The Tennessee Insuror Nov/Dec 2013

8INSURORTHE TENNESSEE

November/December 2013 Vol. 24 No. 6 12

120th Annual Convention

Recap

14Conferees

Honored at Ceremony

Trends Impacting

Liability Risk for the Affluent

www.insurors.org

Taking the StageNew Insurors President Lou Moran III Begins His Term

2 The Tennessee Insuror

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contents

INSURORS OF TENNESSEE2500 21st Avenue South, Suite 200

Nashville, TN 37212-0539www.insurors.org

THE TENNESSEE

INSURORVol. XXIV, Number 6

November/December 2013

Phone (615) 385-1898Toll Free: 1-800-264-1898Email: [email protected]

Editor: Charles T. Bidek, CPCUPublisher: Daniel D. Smith, Jr.

INSURORS OFFICERSPresident .................................................................. Eddie Miller, IIIImmediate Past President ............................... Roger Smith, CICState National Director .................................................. Brad SmithVice President, Region II ...... Christie Reeves, CIC, CPCU, CPIW Vice President, Region I ................................. Cindi Gresham, CIC Vice President, Region III and Pres. Elect .... Lou Moran, III, CICTreasurer ....................................................................... Joe Hunt, Jr. Secretary ................................................................ Chris Allison, CICDirector, Region I .............................. Sharon Simmons, CIC, CISRDirector, Region I ...................................................... Edward KaiserDirector, Region I ........................................................... Paul CarsonDirector, Region II ................................................. Battle Bagley, IIIDirector, Region II ............................................. George AndersonDirector, Region II ................................................... Joe Lester, CICDirector, Region III ..................................................... Kevin OwnbyDirector, Region III ............................................ Josh Gibbons, AAIDirector, Region III ............................................. Mike Langley, CICYoung Agents Chairperson ..................................... Taylor Porch

ADVERTISINGDisplay advertising rates, deadlines and specifi-cations may be obtained by writing to Insurors of Tennessee, 2500 21st Avenue South, Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37212, calling 615.515.2601, e-mailing [email protected] or online at

www.insurors.org

The Tennessee Insuror is provided to all Insurors of Tennessee members and associate members

as a member service.

3

features

departments

8 120th Annual Convention Recap A Great Crowd Joined Us in Tunica for the 2013 Edition of our Annual Event

10 Should Borrowers Prepay Their Mortgages?

12 Conferees Honored at Ceremony

14 Trends Impacting Liability Risk for the Affluent

21 From Your President The Best 2013 Ever

23 From Your State National Director The Big “I” Has Your Back

25 From Your CEO Who Really is a “Member?”

29 Education Calendar

31 Government and Legal Affairs

37 Product Spotlight E&O Risk Assessment Program

39 Event Spotlight Heartland Ovation Payroll

41 Company Briefs

51 Meetings

53 Member Tips Big “I” Announces New UPS Program for Shipping

4 Taking the Stage New Insurors President Lou Moran Begins His Term


From a young age, Lou Moran III, probably knew that his life would involve service to others.

After playing football for Coach Bowden Wyatt at UT, his fa-ther, Lou Moran II, served the community as a teacher and football coach in Roane County. His mother, Patti, was the first Executive of the Girls Club of Knoxville. Their family always got involved, and always helped out when they could. Now as he prepares to serve as President of the Insurors Board of Di-rectors, he probably has some of that family history to thank for it.

The Family Begins its Insurance Legacy

Lou III is a Knoxville native, residing in West Knoxville for most of his life. At a young age, the family did move to Mississippi for a short time while his father was in Jackson working for Liberty Mutual. Lou II had taken the job with Liberty Mutual after deciding that teaching and coaching football wasn’t go-ing to be enough to support his family. He called the UT ca-reer office and told them he was looking for a new career, and

just about anything but insurance was worth looking at. The career office scheduled him an interview with a company sell-ing industrial materials, but a snowstorm delayed the inter-viewer and he missed their meeting. While Lou II was waiting on him, he ended up talking to a recruiter from Liberty Mutual who was waiting on his interviewee. He liked what he heard and ended up taking the job. He began his insurance career with Liberty Mutual in Knoxville, but was soon transferred to Mississippi. After several years there, the Moran family was looking to return to East Tennessee. That’s when Lou II was contacted by Jake and C.H. Butcher, who were starting their own agency in Knoxville. Lou II looked forward to pursuing the agency side of insurance, so he got on board, and moved the family back to Knoxville to help run the new agency.

Back Home in East Tennessee

With the family back home, Lou III was enrolled at The Webb School of Knoxville. After graduating from Webb, he worked a summer job as an ambassador at the 1982 World’s Fair, where his main responsibility was as a ground host for the


5The Tennessee Insuror

Sunsphere (He can still rattle off statistics like the structure is 266 feet tall and that the glass panels are layered in 24k gold dust). In the Fall of 1982, he was accepted at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

In 1987 Lou began his career in insurance by attending in-surance schools such as Safeco’s Personal and Commercial Lines Program, Continental’s Commercial Lines Training Program and the Drake University Summer Intensive Insur-ance Program. After completing these schools, he became a Rater Tech in the agency and part-time janitor. Lou II be-came sole owner of the agency in 1986, and he and fellow producer Frank Maples, who Lou II had worked with since the mid-1960’s, didn’t take it easy on Lou III. “They made me start at the ground floor,” Lou recalls. “If something needed to be done in the agency they expected me to learn how to do it.”

Slowly but surely, Lou III worked his way up the food chain, filling out applications, writing personal lines policies, small commercial policies and then finally bringing in some bigger business accounts and building a sizeable book. His father also sent him to Nashville to learn from Insurors Education and Young Agents programs, led at that time by Chuck Bidek. “Other than my Dad, Chuck has probably had the most influ-ence on me of anyone in this industry,” Lou professes, “He li-censed me and even gave me a Young Agent award. After the award ceremony, Dad told Chuck that he had wondered what I had been doing in Nashville, and was glad to see that it was

worthwhile! I was humbled to have been recognized for work that I simply enjoyed.”

Things Change for the Better

In 1991, things were starting to go well for Lou III. He was get-ting more involved in the business and starting to find his way. That was also the year he began dating his future bride, Mimi. Although the two had known each other in high school at Webb and at UT, they had never dated. Mimi changed that when she moved back to Knoxville and “invited herself” on a date with Lou III, if you believe his story. “She said I had always been too scared to ask her out, so she took matters into her own hands.”

Their first date was not exactly everyone’s idea of romantic: they attended the UT/Alabama game in Birmingham in Oc-tober of that year. Lou remembers that Mimi’s father didn’t seem all that impressed when he showed up at their house in an RV to pick her up for the date. Luckily, he gave in once the rest of the group got out of the RV and he realized they weren’t going to the game alone. They got married in 1994, and had their first child, daughter Emily, in September of 1996. Their son, Lou IV followed in July of 1998.

Still Serving Others

As Lou III’s involvement in the agency grew, so did his involve-ment in the Knoxville community. He began serving on the inaugural board of the Tennessee Stage Company, the Knox-ville Area Chamber Parthership board and finance committee, the ChildHelp Tennessee board, the Arts Council of Knoxville board (chairing Riverfeast BBQ contest and ArtFest Celebra-tion), the James White’s Fort board, the Webb School Alumni Leadership Council, Leadership Children’s Hospital, as well as boards and committees for his church, Cokesbury United Methodist Church.

He also got more involved in Insurors, named “Young Insuror of the Year” in 1994 and as “Insuror of the Year” in 2006. He served as Young Agent Chair in 1996, and then joined the Board as a Region III Director in 2002. He became VP of Region III in 2011, and which placed him in line to serve as President for 2014.


Lou II and Lou III work on some business at the agency

Lou and his fellow Polish ancestor Chuck Bidek

Lou and Mimi have enjoyed almost 20 years of marriage


In addition to these organizations, Lou III and some of his friends took one of their favorite hobbies, sport shooting, and turned it into an annual fundraising event. Each year they now raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project by bring-ing antique and historic military firearms and other artillery for contributors to shoot. Some of the weapons available to shoot are World War II period weapons and are quite rare. Dur-ing the event, they always take the opportunity to recognize some of the wounded soldiers from the local community.

