search for the Insurors 125th Anniversary Convention in your phone or device's app store. Once you add the event you can view mobile schedules, the exhibit hall layout, trade show game and more. After the event, keep your Insurors app as we will be using it for updates year-round! u The Tennessee Insuror

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Convention Sponsors

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GOLD

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BRONZE Berkshire Hathaway

Insurance Companies

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The Tennessee Insuror

There when it matters most. for

Independent Agencies

The article to the right discusses our formal organization, The Nashville American in 1899 The below photo is of the swearing-in of Insurors President W.P. Deese, The Tennessean in 1956

When it comes to the independent agency system, Donegal is all in! Donegal remains 100% committed to using the independent agency system exclusively to sell our products.

As an independent agency we realize you have lots of choices when it comes to recommending commercial and personal insurance coverage options for your clients. That’s why Donegal delivers competitively priced insurance products and outstanding claims service.

In addition, agencies appreciate our timely underwriting and superior technology that makes quoting and issuing Donegal policies easy.

Plus, Donegal’s total compensation package is recognized as one of the best in the industry.

A 100% commitment to the independent agency system, another way Donegal is “There When It Matters Most” for independent insurance agencies.

To learn more visit donegalgroup.com or call Vince Black at 800-277-7442.

The Tennessee Insuror

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Convention Guest Speakers We are excited to have this great lineup of guest speakers for this year's event: Carrie Cheshier, CPCU, CIC, AIM, ARM Southern Regional President • Travelers Carrie Cheshier has been in the industry for over 30 years and began her career with Travelers in 1986 as a Liability Claim Representative. She has worked with both the personal and commercial lines leadership for the company and previously worked in commercial lines for a large agency in the Northeast. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Weber State University.

Dave Baker Assistant Vice President • Imperial PFS Dave Baker is the Assistant Vice President and Regional Sales Manager for the Imperial PFS Mid-Atlantic Region. He has worked with the Insurors endorsed program for over 10 years.

Michael Doran President • Strategic Ins. Software - Partner XE Michael Doran is the president of SIS, which built the Partner XE agency management system. He has been a leader in the fields of information services, software and business consulting.

Jon Jensen CEO • Correll Insurance Group/Chair-Elect • Big "I" Executive Committee Jon Jensen is CEO of Correll Insurance Group, headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina. As an industry leader, he has served on committees of the South Carolina Department of Insurance, as chairman of the IIAB of South Carolina, as a South Carolina national director for the Big “I”, and on many Big "I" committees.

He was awarded the IIABA National Chairman’s Award in 2009 and the Sydney O. Smith Award in 2010. Jensen is a graduate of Appalachian State University’s Insurance Executive Program.

Jim Roe, CPCU, ASLI President/CEO • Arlington/Roe In 1972, Jim Roe joined his father, Francis Roe, who founded Arlington/Roe in 1964. He became president and the sole owner of Arlington/Roe after Francis Roe’s untimely death in 1987. Roe has grown the company from $1.3 million in 1980 to over 8

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$200 million today. A graduate of Indiana University, Jim holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. He is past president of the American Association of Managing General Agents, past director of the National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices and throughout his career has continued to serve as chairman or member of numerous legislative committees.

Bob Rusbuldt President/CEO • IIABA Bob Rusbuldt has been part of the Big "I" for over 30 years, and has served as its CEO since 2001. He has been frequently recognized and awarded for legislative and regulatory work to support agents, brokers and small businesses. Rusbuldt is also a frequent contributor on many political discussion panels and has appeared on segments for CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and more. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from The King's College, New York, and earned his Master of Arts from American University in Washington, D.C. He was chosen to participate in the Symposium on the Presidency in 1978 and the American Studies Program.

Christine Sears, CPCU, CPA President/CEO • Penn National Insurance Chris Sears joined Penn National Insurance in 1980 as a financial analyst. She held various positions of increasing leadership, and was elected to boards of directors of their affiliated companies during the 1990s, and to the Mutual Company’s board in 2002. Prior to being elected president & CEO, Sears served as executive VP & COO for five years and was responsible for underwriting, claims, and the company’s third-party claims administration subsidiary, Inservco Insurance Services. Sears was raised in the Harrisburg area and earned her BBA degree (magna cum laude) from Penn State. She has also completed the Insurance Executive Development Course of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kevin Steiner President/CEO • West Bend Mutual Ins. Kevin Steiner has worked for West Bend for almost 25 years, and previously worked for other carriers in Michigan before returning to his home state of Wisconsin. At West Bend Mutual, he worked his way up from association manager to corporate sales manager, vice president of sales, VP of marketing (which included underwriting responsibilities), senior VP and then COO and president. He attained his bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and his MBA at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. u The Tennessee Insuror

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The 4th Annual INSBY Awards INSBANK Honors Local Entrepreneurs with Fundraising and Awards Event

INSBANK recently held their 4th Annual Entrepreneur Bash & INSBY Awards on September 5th at The Entrepreneur Center in downtown Nashville. The awards honor local businesses and raise funds for the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to connect entrepreneurs with critical resources to create, launch and grow businesses. Guests purchased tickets to the event and 100% of the proceeds were donated to the Entrepreneur Center.

Guests had dinner and drinks while enjoying the music of the band Brassfield. INSBANK extends its appreciation to the sponsors who helped make the INSBY Awards a success. The event’s sponsors were: Novatech – who provided the 3-D printed trophies, Tennessee Brew Works – who provided beer, and Crowe Nashville – who made a monetary donation.

This year there were three INSBY award winners recognized for their innovative approaches to their respective industries: 5by5 Agency; FSI, Inc. and Tennessee Brew Works.

In addition to core business growth, in mid-2017 5by5 expanded their range of services with the acquisition of Sightline Research, a market research firm led by Mark McPeak.

Later in the year, they also opened an office in Dallas.

FSI, Inc. FSI is a niche supply and fulfillment business that provides procurement, assembly and shipping services for a variety of clients. In 2013, Virginia Lodge was hired as CEO of the company in a strategic move orchestrated by a private equity company that had controlling ownership. Virginia joined Brian Hadfield, who had been with the company since 2009. With Brian’s sales and operational skills alongside Virginia’s leadership and networking abilities, they succeeded in growing FSI’s annual revenues an average of 21% each of the last 5 years.

Virginia and Brian had a vision for the company’s growth and in 2016 negotiated and completed a management buyout with the assistance of INSBANK. Upon acquiring controlling interest, they embarked on two ambitious projects to relocate and upgrade their warehouse facility to a new warehouse space in LaVergne, and even more daunting, upgrade and seamlessly converting thousands of customer SKUs into a new inventory management software system.

Tennessee Brew Works INSBANK's INSBY Awards celebrates the work of local entrepreneurs in the Nashville community and beyond

5by5 Agency 5by5, founded by CEO Shannon Litton, is a full service digital and marketing agency, providing brand positioning, creative direction, and web services to particular niches in the fields of healthcare, non-profits and sports and entertainment.

Shannon has assembled a very talented team of artists, designers, storytellers and strategic thinkers, which has been a key factor in the firm experiencing accelerated growth. This trajectory was recently recognized and 5by5 was named to the top 20% of the Inc. 5000 "Fastest Growing Companies in America" list.

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Tennessee Brew Works produces craft beer in its brewery, taproom and filling station located in Nashville and distributes its beer in Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky. It aims to highlight Tennessee’s tradition and culture while supporting the local community – especially its farmers – and using one of the greenest brewing methods in the region to support quality and sustainability.

Co-founder and CEO Christian Spears’ background in finance at Lehman Brothers, Barclays and BlackHawk helped attract a variety of investors and a Board of Directors to invest in a top-notch brew system that could significantly scale as has proven necessary in the industry.

The Brewery and its head brewer, Matt Simpson, have proven quite successful in both the quality of its beer – recently beThe Tennessee Insuror

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ing named the 2nd best brewery in the South by Southern Living magazine – and accordingly in its sales. Barrels sold each year are rising rapidly as annual consumption is now over 1.5 million pints, averaging 52% annual barrel growth and 55% annual revenue growth.

One of the impressive dishes served by Tennessee Brew Works

And with a culture of innovation and quality, their taproom food service is now getting its own accolades, recently featured on the Travel Channel’s Food Paradise.

Committed to Helping Local Business INSBANK is committed to helping businesses grow by being a trusted financial partner and staying true to our motto, that INSBANK is “Where Genuine Matters.” u

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Daniel Learns About Insurance: The Birds!

Electric Scooters (and Claims?) Descend Upon Tennessee Insurors Director of Communications Daniel Smith is far from an insurance expert, but he is trying to learn! In this series he will look into insurance industry and coverage questions he has about popular trends in day-to-day life.

In the 1963 classic Hitchcock movie The Birds, a wealthy California socialite gets caught up in an attack from hundreds of birds and must try to survive their vicious and out-of-theblue attacks. Cut to May 2018, when out-of-the-blue, electric scooters from California began popping up on the streets of Nashville.

These scooters, ridiculously called, "shared urban mobility devices," were placed on city sidewalks and available for rent through mobile apps. Within days, they were zipping their way through traffic, cutting off cars and passing pedal taverns with ease. But just a week into their arrival, two young ladies from the Knoxville area were scootering along when a car struck them, knocking them from their Birds and landing them both in the hospital. The driver fled the scene, and a bright spotlight was immediately cast on electric scooters.