That community involvement has led to many client relation-ships over the years for Lou III, and his father built the busi-ness the same way. In fact, the agency’s first client John H. Daniels Custom Clothier, still has their business with him to-day. The renowned tailor has furnished clothing for royalty around the world, U.S. Presidents, famous athletes and more. But despite their international success, the relationship they have built with their local agents at Inter-Agency Insurance Service is still one they hold dear.

What Does the Future Hold

As Lou III takes office, his plans include expanding Insurors membership, strengthening the local board presence around the State and continuing the momentum of our Young Agents program. “I feel these things foster a great community for in-dependent agents, and we must continue to support them for us to grow and be relevant in the future,” Lou explains.

What about his own future? He has plenty of good years left at the agency, and he would love to see more of the family in-volved down the road. Daughter Emily graduates from Webb School in May, and will be deciding on a college soon. Lou IV is fifteen and a sophomore at the Webb School. He is on the swim team and will play soccer and ultimate frisbee in the Spring.

But even if they don’t follow in his footsteps, Lou III is still proud of his career in insurance, although there are some days where he admits to dreaming of another career, “I al-ways thought if I wasn’t in insurance, I could have made a pretty good cowboy.”

Lucky for us, he won’t be riding off into the sunset anytime soon, because he still feels that need to serve others. u

The three Lous spending some time at the agency together

The staff at Inter-Agency is one of the secrets to the agency’s success

The home of Inter-Agency Insurance Service, Inc.

Lou discusses all things East Tennessee with David Williams

Lou participates in the shooting fundraiser


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120th Annual Convention Recap A Great Crowd Joined Us in Tunica for The 2013 Edition of Our Annual Event

Over 460 attendees were on hand at the Insurors 120th An-nual Convention in Tunica, our largest event since 2000. The festivities for this year’s event kicked off on Friday, October 18th with a concert by Trace Adkins at the Bluesville Music Hall. On Saturday, some of our group headed down to Oxford for an Ole Miss tailgate in “The Grove,” hosted by Insurors Past President Richard Hollis, before a thrilling victory over LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

On Sunday afternoon, over 70 exhibitors were on hand to meet with agents and discuss new business possibilities in our trade show. Sunday night saw our opening celebration featuring entertainment from the ELEMENT of Cirque. With fire juggling, acrobatics, high flying aerials and defying acts

of balance, the group kept our guests entertained through a lively evening of colors, sounds and lights.

Monday morning reconvened the exhibit hall, and our break-out sessions featured some great information on preparing

clients for the ACA implementation from Staff One’s Donna Meek. Attendees also received information on buying insur-ance agencies from Arlington/Roe’s Rick Pitts. We then saw our exhibitors give out door prizes to dozens of lucky win-ners.

Monday afternoon included a host of optional activities. The golf tournament was again won by the team of Taylor Porch, Andy Porch, Joe Hunt and Jim Petty. The clay shooting saw Brandon Patterson claim his spot as the “Top Shot.” We also may have some new chefs on hand as the cooking class was a big success. Our Monday evening included Poker and Black-jack Tournaments, and our winners included Past President Walt Bradshaw, Samuel Bledsoe, Tom O’Connell and C.W. Bartlett.

Tuesday morning wrapped up our event with the Association Day Annual Meeting. We heard from Big “I” Executive Com-mittee member Randy Lanoix, our 2014 Board of Directors was inducted into office, and some of our most prestigious

John Hatler and Cortney Gardner talk with Sarah Garman and Brenda McNeill in the Exhibit Hall

Some of our group in downtown Oxford before the Ole Miss game

Richard Whitley, Richard Hollis, John McInturff and Paul Carson talk before the ELEMENT performance Our Chef’s Demo attendees look on as the Harrah’s chef offers some

cooking tips


awards were presented. Presidential Citations were awarded to Fred Faulk of CNA Insurance, Tammy Goodman of Selec-tive Flood Insurance, Bill Emerick of Berkley Southeast Insur-ance Group and Ebby Miller of Miller | Loughry | Beach Insur-ance in Murfreesboro.

The Arch Northington Young Agent of the Year award went to our 2013 Young Agent Chairman Taylor Porch of Porch-Stribling-Webb Insurance in Waverly. The Jim Alexander Chairperson of the Year award was won by Joe Hunt of V.R. Williams/H.B. Cowan in Winchester/Shelbyville for his work as Association Treasurer. This was his second straight year win-ning the award.

The event culminated in the awarding of the Insuror of the Year for 2013. This year’s winner was Past President Maurice Pinson of Fridrich, Pinson and Rothberg in Nashville for his longtime work in promoting and supporting the Association, the Nashville Local Board and the industry as a whole.

We wrapped our 2013 meeting with the popular door prize giveaways, and many winners left with new items, including Susan Jackson of Liberty Mutual, who took home a coveted company prize in the 2013 Lava Lamp.

We hope you will make plans now to join us for the 121st An-nual Convention, taking place October 11-14, 2014 in Nash-ville at the new Omni hotel downtown. u

Walt Bradshaw and Samuel Bledsoe congratulate each other after blackjack

Chris Allison talks with Tim and Deborah Roberts

Joe Hunt giving tips on life to Brad McGee, Taylor Porch and Andy Porch

Our tournament golfers get in some socializing before teeing off

President Miller congratulates Maurice Pinson on winning the Insuror of the Year Award

Insurors President Eddie Miller presents the Young Agent of the Year Award to Taylor Porch


Mortgage prepayment can occur in many forms including, but not limited to, the following: An extra payment once per year, extra money toward principle each month, a lump sum payment, etc. Borrowers should consider alternatives for cash when considering accelerating payment of their principle balance as well as whether or not their lender penalizes pre-payment.

One of the more popular methods of mortgage prepayment is to pay extra each month, which can save a borrower thou-sands of dollars over the life of the loan. This is the option that I will discuss in this exercise.

For example, a borrower with a $200,000 loan at a rate of 4.0% will pay approximately $143,000 in interest over the life of the loan if there are no prepayments made during the life of the loan. The same borrower could save almost $23,000 in inter-est and knock around 4 ½ years off the loan by simply paying $100 extra toward principle each month. See the chart below for an outline of this scenario:

Loan ScenarioNo Extra Payments With Extra Payments

$954.83

Monthly Payment

$1,054.83

Monthly Payment

30 years

Pay-off time

25 years 7 months

Pay-off time

$143,739.01

Interest Paid

$120,815.21

Interest Paid

Advantages of Additional Payments

4 years 5 months

Time Saved

$22,923.80

Total Interest Savings

Prepayment of a mortgage should be viewed as an invest-ment that yields a return related to the cost (rate) of the mort-gage. The above-mentioned example yields the borrower a 4% return. Current Certificate of Deposit rates can range from ½% to 1 ½% or so, depending on the bank and the term. It is clear that accelerating the reduction in mortgage balance is preferable in this scenario since the mortgage rate is higher than the investment rate. However, a better approach for some may be to find an alternative investment if one believes that they can get a better return in something such as equi-ties. If this is the case, the borrower may decide to make the

minimum payment on her mortgage and place the additional funds that would have been allocated for the additional prin-ciple reduction into a mutual fund or retirement account.

There are few mortgage loans today that have a prepayment penalty, so that will likely not be an issue with which to con-tend. In the unlikely case that prepayment is penalized, one must weigh the expenses involved versus the potential inter-est savings. To do this, simply calculate the interest savings over the course of a given amount of time (probably two or three years or less for time-value-of-money purposes) and compare to the prepayment fee. The loan should be prepaid if the amount of interest savings exceeds the penalty.

The decision of whether to accelerate principle reduction via additional payments toward principle or to apply those funds toward a different investment can be a difficult one. It is often driven as much by personality or mindset as much as it is by math. Please visit our website, www.finworth.com, and click on the additional payment calculator to see how much sav-ings accelerated principle reduction can provide you.

Let Finworth Help You With Your Mortgage Needs

Over the years, the mortgage process has become unneces-sarily opaque and complex. A lender goes through the pro-cess many times each week but a consumer may go through the process once every few years. We believe part of our job is to demystify the process, to explain the steps and the par-ties involved, and help our clients understand precisely what it being proposed.

Please contact Finworth Mortgage, an INSBANK Company, for any of your residential purchase or refinancing needs. As the preferred mortgage lender for the Insurors of Tennessee (and founded largely by Insurors members), Finworth offers a $500 discount off closing costs for all Insurors members and their employees. They also offer refinance and ARM conversions, jumbo loans, construction loans and many other lending op-tions.