After some contentious discussion between Bird and Metro

written by Daniel Smith, CAE

Nashville, many of the scooters were confiscated. Others were moved down interstate 40 to Memphis. Memphis took a more proactive approach, laying down some ground rules and regulations for the scooter launch. The scooters became a big hit in Memphis, and one ER doctor claims that the result has been an increase in ER visits. Methodist University Hospital Medical Director in Emergency Department Dr. Jeff Harris told WMC5 News that, "I've seen several injuries from the scooters. There's all ranges. A lot [of the injuries] are just cuts and bruises from falling. Most significantly head injuries from people not wearing a helmet."1

A Return to Nashville Streets In late August, Nashville's Metro Council voted 29-1 to allow the electric scooters to return to the city's streets. The only caveat being that new regulations would be in place for any company wanting to deploy "electronic or motorized scooters and bicycles." To that end, a permitting process has now been established for these companies.

The regulations also include several aimed at safety, including strongly encouraging helmet use for the scooters, and

Is anywhere safe when the Birds attack?!?!

14

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15

guidelines about yielding to pedestrians, and compliance with rules of the road. If a scooter or bike is found parked on a public right-of-way such as a sidewalk, then the company can be fined $25 with the option of passing that fine to the user.

There are additional mandates for on-board GPS on vehicles, regular inspection and maintenance and education of users on how to use the vehicles.2 Once those rules were in place, Birds returned the streets and a competing business – Lime – also brought their scooters to town. Now there are scooters strewn across the streets and sidewalks of the downtown neighborhoods.

Is There Coverage for Riders?

Across the country, electric scooters have been both popular and dangerous. Crashes and injuries have followed in the cities where Birds have landed. There are even personal injury attorneys already running ads for legal action. So, are these riders covered? Is Bird creating liability for its riders?

The Bird rental agreement includes a waiver of liability, and states that, "Your automotive insurance policies may not provide coverage for accidents involving or damage to this vehicle. To determine if coverage is provided, you should contact your automotive insurance company or agent." So, are your insureds who ride electric scooters covered for physical damage and personal liability?

Recently, the Big "I" Virtual University addressed this topic.

Their consensus? "Personal Liability from an HO or Renters policy is unlikely to cover this use because they'd be excluded as 'motor vehicles.' Some motorcycle policies covering an owned motorcycle or scooter might extend Liability to nonowned scooters, but even then the insurer may argue that shared vehicles might be available for the insured's regular use. Some Personal Umbrellas might not require underlying coverage, generally when a vehicle isn't included in the definition of 'recreational vehicle,' and could drop down to provide 3rd party Liability. The damage to the [scooter] exposure might be under $1,000 and manageable without insurance."3 Tell your insureds to stay safe, and watch out for the Birds!

1 - per "Bird scooter crashes causing an uptick in ER visits" via http://www. wmcactionnews5.com/story/38824169/bird-scooter-crashes-causing-anuptick-in-er-visits/ 2 - per "Bird scooters coming back to Nashville as Metro Council finalizes new rules" via https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2018/08/21/bird-scooters-coming-back-nashville-metro-council-finalizes-new-rules/1057845002/ 3 - per Big "I" Virtual University VUpoint Newsletter Vol. 19, No. 19 - Issue #456 - Friday, September 14, 2018 at https://www.independentagent.com/ Education/VU/Pages/VU-point/Briefs/AAE.aspx

INTRODUCING

Exceptional Agents Berkley Southeast Insurance Group recognizes the need to mentor the growth of new talent and to perpetuate the Independent Agency System, as well as provide young agents with a competitive advantage. Tennessee’s Young Agents are the future of our business. That’s why we are working together for success.

2018 Exceptional Young Agents Aaron Jensen Blake Dickens Brandon Patterson Chad Richardson Clement Ledbetter Cooper Permenter Craig Moreland David Allen David Clark David Evans Drew Powell Forbes Harris Fred Vann Gabe Colwell Graylon Perkins Jamie Williams John Fritts Josh Clayton Josh Witt KC Covington Kevin Lockmiller Kevin Ownby Kevin Pomeroy Lori Carter Michael Greer Michael Novarese Neil Scott Paul Steele Rand Thomas Rebecca Shipp Richard Powell Robert Harris Stacy Woodard Stuart Oakes Taylor Ragan Tim Treadwell Trey Powell

Shafer Insurance Agency, Knoxville Harris, Madden and Powell, Memphis Ownby Insurance Services, Sevierville Swallows-Newman Insurance, Cookeville Battle Page Insurance, Franklin Harris, Madden and Powell, Memphis Swallows-Newman Insurance, Cookeville RSS Insurance, Chattanooga RSS Insurance, Chattanooga The Insurance Group, Inc., Knoxville Martin & Zerfoss Insurance, Nashville Harris, Madden and Powell, Memphis Collier Insurance, Memphis Swallows-Newman Insurance, Cookeville Westan Insurance, Martin Hardin County Bank Ins. Agcy., Savannah TIS Insurance Services, Knoxville Westan East, Johnson City The Insurance Group, Inc., Knoxville Union City Insurance, Union City V.R. Williams & Company, Winchester Ownby Insurance Services, Sevierville Commercial Insurance Associates, Inc., Nashville THW Insurance, LLC, Lebanon V.R. Williams & Company, Winchester McDaniel-Whitley, Inc, Memphis RSS Insurance, Chattanooga Martin & Zerfoss Insurance, Nashville The Crichton Group, Nashville THW Insurance, LLC, Lebanon Harris, Madden and Powell, Memphis Tigrett & Pennington, Nashville Shafer Insurance Agency, Knoxville TIS Insurance Services, Knoxville Martin & Zerfoss Insurance, Nashville Boyle Insurance, Memphis RSS Insurance, Chattanooga

Your Back-in-Business Insurance Company®

About the Author Daniel Smith serves as the Director of Communications for Insurors of Tennessee. He has a Bachelors degree in Marketing with a minor in Graphic Design from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

He may be contacted at dsmith@insurors.org. u 16

berkleysig.com The Tennessee Insuror

Get to Know AmTrust.

Visit d14.amtrustinsurance.com or call 888.579.5612 AmTrust is AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., located at 59 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038. Coverages are provided by its property and

AmTrust is AmTrust Financial Services, Inc., located at 59 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038. Coverages are provided by its property and The Tennessee Insuror casualty insurance company affiliates. Consult the applicable policy for specific terms, conditions, limits and exclusions to coverage. casualty insurance company affiliates. Consult the applicable policy for specific terms, conditions, limits and exclusions to coverage.

FSC “XV,” Stable Outlook17 FSC “XV,” Stable Outlook

Future Leaders Spotlight

presented by

Stephen Rogers, CRIS • TIS Insurance Services - Knoxville

Stephen Rogers of TIS Insurance Services

Stephen Rogers is a Knoxville native that is heavily involved in his work and his community. He volunteers his time with Boys & Girls Club of East Tennessee, Generous House Knoxville and The Church at Knoxville. When Stephen isn't volunteering or selling insurance, you can find him in the gym, watching auto racing or catching up with family and friends to follow UT sports.

The Insuror: Can you tell us a little about your current job title and responsibilities?

Stephen: I am currently a Placement Specialist for the TIS Construction Division. I handle all new business and renewal marketing for construction-related accounts. I also meet and maintain relationships with underwriters and key personnel from the many carriers that TIS represents. In the marketing role there are many hats, from coverage comparisons, negotiating premiums, being the liaison between the agent and underwriter, to ending up being friends with the carrier underwriters and even playing 18 holes in the middle of the week. This is a relationship-oriented position, and I value the relationships I have gained over the course of my time in this position.

The Insuror: What can you tell us about your educational background?

Stephen: I grew up in Knoxville and attended the Christian Academy of Knoxville, then went on to the University of Tennessee to earn my degree in Operations Management with a Concentration in Logistics and Transportation. After starting in the industry, I earned my Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist designation.

The Insuror: How and why did you get your career in the insurance industry started?

Stephen: My family owned a trucking company for over 75 years, so the natural progression after I finished school was for me to slide into the family run business and keep that moving forward. Unfortunately all of the trucking contracts that we had were directly tied to the housing market. In 20082010 – when the market took a dive – our company did as 18

well. We operated for a while, but the old school "backroom and handshake agreements" that had worked since my Great Grandfather started the business weren’t working any longer.

We ended up shutting down in 2012 and I was certain that trucking was no longer for me. I had known Reece Thomas (Bill Thomas’s son) through a mutual acquaintance and he approached me about possibly joining TIS to see if insurance might be a fit for me (I had my doubts). After a few months on the job of interacting with agents and clients I knew this was the career path that was for me. About that time a position opened in the Construction Division and I have been here ever since. I consider it a true blessing that Reece and Bill Thomas gave me the opportunity.

The Insuror: Do you have any influences/role models in the industry?

Stephen: Two people immediately come to mind. Bill Thomas, the Chairman of our Board, is TIS and everything it embodies from customer service, relationships and putting in the long hours to make sure the client is taken care of. If I could have 1/5th of his drive I would be exceptional at everything that I do.

The second is Bunny Oakes, who is the president of our construction division. He gave me the opportunity to move into my current position. He is the ultimate gentleman and believes 100% in going the extra mile to make sure the customer’s needs are met. Bunny is my friend and someone that I would like to model my insurance career after.

The Insuror: Is there any advice you could offer Young Agents or others in the industry to achieve success?

Stephen: It takes a while to get what you want in this industry.

Don’t give up and listen to the people that have walked the path before you. Never stop learning – that is the key – stay on top of the technology and forms. Most of all put the customer’s needs before your own, that is what builds repeat customers. Value the relationships you make in this industry, there are some incredible people that you would have never had the chance to meet were it not for the insurance industry.

The Insuror: As an independent agent, you have many partners in this industry, including carriers, MGAs and many more. How do you determine which ones are the right relationships?

Stephen: We look for partners that have the same core belief system as we do – to put the client first and serve with knowledge, integrity and professional enthusiasm. The ones The Tennessee Insuror

that do that will be the best partners for TIS and our clients.

The Insuror: Thank you for giving us your time, Stephen, we appreciate it and wish you continued success.

Stephen: Thank you for the opportunity to participate. u

Young Agents ‘18

Upcoming Events and Information

Our Young Agents Committee strives to offer young insurance professionals with opportunities to network and develop in the industry. The following is the remaining schedule for 2018: October 28 - Insurors Convention Young Agents After Party HQ Beercade • 114 2nd Avenue South • 9-11 pm CST

Young Agents Committee David Allen, CIC, CRM - Chair Principal Agent RSS Insurance Chattanooga dallen@rssins.com

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They stand alone. RLI, A+ rated by A.M. Best, has over 30 years of experience providing affordable personal umbrella coverage - so your customers can protect their hard earned assets.

CONTACT Stephen Holmes sholmes@insurors.org 615.515.2609 19

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The Tennessee Insuror

From Your President The Culmination of 125 Years

Welcome to the Insurors of Tennessee 125th Anniversary Convention! It is hard to comprehend that we have been working together for that many years to make our industry the best it can be for the people we serve in Tennessee. My earliest memories of our Association go back to my teenage years when I attended the Insurors Convention in Gatlinburg at a "big round hotel on a hill."

I didn’t realize then that my Dad (James Allison) was beginning the foundational work in my life – introducing me and creating new relationships for me – that would serve my career for the next several decades. It has been a great ride for me, and I know many of you would have the same reflections on your career.

Back in the late 80s, Chuck Bidek helped me obtain my license in all lines and has been one of my greatest mentors and friends for all these years! The first committee work I had the pleasure of completing for the Association was in the area of Personal Lines. I have since been blessed to have been at countless educational forums, conventions, Young Agent activities, golf tournament fundraisers, CIC courses, Dale Carnegie programs, Legislative forums, Insurors on the Hill days, and various meet and greets at the Insurors office in Nashville.

The Insurors has helped me to become a wellrounded insurance professional, and I thank all the past and current leaders who have made this possible for me and many others in our insurance careers. I encourage us all to continue the work of the Association as it develops and impacts many people for a lifetime. Overall, the positive impact our industry has for the people of our State is invaluable. I have seen what we can do to assist our neighbors and rebuild communities in unimaginable disasters. It amazes me that our founding fathers knew what they were establishing back in 1893 and the continued work everyone has done to bring our Association to what it is today. Keep it up!

The Next Steps How do we continue the work of this AssoThe Tennessee Insuror

ciation and increase the value you receive as a member? One way is by taking advantage of the opportunities available to you at the Convention. The first thing to do is get to know the people in our industry. Mix and mingle at the various events, introduce yourself, and work on developing new relationships. These new contacts will serve you and your customers well for your entire career. We will kick off the Convention with a Nashville Predators game on Saturday, October 27th followed by college football viewing at Bar Lines in the Omni. Even if you are not a hockey fan, you will still have a great time and meet new people! The energy and excitement of a Preds game is not to be missed!

Sunday will give you opportunities to meet many of our Industry vendors and partners at the trade show in the Omni Broadway Ballroom. As an added bonus, if your associates back home are anything like the great folks I work with, they will love all of the giveaways you pick up and bring back to them. We will follow that up with a Sunday night party at Top Golf where we have rented the top two floors of the facility. Whether you love golf or know nothing about it, Top Golf is a fun place and promises to be a great event!!

After our Monday morning trade show conclusion, Big "I" CEO Bob Rusbuldt will host our Agency Vision 2020 panel featuring top industry executives. Monday afternoon continues the networking opportunities with choices of golf, clay shooting, or the ”not-to-be-missed” Cars and Cigars event. Monday night will cap off the Convention with a grand black-tie preferred event to honor and celebrate the career and achievements of our CEO Chuck Bidek.

“How do we continue the work of this A ssociation and increase the value you receive as a m e m b e r? ”

Tuesday morning, we will wrap the Convention up with the Association Day breakfast and our annual meeting and awards ceremony. I look forward to seeing everyone and look for this to be our biggest, best, and most fun Convention in decades!

As you read this, there may still be time to register. Go to insurors.org and check out all the info on the event. I promise this will be one for the ages! u

Chris Allison, CIC 21

Olympia Insurance

Olympia Insurance

22

The Tennessee Insuror

From Your IIABA Chairman-Elect Big I Hires Aims to Build a Talent Base We all know about the "talent gap" facing the insurance industry over the next decade. We all know that job openings are at record highs, and that finding the highest quality employees is harder than it has been in decades. But did you know that U.S. News and World Report names “being an insurance agent,” as the 3rd best job for those seeking employment in 2018?

Finding new talent is one of the top survey responses that we see on a state and national level when members answer questions about concerns for their agency. That's why your National Association is launching Big I Hires, an initiative to attract, hire, train and retain top talent in every independent insurance agency.

As a part of IIABA Strategic Plan in 2015-16, the organization's Talent/Recruitment Task Force presented a plan of action to create a national program to help agencies attract and hire talent. That program has become Big I Hires, which will be a multi-component initiative providing members with the tools they need to recruit new talent and onboard them successfully. The components will consist of 6 main focal points.

#1 - BigIHires.com BigIHires.com will be the web portal or hub to house all national offerings for talent recruitment and development, as well as 51 subsites to house all offerings from every state Association for talent recruitment and development. The portal will be built using association management system software being utilized by IIABA. This will allow for easy integration with our database for member login, ecommerce transactions, etc. The site will launch November 1st.

#2 - DIY Hiring Toolkit Big "I" New York worked with a HR firm to develop a hiring toolkit bundle for agency owners to use when hiring new employees. It is a series of PDF guidebooks which can be edited for individual agency use which walk users through the steps of finding, interviewing and hiring the right candidates. There are versions for CSRs and Producers, both personal and commercial The Tennessee Insuror

lines. Included are sample job ads, offer letters, onboarding guides, employment applications, etc. IIABA would purchase the rights to offer these to ALL members via BigIHires.com

#3 - Big "I" Recruits AN online job recruiting program developed specifically for the insurance space. It is mobileready, and includes of short assessments that help identify a potential employee’s motivation, structure, persuasiveness, and compliance.

#4 - Sales Call Reluctance Training Provides testing to new or seasoned producers to uncover their call reluctance. Gives expert interpretations of each test, and provides “live” coaching to producers to ensure future success.

#5 - Career Path Training Producer, CSR and Account Manager training pathways developed by Big "I" and The Institutes. These programs will be offered for various levels of competency and will mostly be provided in online formats.

#6 - Marketing and Promotion There will be a robust industry marketing campaign implemented for this new program that will include logos, testimonials, trade shows, conventions, user groups, social media, magazines and content. A Big "I" staff person will be dedicated specifically to oversee the implementation of the program.

“Finding new talent is one of the top survey responses that we see on a state and national level...”

Take Advantage of This Program This industry has been great for many of us, and has led to some very prosperous careers.

We need to make sure that continue spreading the word and bringing the talent to the insurance business. I believe Big I Hires will be a big component in the success of industry's future.

Look for a full announcement on its launch in the coming weeks. I hope you'll utilize this powerful new tool for your agency. u

Jon Jensen 23

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THAT VERY DAY.

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The Tennessee Insuror

From Your CEO

Some Pictures Are Worth 43 Years A look back – in photos – at a 43 year career with Insurors of Tennessee...

Putting on the "big hat"

Making lifelong friends...

... and some great memories

“It 's b e e n a great run with Insurors, and I'm proud of it.”

"Rubbing elbows" w/ John Tanner, Mike Keith and Heath Shuler Congratulating Fred Da vis

on the throne

Enjoying a moment with Roger and Rebecca Smith family The Bidek (and Brown) The Tennessee Insuror

Chuck Bidek, CPCU 25

26

The Tennessee Insuror

Education Calendar

The Insurors of Tennessee offers education opportunities to member agents across a wide range of insurance specialities that satisfy individuals at many different experience levels.

If you are looking to further your career, seeking a professional designation, or need to satisfy continuing education requirements, check out the variety of courses available.

Registration is fast and easy at www.insurors.org. More information about each class can also be found online.

CISR

Fee: $186

10/2 Commercial Casualty II 10/3 Commercial Casualty II 10/4 Elements of Risk Management 12/4 Commercial Property 12/5 Commercial Property 2/12 Elements of Risk Management 2/13 Agency Operations 4/2 Commercial Casualty I 4/3 Commercial Casualty I 4/4 Commercial Casualty I

CIC

Fee: $430

11/7-9 Commercial Multiline Institute 2/27-3/1 Commercial Casualty Institute 4/10-12 Agency Management

CE: 7

Johnson City Knoxville Chattanooga Nashville Memphis Nashville Memphis Johnson City Knoxville Chattanooga

CE: 20 (2019 - 16)

Nashville Memphis Nashville

The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Website: www.nasba. org. Advanced Curriculum Rating = 20 CPE Credits. For more information regarding administrative policies such as complaint and refund, please contact our offices at 800-633-2165.