About the Author

David Coldiron serves as the Vice President of Lend-ing for Finworth Mortgage, an INSBANK company. He is a Western Kentucky University graduate who, after five years in the mortgage business, moved from Bowling Green to Nashville to accept a position

with Finworth. He has over ten years of lending experience. u

Should Borrowers Prepay Their Mortgages? by David Coldiron, VP of Lending at Finworth Mortgage AN INSBANK CO.


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David Fish, CICBFS Insurance Group - Clarksville

Jennifer Lynn Griffey-Mantlo, CICElite Insurance - Franklin

Stephen Holmes, CIC, CISRInsurors of Tennessee - Nashville

Over 50 individuals completed the requirements to earn their CIC, CRM, CSRM, CISR or UACIC designations in 2013. We con-gratulate all the recipients on their achievements. The con-ferees were honored at a luncheon on November 12th at Richland Country Club in Nashville. Also honored were 2013 National Alliance Outstanding CSR of the Year Beth Mit-tlesteadt of BB&T - Legge Insurance in Cookeville as well as Bruce Robins of Robins Insurance in Nashville for his CIC an-niversary. The ceremony also marked he 35th anniversary of CIC in Tennessee.

Certified Insurance Counselors

Joseph M. Bennett, CIC, CLCSBB&T Legge Insurance - Cookeville

Shannon Gregory Boshers, CIC, CISRWillis of Tennessee - Nashville

Alberico J. Bryant, CIC, CRMLipscomb & Pitts Insurance - Memphis

Bill Emerick, CIC, CPCU, ARMBerkley Southeast Insurance Group - Nashville

Conferees Honored at CeremonyLuncheon Also Celebrated 35 Years of CIC in Tennessee

Beth Mittlesteadt receives her award from Dr. Bill Hold


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Conferees Honored at CeremonyLuncheon Also Celebrated 35 Years of CIC in Tennessee

Celia Jackson, CICJoe Morten & Son - Knoxville

Kimberly G. Long, CICFrost Specialty, Inc. - Nashville

Connie F. Nichols, CIC, ARMCentral Parking System - Nashville

April M. Osborne, CIC, CISRArthur J. Gallagher Insurance Services - Brentwood

Jessica Parrott, CIC, CISRRains Agency, Inc. - Cookeville

David Pemberton, CICMarsh - Nashville

Lisa M. Pickard, CIC, CISRWebb Pickard Insurance & Investment Services - La Vergne

Valerie Jean Privett, CIC, LUTCFPrivett Insurance Group - Knoville

James Larry Shepherd, CICHarleysville Insurance - Nashville

Paul Rye Steele, CIC, CRM

Martin & Zerfoss - Nashville

Kelly Riley-Swallows, CICSwallows Insurance Agencies - Cookeville

Hunter Trimble, CICLester, Greene & McCord Insurance - Tullahoma

Certified Risk Managers

Alden DeFeo, CRM, CISRThe Crichton Group - Nashville

continued on page 48...

Dr. Hold talks with new CISR conferee Renae Adelsbarger and her co-workers from The Allison Insurance Group


Trends Impacting Liability Risk for the Affluent

Written by Peter Piotrowski, Senior Vice President of Claims for AIG Private Client Group

The personal liability risks faced by high net worth individuals and families are growing more and more complex. Unfortu-nately, most wealthy U.S. consumers do not carry adequate coverage limits to protect their hard-earned assets. For start-ers, only a select group of providers sell personal excess liabil-ity policies with limits in excess of $5 million. When you com-pound that with the fact that a large percentage of people buy insurance without the guidance of an independent agent or broker-the ones with access to more sophisticated insur-ance programs-the deficiency is not surprising.

Staying abreast of evolving exposures can enable you to raise issues proactively with your clients and prospects, and strengthen your relationship as someone they can trust. Fol-lowing are some of the most prevalent areas of liability ex-posure. They undoubtedly impact the population as a whole, but the knowledge (and coverage) gap in the high net worth sector elevates the risk to another level.

Private Staff, Public Lawsuits

Many high net worth individuals employ domestic staff. Personal assistants, nannies, butlers, valets, chauffeurs, gar-deners and housekeepers frequently assist in running and maintaining the household or property. Just as we saw in the corporate sector, the economic downturn in recent years caused many to reduce their workforce. As a result, a number of lawsuits were filed by former domestic employees claiming wrongful termination and/or some form of discrimination.

In the business world, a human resources department can maintain records including, job descriptions, performance re-views, etc. These same records are seldom maintained for do-mestic staff. Failing to manage domestic staff with the same structure and discipline as a commercial business can put your high net worth clients’ personal wealth at risk. Defend-ing a lawsuit without adequate documentation and support becomes extremely difficult and potentially costly. Workers’ compensation insurance is another consideration. In fact, 23 states now require workers’ compensation coverage for do-mestic staff, to protect against on-the-job injuries.

Domestic staff have access to properties, assets and families on a day-to-day basis, and it is critical to ensure that these individuals are reliable and trustworthy. Some risks can be avoided entirely if more up-front attention is paid. Advise

your clients to consider candidate sourcing, writing formal job descriptions, beefing up the interview process, conduct-ing background checks, verifying work authorization and seeking assistance with new hire forms.

Risk on the Road

First, the good news: Auto accident death rates are down. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis-tration’s latest available study published in April 2013, an estimated 32367 people died in U.S. traffic accidents. This number is the lowest since 1949 and represents a 25 percent decrease from 2005.

The decline is welcome news and may be caused by a num-ber of factors:

Newer cars on the road have more sophisticated safety •features ranging from anti-lock breaks, improved air bags, headliner air curtains, improved seat belts and warning devices like back-up sensors and crash sensors.Seat belt usage is also up, likely due to stricter seat belt •usage and child car-seat laws.More roads are now featuring rumble strips and cable •median barriers.

However, while auto related fatality rates are down, non-fatal automobile injury claims continue to rise.* The mean jury award for vehicular liability increased by 54% from 2002 to 2008. Medical costs and treatment continue to escalate as well. In 2010, juries across the country returned several multi-million dollar verdicts in automobile related lawsuits. Drunk drivers beware: jury verdicts against intoxicated drivers were particularly punishing and included $16.6 million in Palm Beach County, FL; $33.2 million in Lake County, IL; and an in-credible verdict of $330,516,486 in Hernando County, FL.

Your clients need to look beyond their own actions, too. Stud-ies indicate that more and more uninsured drivers are on the road. The Insurance Research Council reports that as many as 13 percent of drivers, or one in every seven, on the road is uninsured. That number may have climbed to over 16 percent in 2010. An Ohio Insurance Institute study found a direct re-lationship between unemployment rates and uninsured driv-ers; for every one percent rise in unemployment, there was a three-quarter percent rise in uninsured drivers.



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The Downside of Social Media

It started with blogging. Now, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media sites are a regular part of our everyday in-teractions. One’s opinions can be shared instantaneously with a worldwide audience, and this ease tends to belie the risk. Social media content has been used as evidence in a number of widely publicized lawsuits, and bloggers have been sued for libel and defamation of character as a result of the con-tent of their messages. In March 2011, Billboard reported that musician Courtney Love settled a lawsuit filed by her fashion designer who alleged that the singer defamed her in a series of Tweets. The reported settlement value? $430,000.

Liability risk is not limited to the one who does the typing. Par-ents also can be sued for the actions of their minor children. Lawsuits are being filed with allegations against the parents for negligent supervision of their children. These lawsuits can be costly to defend and often include subpoenas of all personal e-mail and computer records. A New Jersey lawsuit was filed naming not only the driver but also his teenage girl-friend. She was accused of contributing toward an accident by merely sending a text to her boyfriend (knowing he was driving at the time).

Final Thoughts

It is more important than ever for the high net worth to

fully understand their liability risk. In addition to the trends described above, their overall lifestyle creates unique expo-sures:

Owning exotic cars, powerful boats, homes with pools, •firearms or other items that pose inherent dangerSitting on not-for-profit boards, where underlying liabil-•ity coverage may be minimalEntertaining at home, increasing the chance of injuries •on the property

A broad array of coverage and services are designed spe-cifically for this population. By introducing your clients with substantial wealth to more suitable insurance solutions, ev-eryone wins.