ABEN Webcasts (insurors.aben.tv) 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/10 10/17 10/17

Premium Auditing: Agents Must Know CE: 2 $52 Why Agents Aren't Risk Managers CE: 3 $79 Industry: Regulations to Operations CE: 3 $79 The Law of Insurance Contracts CE: 3 $79 Basics of Commercial Property Und. CE: 3 $79 Basics of Property Values and Co-Ins. CE: 3 $79 Torts, Negligence & Liability CE: 3 $79 E&O - Agency/Carrier Relationships CE: 2 $48 E&O - Understanding Agent Duties CE: 2 $48

10/17 10/17 10/18 10/19

Premium Auditing: Agents Must Know CE: 2 $52 Why Agents Aren't Risk Managers CE: 3 $79 NFIP Basics Course CE: 3 $72 Cyber Gaps, UASs and TNCs CE: 3 $72

CPRM 2/6-7

Fee: $525

Practical Application of PRM

Nashville

Online Courses (www.iiaba.net/vu) Available from IIABA Virtual University. Member pricing shown.

Ethics for Insurance Professionals How to Calc. Business Income in 5 Min. National Flood Insurance Program New Employee Training Course

CE: 3 CE: 3 CE: 6 CE: 9

$75 $50 $80 $100

*check VU site for current information on CE and pricing

Available from The National Alliance

(www.scic.com)

Legal & Ethical Requirments of Insurance CE: 4 Insuring Flood Exposures - NFIP Review CE: 4 Available from The Institutes

$75 $75

(insurors.ceu.com)

Insurance Principles and Policies CE: 7 Long Term Care CE: 24 Workers’ Compensation CE: 10 Employee Benefits for Small Companies CE: 4 Healthcare Reform and Affordable Care CE: 5 e-Coverage CE: 15 Fundamentals of Personal Auto Insurance CE: 3 Management Process for Ins. Professionals CE: 21 Intro to Flexible Spending Accounts CE: 4 Terrorism and Its Impact on Insurance CE: 4 Toxic Mold and Homeowners Insurance CE: 15 Understanding the Industry of Insurance CE: 5

$49 $99 $59 $39 $49 $79 $29 $89 $39 $39 $79 $39

Register Online at www.insurors.org

Indicates course is presented by The National Alliance. Register for these courses at www.thenationalalliance.com The Tennessee Insuror

27

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The Tennessee Insuror

Government and Legal Affairs FSLA and Overtime Rules - A Refresher

Written by Ashley Gold, J.D., Insurors General Counsel The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime rule determines whether employees are eligible or exempt from overtime pay.

Exempt employees, because of their rate of pay and type of work that they do, are not eligible for overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Nonexempt employees must be paid time and a half for any hours worked more than 40 in a workweek.

As you may remember, there were Proposed FLSA Overtime Rule Changes that would have more than doubled the minimum weekly salary requirement for most white-collar overtime exemptions from $455 per week to $913. Those regulations were set to go into effect December 1, 2016. Then, right before Thanksgiving, a federal judge issued an order blocking the regulations from taking effect.

Under the proposed regulations: • • •

•

The rule would have extended overtime protections to 4.2 million workers who are not currently eligible under federal law.

Workers who did not earn at least $47,476 a year ($913 a week) would have to be paid overtime, even if they're classified as a manager or professional.

The Department of Labor would have increased the salary threshold every three years. Based on initial projections, the salary threshold was expected to rise to more than $51,000 with its first update on January 1, 2020.

Employers would have had to comply with the new regulations by December 1, 2016.

The Department of Labor is currently undertaking rulemaking hearing to revise the Overtime Rule regulations. These are the regulations that govern the exemption of executive, administrative, and professional employees from the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage and overtime pay requirements.1 While preparing for the 2016 proposed changes, many insurance agencies recognized that some of their staff, previously assumed exempt, did not qualify as exempt employees under federal law. There were two opinions that addressed life insurance sales personnel, but no opinion directly addressing the property and casualty market.

In response to a question regarding whether client service managers (CSMs) at an insurance company could qualify for the administrative exemption earlier this year, the DOL issued this opinion https://www.dol.gov/whd/opinion/ FLSA/2018/2018_01_05_08_FLSA.pdf .

The Tennessee Insuror

In the Opinion, the DOL rules that based upon the duties described, the CSMs did qualify as exempt administrative employees. It is important to note that the opinion was based upon the particular facts presented so it is not immediately applicable to all CSMs in all agencies. However, the Opinion does give helpful guidance.

The opinion looked at the primary duties of CSMs as insurance advisers and consultants to the agency’s clients. It noted that the CSMs: • • • • • • • • • • •

have the authority to execute insurance and finance contracts that are legally binding recognize the need for insurance coverage work with the clients to develop adequate insurance and risk management program consult with the client to identify risk and exposure advise on the proper value of insurance to carry recommend solutions to manage the client’s risk and exposure act as liaison between the client and the insurance company audit the client’s selected insurance program to ensure it meets all regulatory compliance matters. use their own discretion and independent judgment when advising clients are free from immediate supervision or direction. are compensated in excess of $455 per week.

The statute defines the term “employee employed in a bona fide administrative capacity” as “any employee:” (1) Compensated on a salary or fee basis at a rate of not less than $455 per week...

(2) Whose primary duty is the performance of office or nonmanual work directly related to the management or general business operations of the employer or the employer’s customers; and (3) Whose primary duty includes the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance.2 The DOL noted that the factors to consider when making this determination are: •

• •

whether the employee performs work that affects business operations to a substantial degree, even if the employee’s assignments are related to operation of a particular segment of the business; whether the employee has authority to commit the employer in matters that have significant financial impact; whether the employee has authority to waive or deviate from established policies and procedures without prior approval; 31

• •

whether the employee has authority to negotiate and bind the company on significant matters; whether the employee provides consultation or expert advice to management; whether the employee is involved in planning long- or short-term business objectives.

The DOL held that based on the information provided the CSM’s primary duty does include the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance. The CSMs have the authority to commit their employer in matters that have significant financial impact and to negotiate and bind the company on significant matters.3 Finally, CSMs use their own discretion and independent judgment and are free from immediate supervision when advising clients. Therefore, the DOL held that in this situation, the CSMs met all three requirements of the administrative exemption and are exempt from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the FLSA.

YOU’RE INDEPENDENT. BUT YOU’RE NOT ALONE.

INSURORS CUTS THROUGH THE RED TAPE TO GET YOUR VOICE HEARD. HELP US WORK FOR YOU “ON THE HILL.”

1 - per https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/regulations.pdf 2 - 29 C.F.R. § 541.200 3 - 29 C.F.R. § 541.202(b)

About the Author Ashley Gold has served as the General Counsel of Insurors since 2007, and previously consulted for the Association on legal and government affairs matters.

She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky and her Juris Doctor from Samford University. She may be contacted at agold@insurors.org. u

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The Tennessee Insuror

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Agency Needs an SSL Certificate ...continued from page 16

Industry Innovation Committee The following Insurors members have been appointed to serve on the Industry Innovation Committee for 2018: Kym Clevenger, CPCU, CACW Co-Chair President The Assurance Center Knoxville Stephen Masterson Co-Chair Vice President Hollis & Burns Memphis Kathleen Glass Burk Member Account Executive Kemmons Wilson Insurance Group, LLC Memphis Brandon Clarke, CIC Member President John Bailey Company Knoxville Matt Felgendreher Member Executive Vice President W.C. Dillon Company Nashville Lavonda Shipley Member Property & Casualty Marketing Manager Reliance Partners Chattanooga Jamie Williams, CIC, CRM Member VP/Agency Manager Hardin County Bank Insurance Agency Savannah Cam Winterburn Member Principal Agent Winterburn & Associates Pulaski

Acuity Loves You!

Bill Emerick, CIC, CPCU, AU, ARM Ad Hoc Member Regional Vice President Penn National Insurance Nashville

PROUD Convention & Meetings Committee

TO PARTNE R W I TH TH E BE ST D EP have EN Dbeen ENappointed T AGEtoNTS I N TH E BUS I NE S S! The following Insurors IN members serve on the Convention & Meetings Committee for 2018: Bob McIntire Co-Chair Co-founder/Principal Agent McIntire Insurance and Real Estate Cleveland Christy Jones, CISR, CAPI Co-Chair 34

The Tennessee Insuror

Association Update

Insurors E&O Specialist Holmes Earns CPCU

Insurors of Tennessee E&O Specialist Stephen Holmes, CIC, CISR can now add the letters CPCU after his name, as he has completed the requirements to earn the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation. Holmes has worked with members on agency E&O for over 8 years, and will be conferred at the 2019 ceremony.

Insurance Hall of Fame Inducts 3 On Thursday, September 20th, the Robert E. Musto Tennessee Insurance Hall of Fame at MTSU inducted three new members into its ranks. The inductees were former industry educator John Eubank, CPCU, ARM (posthumously); industry veteran Thomas Cooper; and new Rutherford County Mayor, former State Senator and longtime Insurors member Bill Ketron, CIC. Eubank established Professional Insurance Education, Inc. and taught the Insurors PDS and licensing course series for many years.

Cooper is a life insurance industry veteran and runs the Cooper Agency in Germantown. His daughter, Jennifer Reginelli is a longtime Insurors member.

Mayor Ketron has been a longtime advocate for insurance agents on the state and local level, and has helped Insurors with multiple legsltive concerns. He is a former Insuror of the Year winner.

Martin & Zerfoss Celebrates 40 Years Nashville-based agency Martin and Zerfoss, Inc. recently celebrated its 40th Anniversary. Having been a producer at Corroon & Black for three years, former Insurors President The Martin & Zerfoss team Tee Zerfoss formed his celebrates their 40th year own agency in the Summer of 1978. Mickey Martin, formerly a Commercial Casualty Underwriter for USF&G, joined the firm in 1983. Today, the Agency has close to 40 employees and a new office in Nashville West. They have been an Insurors member since their inception.

The Tennessee Insuror

In addition to their Retail side, Martin & Zerfoss is also an MGA for numerous carriers. Their programs include Affluent Personal Lines, Financial Institutions, Life and other Commercial. They also have a full service Benefits Department, offering Group Benefits, HR Consulting and Compliance.

FSB Insurance Acquires Dowsley Insurance FSB Insurance, a division of Sunstar Insurance, LLC has announced the acquisition of the Dowsley Insurance Agency in Humboldt effective September 1st. Andy Gaddie, President and CEO of FSB says, “While already having an existing office in the community, this second-generation agency expands our presence and commitment to Humboldt and the surrounding area. We are pleased that Cole Dowsley will continue to work in the agency and we are also excited to relocate our current office to the new downtown location.� The agency will now operate as FSB Insurance.

Govic Named as ACS Honoree Jessica Govic, Area President of Arthur J. Gallagher & Company's Nashville and Louisville offices, has been named as an honorree of the Amercian Cancer Society's (ACS) 2018 Nashville Best Dressed Ball.

The event honors young professionals who have been active in their community and in ACS causes. She has been an active volunteer for ACS from an early age and has helped raise thousands of dollars for the cause. You can find out more and submit donations online at https://bit.ly/2NBxgPQ

Boyle Adds Gant and Vinson Boyle Insurance has added Rep. Ron Gant and Michael Vinson as account executives for the Memphis-based agency. Gant formerly worked for Collierville Insurance Agency and also serves as a State Representative for District 94. VInson was formerly an account manager for Sentry Insurance.

McDonald Wins Crye-Leike Presidents Award Leslie McDonald, Personal Lines Sales Agent for Crye-Leike Insurance Agency, Inc. in Nashville, recently received the Presidents Award from the agency for achieving $500,000 in new sales.

McDonald is only the second person to ever win this award. u 35

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Insurors of Tennessee Ph 1 800 264 1898 E info@insurors.org

The Tennessee Insuror

Insurance products underwritten by Westport Insurance Corporation, Overland Park, Kansas, United States, a member of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions.

Company Spotlight

Nationwide

STRONG. STABLE. COMMITED TO YOU.

Nationwide was founded in 1926 to help farmers in Ohio insure their vehicles, but their members’ needs quickly evolved – as they continue to evolve today. Over the past 90 years, the company has grown into one of the largest insurance carriers in the country. What hasn’t changed? The company's commitment to one fundamental principle: that we can do more together than we can do alone.

As Nationwide has grown, they’ve taken a thoughtful approach to building relationships, focusing on offering the right level of consultation, compensation and benefits to all of their agency partners. These strong relationships empower you to grow your business with Nationwide – and to be rewarded for success.

One Nationwide Today, the company has come together as One Nationwide – which has expanded even further their ability to offer a broad portfolio of flexible options so agency partners can solve for a wide range of customer needs. Today, they’re so much more than automobile insurance. They’re a diversified insurance and financial services organization serving consumers and businesses from coast-to-coast.

“This is an exciting time for Nationwide.

We’re a company that has a much larger footprint than most people realize,” says Nationwide Chief Executive Officer Steve Rasmussen. “Nationwide is in all 50 states and features more products and solutions than our competitors, but customers in many areas weren’t aware of our strength, offerings and size because we featured so many brands that can appear to be unrelated.

Updating our mark and going to one brand allows customers to find us when they’re looking for solutions, both now, and in the future.”

The Tennessee Insuror

A Fully Independent Model Nationwide has also recently announced its intentions to shift entirely to an independent agency distribution model by July 1, 2020. Approximately 2,000 existing agents who have been operating under the Nationwide brand will have the opportunity to transition to an independent agency model by the 2020 date. The company already has relationships with more than 10,000 independent agents across the United States.

“Nationwide is committed to offering members a distribution point that works best for them, while providing long-term growth opportunities for our agents,” says Mark Berven, President & Chief Operating Officer of Nationwide Property & Casualty.

The company is committed to the success of its agency partners and the coverage of its members' needs. A further commitment to the independent agency distribution model helps meet those needs.

A Commitment to the Future Nationwide is also committed to the future of the industry and the communities it serves. Their investments in insurance technology – such as the Nationwide skill for Amazon Alexa and their SmartRide® Program – go handin-hand with their community efforts for organizations like the American Red Cross, Feeding America and United Way as they work to build a better world.

Learn More Today To learn more about Nationwide's strong commitment to consumers and businesses and their breadth of products to support your agency, please contact Sales Director Amy Rose at rosea4@ nationwide.com. u

Tennessee Contacts Terry Saharski Associate VP of Sales saharst2@nationwide.com Amy R. Rose, CLCS Sales Director 765.228.1340 rosea4@nationwide.com Missy Davenport, CPCU, CIC, CLCS Mid. Market Development Manager 614.435.8584 missy.davenport@nationwide.com About Nationwide A.M. Best Rating: A+ Headquarters: Columbus, Ohio President & CEO: Steve Rasmussen Fortune 100: #69 Industry Leaders: #1 Farm Insurer* #1 Total Small Business Insurert #3 U.S. Excess & Surplus Provider* #7 Commercial Carrier* #7 U.S. Home Insurer* #8 U.S. Auto Insurer* Nationwide is still owned by policyholders, but in 2018, they protect a lot more than just autos owned by Ohio farmers. They’re now a Fortune 100 company that offers a full range of insurance and financial services across the country – including car, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, pet, farm, life and commercial insurance, as well as administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and specialty health services. *A.M. Best, 2015 DWP. Based on premiums written t Conning, 2014. Conning Strategic Study: The Small BusinessSector for Property-Casualty Insurance: Market Shift Coming

37

“Exclusive member agencies, collaborating to bring the best insurance solutions to their clients.�

The Allison Insurance Group - Jackson Bagley & Bagley Insurance - Fayetteville Boyle Insurance Agency, Inc. - Memphis Burke, Powers & Harty - Bristol Carnal-Roberts Agency, Inc. - Lexington Cate-Russell Insurance, Inc. - Maryville Frank E. Neal & Company, Inc. - Nashville Goss Insurance - Hixson Inter-Agency Insurance Services - Knoxville

38

Martin & Zerfoss, Inc. - Nashville McInturff, Milligan & Brooks - Greeneville Miller | Loughry | Beach Insurance Services - Murfreesboro Ownby Insurance Service, Inc. - Sevierville Smith-Berclair Insurance, Inc. - Memphis S.N. Anthony, Inc. - Ripley Tigrett & Pennington Inc. - Dyersburg V.R. Williams & Company - Winchester Watauga Insurance, Inc. - Johnson City

Get more information now at www.securerisk.com

The Tennessee Insuror

Program Spotlight HostMyCalls HostMyCalls provides the small business owner PBX telephone system features and applications that were once only affordable to big business enterprises. The Hosted PBX service is provided from a network of state-of-the-art IP-PBX systems which are located in their own Network Operation Centers (NOC).

HostMyCalls will not point fingers when issues occur. Instead, they will work directly with customers’ ISPs and Data VARs to help pinpoint and solve these issues both before and after installation.

These PBX systems feature rich, business grade, VoIP telephone sets that can be located wherever you need them. Just connect them to your existing internet enabled Local Area Network and your business calls and messages are at your fingertips. HostMyCalls is available in the lower 48 states and offers telephone numbers in most area codes in addition to toll free and Direct Inward Dialed (DID) numbers.

If necessary and at their customer’s request, HostMyCalls will review and change settings directly in customer supplied equipment (routers, firewalls, switches, etc.). In addition, they have created their own proprietary Internet circuit testing tool which constantly monitors and gives detailed reports pinpointing the source of troubled Internet connections. Not only will they call an ISP on a customer’s behalf, but when they talk to them they are armed with specific details including proof of trouble and its location.

Why Are They Different?

Partnership for Insurors Members

Over 70% of all Hosted Voice and VoIP voice quality issues are related to the user’s internet, firewall and internal network.

These are areas that are typically outside of the control of most Hosted VoIP providers. Unlike others in the industry,

HostMyCalls has partnered with Insurors to offer the features, equipment and services at a discounted rate. Please contact Brian Hunter by calling 615.622.3141, emailing bhunter@hostmycalls.com or visiting hostmycalls.com for more info. u

The Markel difference Service | Strength | Specialists

Markel Specialty | markelinsurance.com markelcorp.com Markel Specialty is a business division of Markel Service Incorporated and has over 70 years of experience in niche markets, with a product focus on commercial and personal lines insurance. Policies are written by one or more Markel insurance companies. Terms and conditions for rate and coverage may vary.

The Tennessee Insuror

39

Independence can’t happen alone Independence means freedom, but it also means responsibility. It is about staying true to the commitments you’ve made - to your clients, your colleagues, and your community.

Keystone connects you to a community of like-minded independent agencies. Our mission remains unchanged: to provide access to the expertise, resources, and relationships that sustain independent insurance agencies over the long haul.

Keystone. Independence works better together.

Contact Michele Bicknell for more information: 570.473.2148 mbicknell@keystoneinsgrp.com keystoneinsgrp.com

©2016 Keystone Insurers Group ®. All rights reserved. This does not constitute an offer to sell a franchise in any state in which the Keystone Insurers Group franchise is not registered.