* According to Verdict Research-Current Award Trends in Person-al Injury, 49th Edition, 2010.

About the Author

Peter Piotrowski is Senior Vice President, Claims for AIG Private Client Group. He is a graduate of Mont-clair State University. This article initially appeared in the November 19th edition of the Big “I” Markets e-mail newsletter. You can access AIG affluent for

your clients along with three other carriers at www.bigimarkets.com. u


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Aaron Jensen Shafer Insurance Agency, Inc. Knoxville

Adam Reeves Union City Insurance Agency Union City

Ben Lawson Shafer Insurance Agency, Inc. Knoxville

Brandon Patterson Ownby Insurance Services, Inc Sevierville

Chad Snider Westan Insurance Group Martin

David Evans The Insurance Group, Inc. Knoxville

Emory Martin King & Associates, LLC Brentwood

Garrett Flannery Carroll Insurance Agency McKenzie

Gary Sanders Brown & Brown, Inc Nashville

Greg McDonald The Swallows-Newman Agency, Inc. Cookeville

Hank Coppedge Miller Loughry Beach Ins. Svc.,Inc. Murfreesboro

Jamie Williams Hardin County Bank Ins. Agcy., Inc. Savannah

Jared Smith TIS Insurance Services, Inc Knoxville

John Fritts TIS Insurance Services, Inc Knoxville

Josh Hearl TIS Insurance Services, Inc Knoxville

Josh Witt The Insurance Group, Inc. Knoxville

Kevin Ownby Ownby Insurance Services, Inc. Sevierville

Lee Conrad Higgins Insurance, Inc. Clarksville

Matt Spellings Consolidated Insurance Services Paris

Melissa Wilder Insurance, Inc. Nashville

Mike Thomas Insurance, Inc. Nashville

Robert Harris Tigrett & Pennington, Inc. Nashville

Stuart Oakes TIS Insurance Services, Inc Knoxville

Tyler King King & Associates, LLC. Brentwood

Will Dodson Arthur J Gallagher Risk Mgmt Svc., Inc. Nashville


Brandon Patterson is a Dandridge native who moved to Sevierville at age 13. He and his wife Raven are newlyweds who just got married in September. Brandon is an avid skeet shooter and musician, and plays guitar, piano, bass, drums and a little pedal steel guitar.

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

Brandon: I am a commercial and personal lines producer and I also handle our website, social media marketing and advertising. I am also known as the office tech “guru.”

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

Brandon: I graduated with honors from Sevier County High School in 2002 and studied at Walter’s State Community College.

The Insuror: How and why did you get started in insurance?

Brandon: I had been working full time as the firearms manager for Bass Pro Shops Sevierville for about 5 years when I joined the agency. I was approached by my stepfather, Phil Ownby, while turkey hunting one morning about filling a position at the agency. I had always hoped that one day I could work in the agency when the time was right but was just waiting for my opportunity. I was hired as a CSR in June of 2008 and have worked my way up to being a producer.

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

Brandon: There are so many people that I look up to in the industry, but first and foremost is my step-dad Phil Ownby. I have been given many opportunities to meet with and talk to the best in the business, but he is still number one in my book. My uncle Mike Ownby and my cousin Kevin Ownby have also been a huge help and influence in my development. There

are also many company people that have helped me so much but that list would be never ending. The Insuror: Are you pursuing any designations, and if so, has the pursuit proven valuable?

Brandon: I have been working on my CISR designation and plan to finish that up in the coming year. I think continuing education is essential to our careers as risk managers.

The Insuror: What do you think the future holds for young agents in our industry?

Brandon: Young agents are one of the most important pieces of the independent agency system. We are the future and we must have the vision and the drive to do whatever it takes to swing more share of the marketplace to the independent agency channel. We are sitting on the opportunity of a lifetime right now to take a real shot at the captive carriers. All it takes is having the motivation to get out there and pursue new business through all means at your disposal. We cannot be afraid to take some chances and shake things up.

The Insuror: What tips and/or advice would you have to offer for other young insurance professionals?

Brandon: My top 5 tips for being a successful young agent are:

Have a GREAT website that is functional, up-to-date and 1. user friendly. Have a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter & 2. LinkedIn and use them regularly and responsibly. Make those calls and send those letters even if you don’t 3. think you will write an account. If you don’t ask for their business, you have a 100% chance of not getting it. Find a niche; be the expert for a certain type of business 4. and make sure you market yourself as such. Get involved in the Young Agents program and the 5. Insurors of Tennessee. Go to the conventions, go to the Young Agents seminars, and get to know our industry leaders.

The Insuror: Thank you for giving us your time Brandon, we appreciate it and wish you continued success in your career. Brandon: I want to thank Insurors and Berkley Southeast for including me in this series and the Young Agents program in general. I hope more and more Young Agents get involved. u

Young Agent Spotlight presented by

BrandonPatterson•Ownby Insurance Service - Sevierville

BrandonPatterson

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From Your President


In the course of my time as Insurors President this year, Chuck and others have jokingly sug-gested that I will one day look back on this year as being the best year of my life. And while up to this point I don’t consider it to be my best, it is definitely in the top 56.

But in all honesty, it has been an awesome year. With Chuck as my chauffeur, we’ve covered a lot of miles and made many new friends around Tennessee. In addition to making new friends we have broken a lot of bread. The best being those six inch pork chops that the Insurors of Northwest Tennessee cook up at their Dyers-burg golf outing.

It’s been a pleasure serving the Insurors of Ten-nessee. How lucky we are to have such a vi-brant and strong Association that can support so many great products, services and meetings for independent agents. And can you believe they’ve been doing it for over 120 years?

This all is made possible by the membership and leadership we are lucky to have. But you know that luck really has nothing to do with it. It’s the type of people that make this business strong. People like us who work hard at taking care of others. What an awesome job we have as agents, and to top it off, we are paid hand-somely both emotionally and monetarily.

The thing I enjoyed most this year (other than the pork chops) was meeting the young people in our industry across the State. Before this year I was scared there were no young people get-ting into insurance careers. I was worried about the perpetuation of our industry. I’m glad I can now say I was wrong. They are out there and the future of the business looks to be in good hands.

The Insurors Young Agents Committee is as strong as ever. It has been a great year under the leadership of Taylor Porch. Our incom-ing chairman, Paul Steele, and I know that the Young Agent tradition will continue to grow into the future.

What I want to see in 2014 is all our agency

principals and company managers getting their young people involved. The partnerships and friendships they make will pay dividends to you, them, your business and the Insurors. What more reason do you need?

For those of you that may not fit into the Young Agents category, you too can also participate with your Association. Whether it’s attending a meeting, seminar, convention, or volunteering for something – you will benefit from the cama-raderie of being there and participating. Even just participating in an Insurors CE class helps you and Association.

There is always something that can be done, and whether your passion is for Government Affairs, Continuing Education, Young Agents or just the industry in general, we want you in-volved in the Association. There is an old saying that, “You only get out of it what you out into it,” and that applies well to your membership in Insurors.

I would like to thank Chuck and all the Insurors staff for their help this year. They made it easy for me to be President. In addition, my prede-cessors and fellow current Board members have done so much of the work, it really does make this job less difficult. It’s been both a fun and rewarding task and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I also want to thank my team at Miller | Loughry | Beach Insurance Services for their friendship and for putting up with me and my hectic schedule. And I definitely couldn’t do anything without my wife and family. Serving on our Board is a big commitment, but when you have supporters like I do it is a lot easier.

In conclusion, I just want to encourage all the agents in our business to know that our say-ing “Being Independent does not mean being alone,” really is true. I have so many friends in this industry who are “competitors” by defini-tion, but counterparts by their actions. I have been honored to serve them as Association President, and I hope we have made them proud in 2013. u

The Best 2013 Ever

“T h i s i s a l l m a d e p o s s i b l e b y t h e membership a n d l e a d e r s h i p we are lucky t o h a v e . ”

Eddie Miller III



Some of you may remember the ad on the pre-vious page or the one shown in this article from the Big “I” campaign featuring actor Raymond Burr in the 1980s. Burr was a household name for his roles as Perry Mason and Robert Ironside. The Big “I” used his trustworthy character and instantly recognizable voice to promote “Inde-pendent Agents - The More than One Company Agent.” Print and television ads were run all over the country, and the impact was felt almost im-mediately.