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The Tennessee Insuror

Company Briefs National Alliance Names W. J. Hold as CEO William J. Hold, M.B.A., CRM, CISR has been named CEO of The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. Hold has served The National Alliance since 2006 in many capacities, most recently as the Chief Development Officer, and will assume the day-to-day leadership of the organization effective immediately.

Dr. William T. Hold, co-founder and President of 50 years, will remain in that position for two years and will continue to be involved with overall guidance. The Boards’ plan is for Hold to assume presidency following Dr. Hold.

Koehler Named VP of Sales at Encompass Ken Koehler, CPCU has joined Encompass as vice president of sales and marketing. He has 25 years of experience in the independent agency channel. With prior leadership roles in sales, marketing and underwriting, Ken brings vast experience and knowledge to Encompass. Additionally, he has worked with agents in many different parts of the country,

with a particular focus in the west coast, midwest and northeast.

In this role, Ken leads the sales directors from six regions throughout the country and the marketing functions designed to help agents grow their business. Ken earned a Bachelor's degree from St. Ambrose University.

Central Insurance Elects Ward to Board The Central Insurance Companies have announced the election of David C. Ward to the Board of Directors for Central Mutual Insurance and All America Insurance Companies effective August 24, 2018.

Ward is the Managing Director at ward.ventures, a private investment firm based in Dallas, Texas. ward.ventures invests in venture capital and private equity as well as real estate and managed funds, as a limited partner. He previously served as a Senior Financial Analyst in the Capital Markets Group at Trinity Industries (NYSE: TRN). He also held positions at Five Elms Capital, Grassmere Partners, and at The Hartford Financial Services Group.

For Dwelling and Mobile Home Insurance, put your trust in a company that has been insuring homes for over 50 years.

20 %

CO NEW M BU M SI IS NE SI SS O N

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20% New & 15% Renewal Commission AAIS Policy Forms Direct Contract with National Security Partnership Profit Sharing Fast Online Policy Issuance Easy Payment Options

National Security has provided competitive, affordable insurance to policyholders for over 50 years, but we also provide a lot for our agents, with competitive commissions, excellent customer service and experienced company adjusters. As an admitted Southeastern based regional company, National Security prides itself on fast, efficient service from a friendly small town company, and online access for all agents, providing fast quotes, online policy issuance, online dec page printing, and real-time policy information.

Find out more by calling Sharon at 1-800-239-2358 x213 or visit nationalsecuritygroup.com.

The Tennessee Insuror

Elba, Alabama

41

committed to mutual success.

Harford Mutual Insurance partners with independent agents in Tennessee.

We insure restaurants, contractors, mercantile, and other commercial entities. We’re committed to protecting your client’s business and building yours.

HarfordMutual.com 800.638.3669 42

INSURING BUSINESSES SINCE 1842 The Tennessee Insuror

CNA Adds Costonis As COO Commercial lines insurer CNA announced the appointment of Michael Costonis as chief operations officer. Costonis will lead all information technology, analytics and operations functions across the organization.

Costonis joins CNA after a 26-year career at Accenture, where he was the Global Insurance Industry Practice leader. Costonis has spent nearly three decades consulting for insurance companies and has worked with more than 50 carriers in 21 countries.

He has led initiatives involving digital programs, service design techniques, API architecture and a patented analytical method for optimizing claim outcomes.

QBE Selling Personal Lines Business to Safeco QBE North America has sold its personal insurance independent agency policies in 47 states to Safeco Insurance, a division of Liberty Mutual. The agreement was effective August 15, 2018. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The QBE North America personal insurance independent agency book of business, which is sold through more than 900 independent agents and brokers nationwide, consists

of two primary lines of business: personal auto and personal property insurance. The sale represents $230 million in gross written premium.

Markel to Acquire Securities Manager Nephila Specialty insurer Markel Corp. has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Nephila Holdings, a standalone insurance-linked securities manager. Nephila, has more than $12 billion of assets under management for over 300 investors.

Its revenue is primarily from management and incentive fees.

Upon completion of the deal, the combined assets under management between Nephila and Markel will stand at approximately $19 billion, representing approximately 20 percent of the insurance-linked securities sector, according to the announcement. With this transaction, Markel will become the largest manager of funds in this sector.

The Hartford Agrees to Purchase Navigators The Hartford has signed a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding common shares of The Navigators Group, Inc., a global specialty underwriter, for $70 a share, or $2.1 billion in cash. The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is subject to approval by Navigators’ shareholders and other customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY BROKERAGE PROPERTY & CASUALTY GARAGE LIABILITY TRANSPORTATION SURETY PERSONAL LINES

(800) 666-5692 | JMWILSON.COM The Tennessee Insuror

43

Navigators, which was founded in 1974, is recognized as a market leader in the global marine, construction and energy industries, as well as in U.S. excess casualty and surplus lines.

The company currently operates three business segments: U.S. Insurance (58 percent of 2017 gross written premiums), International Insurance (29 percent) and Global Reinsurance (13 percent).

ACUITY Health Challenge Raises Over $12K Acuity Insurance announced that the 2018 Acuity Health Challenge raised more than $12,000 to help advance maternal and pediatric care in the community.

In its seventh year, the Acuity Health Challenge featured a 5K or 2-mile run/walk. Over 700 participants took part in this year’s event, which included a new virtual race alternative that allowed people to support the cause who could not make the event in person.

Proceeds from the 2018 Acuity Health Challenge will support the expansion of maternal and pediatric care in the community. This includes providing families with the continuum of care, beginning with neonatology through primary and secondary care, with the goal of helping patients and their families stay close to home, as well as creation of a maternal fetal medicine high-risk clinic, development of Sheboygan’s first NICU transport program, and the expansion of pediatric

specialty care, particularly for neurology, pulmonology, endocrinology, and gastrointestinal fields.

AmWINS Names Downey as COO Charlotte, N.C.-based AmWINS Group, Inc., a global distributor of specialty insurance products and services, has appointed Kristin L. Downey as chief administrative officer, effective immediately. Downey will be responsible for leading the firm’s human resources, training & development, marketing, and communications functions. She will also lead the company’s philanthropic efforts, including the recently formed AmWINS Foundation. Downey has served as executive vice president of Human Resources since 2002 and recently took over responsibility for the group’s marketing and communications team.

Bernard Health Forges Partnership with Baird Nashville-based healthcare advisory firm Bernard Health recently announced a new partnership with Baird to provide healthcare planning and health insurance advice to clients of the national financial services firm.

Through the 12-month Healthcare Extension partnership, Baird’s 900 advisors across the country will have access to Bernard Health’s licensed, noncommissioned healthcare advisors. u

Preferred Property Program can help you procure Umbrella coverage for your insureds with an AXV A.M. Best rated carrier for the following types of risks: Developer Sponsored Boards Master Associations High-rise Associations & Apartments to 35 stories are eligible and more Limit options ranging from $5 million to $50 million Coverage can include excess D&O ● General Liability ● Auto ● Employee Benefits Employers Liability, Including Employment Practices Liability* (*if covered under the D&O) Follow Form EPLI is available only up to $25 Million limit

In 2016 we partnered with American Union Risk Underwriters (AURA) located in Florida.

With our new partner we can now also offer our comprehensive Umbrella, with unsurpassed service and for the following types of risks: Hotels ● Motels ● Timeshares ● Lessor’s Risk Enclosed Malls Shopping Centers Retail ● Office Buildings ● Warehouses ● Light Industrial Apartments Limit options ranging from $5 million to $100 million For information on our AURA program, contact our experienced underwriter Tom Clementi at 877-506-1430 or visit our website, www.aurains.com A subsidiary of

101 Crawfords Corner Road, Suite 1300 Holmdel, NJ 07733

44

For more information contact our team of Underwriters

888-548-2465

www.ppp-quotes.com

The Tennessee Insuror

Let’s Build Business Together MidSouth Mutual provides workers’ compensation insurance and services to agencies and their clients throughout the Southeast and beyond. Our market reach is expanding to better serve your clients. The states we serve are listed below.

Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Oklahoma

www.midsouthmutual.com

Contact Wendy.Cox-Vetitoe@bwood.com 615-263-1763 800-524-0604

amerisafe.com - 800.897.9719

SAFE ABOVE ALL

Strong and steady, constantly raising the bar. All great accomplishments have a certain level of hazard involved, but AMERISAFE has workers’ comp down to the detail.

It’s a large part of why we retain 90%* of our policyholder.

The best protection is being proactive. *Policyholder retention rate based on voluntary business that we elected for renewal quote: 93.0% in 2017.

COMMITTED TO KEEPING TN POLICYHOLDERS SAFE.

The Tennessee Insuror

45

Follow the Leader: Reducing E&O Exposures From the Top Down

written by Mark Heimsoth, Assistant VP/Claims Specialist, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions

Most of us think we have a pretty good idea of what a good leader looks like in action. We may be hard-pressed to define leadership, but we're proud members of the, 'I know it when I see it' school of thought. That's okay. Sometimes it takes a 'rocket scientist' to put his finger on the painfully obvious, such as when Albert Einstein commented that "Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others, it is the only means."

That advice is as true today as it was in Einstein's time. If you want the next generation of your agency to find the path to success, you will let your example show the way. Good habits can take many forms, but a survey of our claim handlers highlighted five ways that they believe will help reduce or prevent E&O claims by showing younger members of your team how to do things the right way.

Standardize Operating Procedures Put 'SOPs' in place and make it clear that everyone needs to follow the rules – including you. Effective E&O prevention depends on having written standards and procedures, as well as written minimum standards for writing and servicing business.

There should be a written procedure for every workflow in the agency: new business, renewals, rewrites, policy changes, claims handling, and cancellations to name a few. Thorough coverage check lists should be in place, easy to find and mandatory to use.

Educate Your Staff Our research has demonstrated that 'continuing education' courses reduce E&O claims. For that reason, everyone at the agency should participate in ongoing and meaningful continuing education both to strengthen their knowledge of the products offered by the agency and to develop in-house expertise – and they should see you sitting front and center, taking notes. Additionally, continuing education should not be limited to substantive insurance topics, only, because everyone on your team needs to have a solid understanding of the agency management system so that they appreciate its importance. Finally, let your employees know that you, as an owner or manager of the agency, are always ready to 46

learn something new. After all, given the dynamic nature of our business, the insurance professional who stops learning doesn't stand still, he falls behind.

Stress Documentation Good documentation can save an agency in a bad situation. We know, we've seen it time after time. To be effective documentation has to be timely, detailed enough to capture both the essence of what was said, and should be reduced to writing contemporaneously by the person closest to the matter. All documentation should be kept in the same place and readily accessible to everyone who works with the account. It should also be clear and easily understood so that it paints an unambiguous picture of what was offered to the client and how he responded. A good example: when customers reject the coverage you have offered you should have them sign a rejection form and to keep it in the customer's file.

In our experience this piece of advice becomes harder to follow the longer you've been in the industry for at least two reasons. First, you think that you've worked with this customer long enough that they would never make a claim against you, but years of data tell us you're wrong. Some of our worst claims come from our most experienced agents and their longstanding customers.

Why is that? Because the years have taught you what your customer will and will not purchase, so you have grown accustomed to telling them what they want to hear, rather than what they need to know. Show your new agents that persistence and courage in the face of customer impatience go a long way towards preventing E&O claims (and can also increase sales).

Develop Consistency Improvisation is a great way for comedians to do business, but bad for insurance agencies. If your agency finds that a particular process works you should do it consistently. Incorporate it into a mandatory check list so that it is not forgotten.

A simple example of this is following up with clients when their premium payment is due or past due. By following up with a client one time concerning an impending cancelation for non-payment, the agency arguably has created a duty to The Tennessee Insuror

DIRECT DIRECT Access Access Access -- -Access DIRECT

RETAIN 90% 90% RETAIN Of90% RETAIN Of

40+ Markets 40+ Markets 40+ Markets 40+ Markets Access -Commission Access Commission Of 40+ 40+ Markets Markets EXPERIENCED Commission EXPERIENCED Support EXPERIENCED Support Staff

Staff Support Staff

PERPETUATION PERPETUATION Planning Planning PERPETUATION && Planning INCREASED Financing INCREASED PREFERRED & PREFERRED Financing & & Agency INCREASED Financing Agency Consistent PREFERRED Contracts Consistent & Contingencies Contracts Agency Contingencies Consistent Contracts Contingencies

MAINTAIN 100% 100% OWNERSHIP MAINTAIN OWNERSHIP MAINTAIN 100% OWNERSHIP And keep your agency’s unique style, familiar identity, and personalized customer service

And keep your agency’s unique style, familiar identity, and personalized customer service And keep your agency’s unique style, familiar identity, and personalized customer service

www.IAAnetwork.com

www.IAAnetwork.com www.IAAnetwork.com 866-789-9712

866-789-9712 866-789-9712

The Tennessee Insuror

47

Not all markets are available in all states

As independent agents & brokers, we must create an identity with consumers. We need to convey to them the value of purchasing their insurance through us. That is why we need Trusted Choice®.

We know that your agency already has its own brand. Trusted Choice® is not meant to compete with that but instead enhance it, like a stamp of approval. Here’s how to...

follow up every time there is a similar situation.

Take the situation where the agency has a client who has always made its homeowners insurance payment, but is often late, so the agency sends reminders of their payment each time. If the agency neglects to send a payment reminder the policy may end up being canceled for non-payment because the customer has grown accustomed to your reminder. That good deed does not go unpunished, because, when the – now uninsured -- house catches fire and burns to the ground, the customer inevitably files suit against the agency for its negligent failure to notify them that their payment was due.

Worst of all, the agency's own file will make the plaintiff's case for him.

Perform a Self-Audit Doing a self-audit will reveal both good and bad: where the agency's procedures are working as well as the areas that need renewed focus internally and thru continuing education. Review procedures, forms and documents and conduct an overview of the agency's procedures with key managers or supervisors. No one at the agency should be exempt from the audit as we all make mistakes and can use them as learning experiences. As important: listen to every voice when it comes to making improvements. Every employee should feel that his insights are valued -- and with good reason: sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes to see an old problem.

ke Advantage of the Brand

Striking much the same note as Mr. Einstein, philosopher and physician Albert Schweitzer once observed that, "The three most important ways to lead people are: ... by example... by example... by example." It seems pretty clear that the next generation is bound to follow your lead. The question is, what kind of example are you setting?

Disclaimer This article is intended to be used for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Swiss Re shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained or referenced in this article. The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, accounting or professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the Swiss Re Group ("Swiss Re") and/or its subsidiaries and/or management and/or shareholders.

Copyright © 2018, Big "I" Advantage, Inc. and Westport Insurance Corporation.

All rights reserved. No part of this material may be used or reproduced in any manner without the prior written permission from Big "I" Advantage. For permission or further information, contact Agency E&O Risk Manager, 127 South Peyton Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 or email at info@iiaba.net.

About the Author

UTILIZE THE BRAND Use the Logo Use it on your letterhead, your business cards, your website, your newsletter, etc. The more agencies that make use of the Trusted Choice® logo, the stronger the brand will become.

Use the Pledge Hang it in your office, add it to your website, post it socially.

Displaying the Pledge of Performance establishes your commitment to your customers and to quality customer service.

Marketing Money Receive up to $500 per location just for co-branding your materials such as business cards, letterhead, envelopes, signs, website, etc. with the logo and Pledge of Performance.

Content to Use We know that coming up with content to share socially isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve gathered text, images and links you can use in your own social channels to save you time.

TrustedChoice.com Did you know 75% of personal insurance consumers research online before purchasing? The new Trusted Choice.com will help them find you and also receive an online quote (coming soon)! Complete your enhanced profile today to ensure your agency is represented.

Mark Heimsoth is an assistant vice president, claims specialist with Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and works out of the office in Overland Park, Kansas.

Insurance products underwritten by Westport Insurance Corporation, Overland Park, Kansas, a member of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions.

All Your Tools & Resources in One Place...

www.iiabny.org/TrustedChoice 48

The Tennessee Insuror

Protection your clients can coun t on.

Medical bills, lost wages, penalties — those types of unforeseen expenses can be damaging to a business. At EMC, we leave nothing to chance. For more than 100 years, we’ve offered reliable workers’ compensation insurance, protecting clients from the domino effect that can occur when an employee gets ill or is injured on the job.

We cover the cost of medical care, rehabilitation and lost income — and our special medical services help employees get better faster and return to the job as quickly as possible.

Take care of your clients so they can get back to business.

www.emcins.com

©Copyright Employers Mutual Casualty Company 2018. All rights reserved.

The Tennessee Insuror

49

If you're going to drive the best, make sure it's insured with the best.

invitation Join Martin & Zerfoss, along with CHUBB, Music City Dream Cars and Accuworks Restoration for an action packed afternoon of test driving exotic sports cars, cigar tastings, appetizers, cocktails and 1 hour of CE Credit!

Monday, October 29th • 12-3 pm CST The Grounds of Nissan Stadium • Nashville V IE W THE MU SI C C IT Y DRE A M C A RS C LO SED C OURSE E X PERIENC E AT HT TP S:// YOU T U.B/Q UA Z W y1U TBg 50

M A RTI N ZE R FO SS. C O M | 615- 297- 8500

The Tennessee Insuror

Meetings

The End of Another Year Draws Near Applied Net Set For Nashville October 15-18 The Applied user group conference, Applied Net, will take place October 15-18 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. The event is 4 full days exploring innovation, technology, best practices and education – all focused on the business of insurance.

Choose from more than 200 educational sessions that address operational and technological challenges your business faces now and in the future. Participate in these exclusive educational sessions to learn best practices from other users and industry experts, as well as effective application and business solutions from your peers. The event will allow you to meet with product development teams, industry experts and Applied partners to gain insight on system utilization and future product roadmaps.

Get more information or register now by visiting https:// www.appliednet.com/

125th Anniversary Convention October 27-30 The Insurors of Tennessee 125th Anniversary Convention will take place October 27-30 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Nashville. The event will feature exhibits, education, guest speakers, entertainment and events geared to enhancing the experience and success of Tennessee's Independent Insurance Agent & Broker community.

Register now or get more information by visiting http://www. insurors.org/IOT/Convention/IOT_Convention_Home.aspx or reserve your room now at https://www.omnihotels.com/ hotels/nashville/meetings/insurors-of-tennessee-annualconvention

Southern Agents Conference December 7-9 The Southern Agents Conference was founded in 1971, to provide a communication forum for independent in​surance agents throughout the Southeast. The annual conference event for 2018 will be held on December 7-9 at The Whitley in the Buckhead area of Atlanta. Events include sessions and workshops to discuss a multitude of industry topics.

Could your agency weather a data security breach?

A full 80 percent of businesses that experience one don’t.1 The right insurance can keep your agency from becoming part of this startling statistic.

Data breaches are common among smaller businesses, and responding to a breach is both costly and complex.

You are obligated to protect the data you collect, and package policies are often not enough.

Make sure your agency has the right coverage in place to protect you and your insureds.