The advertising campaign came at a time when the country was facing recession and the direct writers were cutting into independent agent business. The Big “I” new something had to be done for its members, and they stepped up in a big way.

And isn’t that the point of membership in an Association? Being able to count on the orga-nization to fight for its members, and for the overall good of the in-dustry? Where would we be without programs like Big “I” Markets, Trusted Choice, Virtual University, Best Practices and for the future, Project CAP? What about the risk purchasing group that helps keep our E&O rates down? And not to mention RLI PUPs, Big “I” Eagle and our national Flood insurance program.

You may not even realize some of the things available to you as a member of the national Association. Did you know that in 2013, the Big “I” has had over 20 television appearances, over 100 national commercials and more than 15 in-terviews? IIABA CEO Bob Rusbuldt is one of the foremost business experts in our industry and is often sought out by news outlets to give an opinion on matters involving insurance. These are just a few of the ways that the Big “I” contin-

ues to be a voice for the independent agent.

Lobbying on a Federal Level

In Tennessee, we are lucky to have some great lobbyists who keep abreast of the issues facing our industry and make sure our interests are protected. The same can be said of our national Association’s work in Washington, D.C. Rus-buldt has been named multiple times as a “Top Lobbyist” by respected D.C. newspaper The Hill, including as recently as 2012.

When the ACA legislation threatened to totally exclude agents from the healthcare market-

place, the Big “I” was there to keep us involved. When the NFIP program was continually placed on the chopping block, the Big “I” helped Congress see its importance and work towards reforms. The Big “I” also involves it agents, from testifying before Congress to the annual Hill Day congressional visits. And with these and other continual issues like agent licensing and crop insurance always on the table, we need the work of our national Govern-ment affairs program more than ever.

Our national Political Action Committee has also played an impor-

tant role, with agents contributing almost $1 million again this year to InsurPAC. And we can still hit that $1 million mark by year-end!

All Part of Your Dues Value

So, when you review your Insurors of Tennessee dues renewal statement at the end of this year, keep in mind that membership in the national Association is part of that equation, and may be a more valuable part than you realize. u

From Your State National Director

Brad V. Smith

“Y o u m a y n o t e v e n realize some of the things a v a i l a b l e to you as a member of the national Association.”

The Big “I” Has Your Back


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From Your CEO


Chuck Bidek, CPCU

Just Who is a Member Anyway? ?

“An effective a s s o c i a t i o n only work s w h e n w e h a v e m a n y such giver s i n v o l v e d . ”

By definition, Insurors of Tennessee is a trade as-sociation for independent, property & casualty insurance agents doing business in our State. But is that the only group we serve? In many cases, our lobbying efforts affect non-members independents, captive agents, companies and brokers as well. Often times those same folks attend our classes and benefit from our market-ing programs. So, just who really is a member of Insurors?

John Pitts, a Past President and former State National Director of Insurors, as well as being a national agency leader, used to say in our meet-ings when membership was discussed, “Insu-rors of Tennessee - where everybody is a mem-ber, but not everybody pays.” As time has gone on since his passing I have come to a better understanding of what he was talking about. In a broad sense, he stated that the work Insurors does benefits the entire insurance industry in Tennessee whether they are a member or not.

At first that bothered me, until I came to real-ization that we are advocates for our members, and by doing a good job we will always have an impact on non-members. Our organization is strong today because we have been led by so many givers of their time and talents to support the agency system as a whole. An effective as-sociation only works when we have many such givers involved.

It amazes me the number of people I have run into over the years (non-members) who cite with great pride about being grandfathered from continuing education; not included in paying professional privilege tax; not required to have premium trust accounts; and have the option of having only an agency license. All of these were directly influenced by the efforts of Insurors of Tennessee. But these folks, for a myriad of reasons, won’t ever find it important enough to join the Association.

Non-members routinely call the office asking us to, “get them some companies,” or find out how much they should pay for an agency (or a CSR). They want us to send them a copy of a non-compete contract, or ask us how to break

their non-compete contract. When asked the question are you a member? We are often given a response that they are, “considering it.” Case in point, recently a prospective member who we had met with once before called and asked if she could come by the office and, “pick out some companies for her new agency.”

Despite the common misconception, we do not hand pick companies, even for members. What we do provide is an environment where com-panies want to do business in our State, hope-fully creating more competition and giving you more options for your agency.

I also was recently included on a scathing e-mail written about Obamacare to one Mem-ber of Congress, two State Senators and one State Representative. The issue directed to me, “Where is the Big ‘I’ in all this?” It went on to fur-ther say they will be knocking on our door to find out why Tennessee insurance agents are left to twist in the wind. I take all letters and calls very seriously and began to investigate. I quickly learned that the agency had not been a member for almost 5 years, so they could not have been privy to the efforts of the Insurors and the Big “I” staff.

We may not always have been successful, but not for a lack of trying. To view it from another perspective, I still have the e-mail from a former member resigning from the Association due to our position on a certain issue. The bottom line is that both of these agencies should be mem-bers, but now they have excluded themselves from our “greater good.”

You should have recently received your agency renewal information for 2014. As all employees and producers are members of the association through their respective agencies, make your personnel adjustments accordingly. Regard-less of the dues amount, you will likely find your portion of supporting the agency system is less than the your agency’s cell phone bill. When you see others who are not currently members, remind them that the successes we are cur-rently enjoying could be even greater with their participation. u


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Education CalendarThe 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.

Indicates course is presented by The National Alliance. Register for these courses at www.thenationalalliance.comRegister Online at www.insurors.org

12/11 E&O - An E&O Claim 360 View CE: 2 $3012/13 Data Privacy Insurance CE: 2 $48 12/17 Ethics & Business Webcast CE: 3 $6012/18 NFIP: Basic Flood Course + Updates CE: 3 $72

Cyber Risk Fee: $420

12/3-4 Cyber Risk Seminar Nashville

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9/16-19 Control of Risk Nashville

Online Courses (www.iiaba.net/vu) Available from IIABA Virtual University. Member pricing shown.Ethics for Insurance Professionals CE: 3 $75How to Calc. Business Income in 5 Min. CE: 3 $50National Flood Insurance Program CE: 6 $80New Employee Training Course CE: 9 $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 $75Insuring Flood Exposures - NFIP Review CE: 4 $75

Available from The Institutes (insurors.ceu.com) Insurance Principles and Policies CE: 7 $49Long Term Care CE: 24 $99Workers’ Compensation CE: 10 $59Employee Benefits for Small Companies CE: 4 $39Healthcare Reform and Affordable Care CE: 5 $49e-Coverage CE: 15 $79Fundamentals of Personal Auto Insurance CE: 3 $29

CISR Fee: $173 CE: 8 3/20 Commercial Casualty I Memphis4/22 Agency Operations Johnson City4/23 Agency Operations Knoxville6/18 Personal Residential Memphis8/13 Commercial Casualty II Nashville8/14 Commercial Casualty II Chattanooga9/15 Elements of Risk Management Nashville9/17 Personal Auto Johnson City9/18 Personal Auto Knoxville11/12 Personal Lines Miscellaneous Nashville 11/13 Personal Lines Miscellaneous Memphis

CIC Fee: $385 (Ruble $420) CE: 24

3/5-7 Commercial Casualty Institute Memphis4/9-11 Life & Health Institute Nashville5/7-9 Agency Management Nashville6/11-13 Personal Lines Knoxville7/24-25 Ruble Graduate Seminar Nashville8/20-22 Commercial Casualty Nashville11/12-14 Commercial Property NashvilleThe 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) 12/4 E&O - Agency/Carrier Relationships CE: 2 $4812/5 Professional Ethics in Insurance Ind. CE: 3 $6012/5 E&O - Understanding Agent Duties CE: 2 $4812/11 E&O - Considerations of Agent Ops CE: 2 $48

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Government and Legal AffairsCommercial Cancellation Law in TennesseeWritten by Ashley Arnold, General Counsel of Insurors of TN

The Commercial Cancellation law in Tennessee (T.C.A. §56-7-1803) sets out certain enumerated reasons that a company may cancel a commercial risk policy mid-term. These are:

1. Nonpayment of premium, including nonpayment of any additional premiums, calculated in accordance with the current rating manual of the insurer, justified by a physi-cal change in the insured property or a change in its oc-cupancy or use;

2. Conviction of the named insured of a crime having as one of its necessary elements an act increasing any hazard in-sured against;

3. Discovery of fraud or material misrepresentation on the part of either of the following:

A. The insured or the insured’s representative in obtaining the insurance; or

B. The named insured in pursuing a claim under the policy;

4. Failure to comply with written loss control recommenda-tions;

5. Material change in the risk which increases the risk of loss after insurance coverage has been issued or renewed;

6. Determination by the commissioner that the continua-tion of the policy would jeopardize a company’s solvency or would place the insurer in violation of the insurance laws of this state or any other state;

7. Violation or breach by the insured of any policy terms or conditions; or

8. Such other reasons that are approved by the commis-sioner.

However, historically personal lines insurance has not re-ceived the same protections. During the 2013 Legislative Ses-sion, Senator Lowe Finney and Representative Mike Stewart introduced legislation that would have created a similar law for property insurance. The proposed legislation also con-tained a section that specifically stated a carrier could not refuse to renew a policy of property insurance solely on the basis of an inquiry by the insured regarding the policy or a loss under that policy. This bill was taken off notice early in the session and did not pass and become law.

Since that time, the insurance department has been looking at the possibility of issuing a Bulletin to address the treatment of policyholder inquiries in regard to homeowners’ insurance. In the interim, the Department has provided companies and Insurors with the guidelines published by LexisNexis regard-ing when to report a claim. Under the Unfair Trade and Claims Practices Act, which would control, a “claim” is defined as:

3.A. “Claim” means:

i. An oral, written, or electronic submission for payment that is filed by an insured, on behalf of an insured, or by a third party where the insurer accepts such claims, in accordance with the insurer’s reasonable submission standards; andii. Is sufficient to reasonably establish contractual liability for payment on the part of an insurer;B. For the purposes of § 56-8-105, a “claim” does not mean an inquiry by an insured as to the existence of coverage or how a potential claim may affect future premiums or renewability of coverage;

See, T. C. A. § 56-8-102


Therefore, under the law as it exists today in Tennessee, an in-quiry should not affect coverage or premiums. In the interim, the Department has provided companies and Insurors with the guidelines published by LexisNexis regarding when to re-port a claim.

Here are some excerpts from the letter:

Claim information should be reported when there has •been a request from an insured or claimant for payment as a result of a loss.Claims information should not be reported when a cus-•tomer merely asks a question about their coverage or deductible.

Members may view the letter in its entirety on our website under the Resource Center-Homeowners/Dwelling Insurance section.

About the Author

Ashley Arnold has served as the General Counsel of Insurors of Tennessee since 2007, and previously consulted for the Association on legal and govern-ment affairs matters. She received her undergradu-ate degree from the University of Kentucky and her

Juris Doctor from Samford University. She may be contacted at [email protected]. u

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Nashville, Tennessee | 615.251.1297 fax 615.248.4348 | nashville.burnsandwilcox.com

33765_BURNS_CommercialProperty_TennInsuror_TN1_APPROVED.indd 1 10/14/13 5:09 PM



Association UpdateTen Best Practices Agencies for Tennessee

The 2013 IIABA Best Practices Study was recently completed by Reagan Consulting, and ten Insurors members were included on the list. Collier Insurance of Memphis, The Crichton Group of Nashville, Higgins Insurance and Benefits of Clarksville, The Johnson Agency of Madisonville, Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance of Memphis, McDaniel-Whitley of Memphis, Regions Insurance Group of Memphis, Scott Insurance of Knoxville/Franklin, TIS Insurance Services of Knoxville and Van Meter Insurance of Franklin/Bowling Green, KY all received the prestigious recognition.

Tennessee had the fifth most agencies qualify of any state. The annual Best Practices Study originated in 1993 as an initiative to help independent agents build the value of their most important asset, their agencies.

Johnny Pitts Named 2014 Chairman of CIAB

Johnny Pitts, CIC, chief manager of Lipscomb & Pitts in Memphis, has been elected 2014 chairman of the Washington-based Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. Mr. Pitts was elected during the council’s 100th annual Insurance Leadership Forum in Colorado Springs, CO, in October. He worked for Safeco Insurance Co. and Cigna Insurance

Co. before moving to Lipscomb & Pitts in 1981.

In 1989, Pitts and Mat Lipscomb III, CIC, became partners at Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance. In 1992, they purchased the firm from their fathers, who founded the company in 1954.

The Butler Company Merging with Bush Insurance

In September, The Butler Company, Inc. of Nashville merged with Bush Insurance and Financial Services, Inc. of Franklin. Chester Butler, CIC, CPIA, will remain with the agency and Brad Butler, CIC, CPIA will join the Team as Assistant Vice President.

Gernt Named President of Crossville Chamber

Art Gernt II, principal of Gernt Insurance in Crossville, has been named Chairman of the Board of the Crossville – Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce. Art has had many years of volunteer work for this organization and has chaired the Cham-ber’s Retail Division for three years. “I hope

to be a positive contribution to our community’s efforts to expand, create jobs, and keep the high quality of life we have here in Cumberland County.” says Gernt.

Scott Insurance President Sydnor to Retire; Will Be Succeeded by Mauck

Lynchburg, VA-based Scott Insurance will have a new presi-dent in 2014. Walker Sydnor, will retire at the end of the year after 37 years at the insurance brokerage. Scott Insurance has Tennessee offices in Knoxville and Franklin, and will now be led by Hutch Mauck, who has headed the firm’s Richmond of-fice since opening it in 1991.

Mauck joined Scott Insurance in 1991 to open the Richmond office, where he has served as a risk advisor and the branch leader.

Regions Insurance Expanding its Operations in Tennessee

Regions Insurance, based out of Birmingham, has announced an agreement with Nashville-based The Hanback Group to obtain the firm’s personnel and accounts. Regions Insurance said the deal helps Regions expand its employee benefits practice in Tennessee. The Hanback Group is an independent employee benefits insurance brokerage and human resourc-es consulting firm.

Regions also has an office in Memphis, and they have already begun expanding employee benefits practices out of that lo-cation.

Hylant Merging its Two Nashville Offices

Toledo-based Hylant, one of the nation’s largest privately owned insurance brokerage firms, announced recently that their two Nashville offices have relocated into one location at 8 Cadillac Drive, Suite 230, Brentwood, TN. Kim Riley, president of the Nashville office, made the announcement.

Earlier this year, Hylant acquired Benefit Consulting Alliance, LLC (BCA) and Benefit Outsourcing Group, Inc. (BOG), which both offer employee benefit consulting services. The acquisition extends greater access to resources to BCA and BOG clients that are required in today’s challenging health care reform environment. It also solidifies Hylant’s commitment to the greater Nashville marketplace as the company continues to build out and add strength to existing core services and capabilities; including property & casualty, international, executive risk, medical risk, transportation as well as private equity. u


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Product Spotlight

Chances are you already know how vulnerable your agency can be to an E&O claim, whether you are at fault or not. But there are ways to lessen that vulnerability.

In early 2013, Insurors initiated a new service to member agencies to provide on-site assessment of errors and omis-sion liability potential. The assessment process is approved by Swiss Re, the underwriter of many E&O Liability policies written for Insuror members. Previously there were approxi-mately 22 Swiss Re approved auditing firms outside the state of Tennessee. Insurors believes that by offering this service “in house,” exclusively to member agencies, we can be more responsive to their needs and schedules, and we can provide the service more efficiently than other auditing firms.

When preparing to conduct an E&O audit we intentionally gather a great deal of information on an agency before we ar-rive on-site with the idea of limiting the disruption to normal agency operations. Staff interviews are usually completed within two work days depending on the number of locations and the size of the staff.

E&O risk assessment focuses on loss prevention with empha-sis on consistency throughout the client life cycle. By using the same methods every time in the initial loss assessment, preparing the proposal, writing the policies, endorsing and renewing policies, and handling claims, agencies are more likely to avoid gaps, overlaps and misunderstandings. Virtual Risk Consultant and E&O Happens, resources available to In-surors members, are emphasized during the audit process.

Swiss Re has also approved E&O liability premium reductions of up to 10% for five years upon compliance with any audit recommendation. Typically this discount easily exceeds the cost of the audit.