Contact your Insurors E&O Specialist, Stephen Holmes, CIC, CISR, for information on Data Breach coverage.

1. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: Chronology of Data Breaches

Stephen Holmes, CIC, CISR sholmes@insurors.org 615.515.2609

Get more information or register now at www.southernagents. com. u The Tennessee Insuror

51

Your key to Workers’ Compensation

AmFed is focused on partnering with the Tennessee community of independent agents to provide unparalleled workers’ compensation insurance coverage. Rated A- by A.M. Best, AmFed is here for you and your customers.

For more info, contact Steve Weeks at 601.853.4949 or visit AmFed.com

.

Member Tips

RLI Announces Launch of its New Producer Portal

written by April Pitz, Big "I" RLI Administrator

RLI recently launched a redesigned, enhanced portal, giving producers an improved digital experience in a user-friendly, self-service format.

If you're a licensed producer for RLI's Personal Umbrella or Home Business products, your invitation to register and set up your account is either already in your inbox or will be on its way soon.

The revamped portal was initiated to update RLI's existing portal technology and create a consistent, end-to-end, service-focused experience for producers.

"RLI's new portal is the result of extensive user research and listening closely to customer feedback," says Tim Flanagan, RLI underwriting supervisor. "Because it is for agents and producers, we asked about their preferences and ideas, then used that information to design a new self-service experience just for them."

Some of the changes that producers will experience on the new site include: • • • •

A modern, clean and simple design that enables you to quickly find what you're looking for and take action fast.

A single login to manage all RLI business.

New features like enhanced site search, form and marketing materials, emailing capabilities, and other self-service tools.

Personal profiles which detail the products and agencies producers are authorized to represent.

Future enhancements are coming soon. Based on advanced analytics and customer feedback, the RLI team will continue to add product lines and functionality to the portal.

Learn more about RLI personal umbrella online at https:// www.independentagent.com/Products/Insurance/Umbrella/ Pages/Endorsed-Carrier/EndorsedCarrier.aspx or contact Stephen Holmes at 615.515.2609 or sholmes@insurors.org to get started today.

About the Author April Pitz serves as an RLI Administrator for Big I Advantage. She may be contacted at april.pitz@iiaba. net. u

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ACUITY (920) 458 - 9131 www.acuity.com 34 Amerisafe (800) 897 - 9719 www.amerisafe.com 45 AmFed (601) 853 - 4949 www.amfed.com 52 AmTrust North America (877) 528 - 7878 d14.amtrustinsurance.com 17 Applied Underwriters (877) 234 - 4450 www.auw.com/us 2 Arlington/Roe (800) 878 - 9891 www.arlingtonroe.com 13 Bailey Special Risks, Inc. (800) 768 - 7475 www.bsrins.com 20 Berkley Southeast Insurance Group (615) 932 - 5508 www.berkleysig.com 16 Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Cos. (800) 673 - 2465 x4567 www.guard.com/apply 9 Builders Mutual (800) 809 - 4859 www.buildersmutual.com 24 Burns & Wilcox (800) 341 - 4844 www.burnsandwilcox.com 15 Delta Dental of Tennessee (888) 281 - 9396 www.deltadentaltn.com/brokers 33 Donegal Insurance Group (800) 277 - 7442 www.donegalgroup.com 7 EMC Insurance (800) 447 - 2295 www.emcins.com 49 Encompass Insurance (615) 585 - 6306 www.encompassinsurance.com I-3 FCCI Insurance Group (800) 226 - 3224 www.fcci-group.com 12 FFVA Mutual (800) 346 - 4825 www.ffvamutual.com 26 Genesee General (800) 282 - 8755 www.geneseeins.com 24 Harford Mutual (800) 638 - 3669 www.harfordmutual.com 42 Imperial PFS (859) 630 - 7569 www.ipfs.com I-8 INSBANK (866) 866 - 4268 www.insbanktn.com 11 Insurance Associates of America (866) 789 - 9712 www.iaanetwork.com 47 J.M. Wilson (800) 595 - 0063 www.jmwilson.com 43 Keystone Insurers Group (800) 416 - 5498 www.keystoneinsgrp.com 40 KNK Compliance Services (615) 375 - 7419 www.knkcompliance.com 9 Liberty Mutual/Safeco (800) 837 - 5254 libertymutual.com | safeco.com I-6 Markel Specialty (615) 967 - 5515 www.markelcorp.com 39 Martin & Zerfoss, Inc. (615) 297 - 8500 www.martinzerfoss.com 50 MidSouth Mutual Insurance Company (615) 379 - 8245 www.midsouthmutual.com 45 The National Alliance (800) 633 - 2165 www.scic.com 55 National Security Group (800) 239 - 2358 x213 www.nationalsecuritygroup.com 41 Nationwide Insurance (423) 927 -2060 www.nationwide.com 30 Penn National Insurance (800) 395 - 0518 www.pennnationalinsurance.com 56 Preferred Property Programs (888) 549 - 2465 www.umbrellaprogram.com 44 Securerisk (770) 723 - 8096 www.securerisk.com 38 Southern Insurance Underwriters (800) 568 - 1700 www.siuins.com I-5 StoneTrust Commerial Insurance Co. (800) 311 - 0997 www.stonetrustinsurance.com 33 Summit Holdings (800) 971 - 2667 www.summitholdings.com 32 Swiss Re Lawyer's Professional Liability (630) 213 - 9952 www.bigimarkets.com 36 Titan Web Marketing Solutions (615) 890 - 3600 www.titanwms.com 22 West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. (800) 236 - 5010 www.thesilverlining.com 15

register now at iiaba.net

GET MORE INFO NOW AT INSURORS.ORG

T H E N A T I O NA L A L L I A N C E I N F O M A P

Map your career track and customize your learning experience by selecting the designations and course offerings that fit your needs.

Rubles CIC

2

CISR Introductory Series

3

4

T H E NA T I O NA L A LLI A NC E I NF O MA P

Map your career track and customize your learning experience by selecting the designations and course offerings that fit your needs.

Rubles CIC

CISR Introductory Series

CRM

Dynamic Series

WTH Seminars

CSRM CPRM

The Introductory Series is a good choice for those interested in finding out more about the industry and industry fundamentals.

The Dynamics Series, offers career-changing sales training. Providing a variety of pertinent topics, the William T. Hold Seminars are invaluable for expanding your insurance knowledge. The Dynamics Series can be used to meet update requirements across the designations. WTH Seminars satisfy update requirements for CISRs and CSRMs.

1

The Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designation provides quality insurance education geared toward customer service representatives, account executives, servicing agents, new producers, and other professionals.

The Certified School Risk Manager (CSRM) designation fills a need for quality risk management education for those associated with schools.

The Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) provides an in-depth, practical approach to education for agents and other insurance practitioners. The Certified Risk Manager (CRM) designation is recognized as being the foremost education available in the field of risk management. The Certified Personal Risk Manager (CPRM) designation yields the best training for meeting the needs of an affluent clientele.

The James K. Ruble Seminars are advanced programs that offer a variety of specialty topics. CICs, CRMs, and CPRMs can meet their annual updates with a Ruble seminar.

2

Dynamic Series

CRM

WTH Seminars

3

1 CSRM

2 The Introductory Series is a good choice for those interested in finding out more about the industry and industry fundamentals.

The Dynamics Series, offers career-changing sales training. Providing a variety of pertinent topics, the William T. Hold Seminars are invaluable for expanding your insurance knowledge. The Dynamics Series can be used to meet update requirements across the designations. WTH Seminars satisfy update requirements for CISRs and CSRMs.

The Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designation provides quality insurance education geared toward customer service representatives, account executives, servicing agents, new producers, and other professionals.

The Certified School Risk Manager (CSRM) designation fills a need for quality risk management education for those associated with schools.

CPRM

3 The Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) provides an in-depth, practical approach to education for agents and other insurance practitioners. The Certified Risk Manager (CRM) designation is recognized as being the foremost education available in the field of risk management. The Certified Personal Risk Manager (CPRM) designation yields the best training for meeting the needs of an affluent clientele.

The James K. Ruble Seminars are advanced programs that offer a variety of specialty topics. CICs, CRMs, and CPRMs can meet their annual updates with a Ruble seminar.

2

VISIT SCIC.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION OR INSURORS.ORG TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES NOW

2500 21st Avenue South Suite 200 Nashville, TN 37212

We answer to main street, not Wall Street.

We answer to main street, not Wall Street.

As a mutual company, we are owned by our policyholders. We focus our

time, attention, and resources on delivering superior financial strength and

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Nashville, TN Permit No. 380

For more information about our products, please contact one of our territory managers at 615-889-2740.

Brent Potts ext 7514 For more information about our Jane Kinard ext 7518 products, please contact one of our BobatReeder ext 7545 territory managers 615-889-2740.

stability, a comprehensive product portfolio, and most of all, on doing

Brent Potts ext 7514

what’s right for policyholders. To us, policyholders are much more than As a mutual company, And we are ownedofbythat, our all policyholders.

We decisions focus our insurance consumers. because of our business

Jane Kinard ext 7518

We answer to main street, not Wall Street. time,made attention, resources on delivering superior financial strength and are with aand policyholder-first focus. stability, a comprehensive product portfolio, and most of all, on doing what’s right for policyholders. To us, policyholders are much more than

insurance consumers. And because of that, all of our business decisions are made with a policyholder-first focus.

Bob Reeder ext 7545 For more information about our products, please contact one of our territory managers at 615-889-2740.

www.PennNationalInsurance.com Brent Potts ext 7514 Jane Kinard ext 7518