Risk assessments will be performed by Don Cunningham, CPCU, CIC, a 30+ year veteran of the industry and an Insurors staff member. Don is the only Swiss Re approved auditor based in Tennessee. If you are interested in finding out the value an E&O risk assessment could provide for your agency, contact Don at 615.515.2602 or e-mail him at [email protected]. u

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Has your agency ever had a client who’s workers’ compensation coverage or oth-er lines of insurance were moved to their payroll company’s “insurance agency?” If not, chances are it won’t be long until you see it happen.

These other payroll companies are set-ting aggressive goals to gain big market share in all insurance and benefit lines. Health Insurance plans, Workers’ Com-pensation Insurance and Property and Casualty lines, nothing is off limits. No wonder it’s tough to keep your clients, much less win new business. But when you partner with Heartland Ovation Pay-roll, you can protect your book of busi-ness, gain a competitive edge, and at the same time expand your client base.

Ovation Payroll is the new Insurors-en-dorsed partner for payroll services. With Ovation, you can insulate your book of business, receive referrals and maintain ownership of the clients you refer. All while earning commission on your cli-ents that use Ovation for their payroll services.

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Full service payroll processing that fo-cuses on growing your client’s business rather than worrying about the ever-changing complexities of payroll. With Ovation Payroll you get personalized service, superior technology and the industry’s only three year price lock. We also provide everything business owners need to get their staff paid accurately, on time and with minimal effort, including:

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My HR Support Center – customiz-•able documents for hiring, manag-ing and paying employees, plus alerts that keep you up to date on the laws, regulations and court de-cisions that could impact your busi-nessMy Employee Files – built-in elec-•tronic employee file system, which replaces paper filesOur Info Center – secure employee •access to pay records, messages, schedules, policies, job-related websites and more, to keep them informed and up-to-dateBusiness Partner Reporting – secure •and efficient access to data for their CPA, insurance broker, financial ad-visor and benefits administrator

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Tennessee Contacts

Nikki HintonSenior Product [email protected]

Randy PumputisDirector of Business [email protected]

About Heartland Ovation Payroll

Heartland Ovation Payroll is head-quartered in Rochester, NY and Princ-eton, NJ. Led by Heartland Chairman & CEO Robert O. Carr and Ovation CEO Anthony Tortorella, the com-pany currently has over 250,000 cus-tomers nationwide. In January of 2013, Ovation was purchased by Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. The acquisition allowed the opportunity for Ovation to accelerate growth using Heartland’s built-in nationwide distribution chan-nel.

They Offer a full range of payroll and HR solutions coupled with award win-ning customer service to deliver the ul-timate user experience. Their superior technology allows client’s payroll data to be securely accessed by providers of banking services, benefit programs, government agencies or insurance pro-viders for a variety of services related to payroll.

Whether your client is starting a new business or are a seasoned veteran, Ovation Payroll will provide them with the tools to stay on track.

40 The Tennessee Insuror©2013 Keystone Insurers Group®. All Rights Reserved. This does not constitute an o� er to sell a franchise in any state in which the Keystone Insurers Group franchise is not registered.

Partners in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.

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Dave PorchPorch-Stribling-Webb

Waverly, TN

Busch ThomaE.B. Thoma & Son Agency

Tullahoma, TN

Jack SpannSpann Insurance

Nashville, TN

Richard HollisHollis & BurnsMemphis, TN

Roger SmithThompson & Smith Insurance

Jackson, TN

Tom StrateStrate Insurance Group

Morristown, TN

Presidents of Insurors of TennesseeCommanding Strength and Leadership

by Partnering with Keystone Insurers Group


Looking Back a past president spotlight presented by

John A. “Jack” Spann III is a principal agent at Spann Insurance, an agency his father, John Spann Jr., founded in 1951 and is still operated by the family today. Jack’s mother Gwen, brother Lee and son John Spann IV are all integral parts of the agency’s success.

The Insuror: It’s been twelve years since you were President of Insurors, any reflections

on your time in office you could share with us?

Jack: My term as the Insurors president was during a very exciting period. The Insurors Bank (now INSBANK) was launched shortly after I took office. It was a privilege being able to watch guys like Bill Wallace, Lou Patten and Mike Qualls take what began as a reaction to banks pressuring Congress into letting them get into insurance and make it into what Jim Rieniets and his staff have grown INSBANK into today.

As president I had the duty of traveling to the Big “I” national convention in Honolulu which would normally be a lot of fun. But this was shortly after 9/11 in October 2001 – not a good time to travel, and no one was on the island during that period. It was a ghost town! However, I acquired an appreciation for just how strong and effective our national association is and what fabulous products that they provide to us and our clients.

One of the duties of the president was to appoint a nominating committee which, in-affect, set the slate of officers and directors for the next year. Traditionally the president named the last 5 past presidents to that committee. I did not like the concept that a simple majority of three people had that much power. I decided that every living past president should be on that nominating committee. It was not a well-received idea! Chuck was skeptical, as well a former president who told me that there would not even be five past presidents

that would show up for the meeting. I did not budge. I was sure relieved when eighteen past presidents attended. At the next association business meeting the by-laws were changed to make all past presidents members of the nominating committee. I think the result has been a group of past presidents that stay somewhat involved and informed, and each year about fifteen to twenty people make the decisions about our future leaders, not just five people. I’ve been very pleased with the quality of our members that have assumed the role of leadership for Insurors.

The Insuror: How has the Association, and to a greater extent the industry, changed in the last twelve years?

Jack: Automation has changed the industry more in the last twelve years than it changed in the prior thirty. Communication is the most important tool in business. How you use it to your advantage is what determines if you are left

to sink, swim or just tread water. The Insurors has been a swimmer! The electronic bulletins, e-mail alerts, and even The Tennessee Insuror have kept pace with technology.

The Insuror: You have been a longtime supporter of the Insurors Titans Radio Program, why do you feel that is important to your agency?

Jack: Branding is extremely important. Our board decided that we needed some platform to have a

statewide advertising program since we had been off the air for ten years from the UT Vols network. We decided to explore a relationship with the Titans, and had a lunch meeting with Chuck, Bunny Oakes, Mike Keith and Kyle Denzel – who none of us knew. Kyle quickly explained that “you don’t get Mike without me!” Kyle was the head of Titans Radio advertising. He presented a plan that would cost $100,000 per year. Chuck about choked on his kielbasa.

After the meeting Chuck challenged me by saying, “I’ll agree that the Insurors will do $50,000 so all you need to do is get two companies at $25,000 each on a long term basis.” The next week we had dinner in Nashville with Phil Urban who was the president of Grange Insurance in Columbus, Ohio. Shortly thereafter Grange was onboard. It did not hurt that the Titans

JackSpann•Principal at Spann Insurance •Insurors President in 2001

Jack Spannof Spann Insurance

Spann with wife Louise and Insurors CEO Chuck Bidek


star was Eddie George who was also a Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State. Grange’s support of the Insurors advertising program with the Titans continues today and has been vital to its success. Grange deserves a great deal of thanks and credit for what they did to support our members.

With one company on board, I approached Matt Sasso who was the state manager with USF&G. Matt did not really care about the advertising component, but he wanted good tickets. Apparently his predecessor had purchased the cheapest PSLs available and the USF&G tickets were in the upper deck on the last row. Matt refused to give them to agents or use them himself. I told him that the deal would include four club season tickets and that got him committed. The fun part was going to tell Chuck that I had given away the Insurors four club season tickets that the board had approved. Matt signed and the Insurors advertising deal with the Titans was launched!

The Insuror: What role do you feel is most important Insurors to play in supporting independent agents?

Jack: Without question it’s the political influence. The education role is important, but there are other sources for education – not as good as what we offer – but other education options are out there.

The Insurors of Tennessee is the only advocate and protector of independent agents at the Capitol! The Insurors are recognized as a center of influence within the legislative and regulatory community. Our ability to maneuver through the governmental maze is not understood by 98% of our members, and therefore they do not realize what the Insurors does for them. It’s not an accident that the Insurors is admired; respected; and also feared by elected officials, lobbyists, and government employees. It’s the result of a well-funded, talented, and dedicated team and our members owe them a great deal of thanks.

The Insuror: Is there a goal that independent agents as a community should be focused on for the future?

Jack: That question probably needs a deeper thinker than me. I believe that independent agents must strive to be a cohesive group that maintains civility even while being competitors. Together we can be a recognized group of professionals in the community that provides services that the public has to purchase. We sell a product people must purchase. The secret is convincing them that their best option is to buy it from an independent agent.

The Insuror: And finally, what advice would you give other agents about building a successful insurance career such as your own?

Jack: A couple months out of college my father sent me to some company schools to learn about different aspects of the business. He sent me for a week to Milwaukee to the Time Insurance Company, which became part of Fortis. (By the way, if you go to Milwaukee in February take a coat because a long sleeve shirt is not enough!) When I returned I was discussing with my father what I learned and was reviewing Time’s agents’ manual with him. One page had the commissions for life and health on it and I remarked about how some of them paid really high commissions. My father stared at the page for a few moments, then he took his open hand and put in on the page and slowed pulled it from the manual, crumbled it into a ball and threw it into a trash can. He looked at me and said, “Don’t you ever worry about what the commissions are again! You don’t sell our clients what you want them to buy, you are here to sell them what they need. If you take care of your clients they will take care of you!”

Another invaluable lesson was I walked into my father’s office one day and asked him a question about how to rate or classify a risk. He reached over and pulled a manual out of his bookcase and threw it at me. He said, “I’m not going to be here forever. Son, you need to know how to find something like that yourself.”

The lessons were simple; “Be an agent not a salesman,” and, “Don’t be lazy, figure it out yourself.” u

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Company Briefs2014 Best Practices Companies Named

Every three years, the Big “I” collaborates with Reagan Con-sulting to select “Best Practices” firms throughout the nation for outstanding management and financial achievement in six revenue categories (less than $1,250,000; $1,250,000 to $2,500,000; $2,500,000 to $5,000,000; $5,000,000 to $10,000,000; $10,000,000 to $25,000,000; and more than $25,000,000). Agencies are nominated by either a Big “I”-affili-ated state association or an insurance company and qualified based on operational excellence. Financial and benchmarking information for the participating agencies are also reviewed and updated. The 2013 Best Practices agencies in Tennessee may be found on page 35.

This year, fourteen Insurors Associate Members helped spon-sor the Best Practices study. They are Amerisure Insurance, Central Insurance Cos., Chubb, CNA, EMC Insurance Compa-nies, Encompass Insurance, Erie Insurance, The Hanover In-surance Group, Harleysville Insurance, Imperial PFS, Liberty Mutual Agency Corporation, Main Street America Group, Travelers and Westfield Insurance. We appreciate these com-pany’s continued support of the study and the independent agency system.

Grange Insurance Announces Promotions for Ammendola and McMurtie

Grange Insurance recently announced the promotion of two of its senior leaders, effective immediately. John Ammendola, president of personal lines for Grange Insurance, assumes responsibility for Grange’s Commercial Lines business under the new title of chief property & casualty officer. In addition, Peter McMurtrie, chief sales & marketing officer for Grange In-surance, adds profit and loss responsibilities for its affiliate, In-tegrity Mutual, to his duties under the new title of chief sales, marketing and affiliate officer.

John Ammendola joined Grange in 2010 as the president of Personal Lines and has guided the organization to profitable growth. “Bringing Grange Personal and Commercial Lines together under one leader will enable us to execute our prop-erty and casualty strategies seamlessly and speak with one voice to our independent

agents and policyholders,” said Tom Welch, Grange president and CEO.


McMurtrie joined Grange in 2006 as chief claims officer. He will oversee Integrity Mu-tual while continuing his work in sales and marketing for Grange Insurance. He will also be joining Integrity’s Board of Direc-tors. “In his seven years at Grange, Peter consistently raised the performance of the organizations he led,” said Welch. “There

is no doubt that we have built incredible momentum on our journey to become a consistently high-performing compa-ny.”

Progressive Chairman Lewis Passes Away

Peter B. Lewis, the non-executive Chairman of the Progressive Corporation, passed away on November 23rd at his home in Florida. Mr. Lewis acquired control of the company in 1965 in an early leveraged buyout. At the time, the small insurance company with $6 million in revenues spe-cialized in insuring drivers who had diffi-

culty finding auto insurance.

In the 45 years since, 35 as CEO, Mr. Lewis oversaw the trans-formation of a 100-employee company into a full-line auto insurer with 26,000 employees and annual sales of $17 billion. Today, under CEO Glenn Renwick, Progressive is the nation’s fourth-largest auto insurer selling direct and through more than 35,000 independent agents. Much of Progressive’s suc-cess derived from two of Mr. Lewis’ contributions: his vision that an auto insurer could reduce the human trauma and eco-nomic costs of auto accidents in cost effective and profitable ways, and his clarity about the Core Values governing and still guiding Progressive’s decision-making today.

ACUITY Again Named as A Best Workplace

ACUITY is named the best workplace in America among mid-sized employers by Great Place to Work®, as published in For-tune magazine. This marks ACUITY’s fourth consecutive year as the top-ranked employer and the fifth time the company has claimed the #1 spot.

ACUITY has been on the list every year since its inception and has been in the top five for 10 consecutive years. No other company in the country, of any size, can make these claims.

“Being named the best mid-sized employer is important to everyone who counts on ACUITY,” said Ben Salzmann, ACUITY President and CEO. “To our nearly 1,000 employees, it means ACUITY continues to provide a positive, rewarding workplace. Because we take care of our people, they take care of our cus-tomers and agents, who are being served by staff who enjoy working here and take pride in what they do.”

In selecting a best company, Great Place to Work® evaluates the relationships between employees and management, be-

tween employees and their work, and between employees and other coworkers. Great workplaces have lower turnover, higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, higher pro-ductivity and profitability, more qualified staff, and better fi-nancial performance than other companies.

Harleysville President Browne to Retire

After a long and distinguished career as an insurance leader in both the public and private sectors, Harleysville President and COO Michael Browne will retire effective May 1, 2014. Mi-chael has led Harleysville since 2004, and the growth of the company in recent years can be traced directly to his vision, industry knowledge and commitment to Harleysville agents and associates. Michael played a critical role in the strategic combination of Harleysville and Nationwide – a partnership that will drive long-term growth in independent channel businesses.

Allied Insurance President and COO Kim Austen will assume Browne’s duties as the merger between the two companies moves to its next steps.

BusinessFirst Launches New Website Business First Insurance Company, a monoline workers’ com-pensation insurance company, has launched a new user-


IN AN INSTANT, UNDERWRITER PHIL SAMMS KEEPS AN AGENT AHEAD OF WHAT’S NEXT

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Phil shared thirty minutes with agent, Kate Morely, discussing her local industry insights and clients’ changing business risks. More importantly, he shared a few industry insights that helped Kate envision an entirely new avenue for growing her book. Way to make every minute count, Phil.

CNA is right in your backyard.With a branch located in Nashville, our underwriters, claim service representatives and risk control specialists are all within reach. To learn more, call 615-886-3300.

Please remember that only the relevant insurance policy can provide the actual terms, coverages, amounts, conditions and exclusions for an insured. All products and services may not be available in all states and may be subject to change without notice. CNA is a registered trademark of CNA Financial Corporation. Copyright © 2013 CNA. All rights reserved.

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Atlas General Expands Mar-keting Team

Atlas General Insurance Services, LLC, a national multi-line program manager, is pleased to announce two new addi-tions to the Knoxville dedicated market-ing team. The Knoxville office welcomes Shane Cosey of Suwanee, Ga. and Nick Seago from St. Louis , Mo. as external marketing reps.

Prior to joining Atlas, Cosey served the director of sales and marketing for Smart Choice agency. He was respon-sible for managing effective marketing programs and training and coaching a sales team in a three state territory that included Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. During his time there, Cosey successfully implemented sales strate-gies that increased sales margin for all branches within his region. Prior to his accomplishments with Smart Choice, Cosey held marketing positions with Safeco Insurance Company and Travel-ers Insurance.

Seago is a seasoned insurance profes-sional with more than 14 years of expe-

friendly site for agents and business owners searching for workers’ compen-sation insurance options.

Thomas S. Petcoff, president of the com-pany states, “Our new website is just one more wat to increase brand aware-ness and reach business owners who are looking for a strong, stable workers’ compensation carrier. Our independent insurance agents will also find it to be a useful selling tool to help potential poli-cyholders become familiar with who we are and how we are different from other workers’ comp companies.”

Petcoff adds, ”The informative content is complimented by a clean, inviting look and feel indicative of the BusinessFirst brand.”

Applied Systems Donates $30,000 to InVEST

InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom-to-career education pro-gram, is pleased to announce that Ap-plied Systems has donated $30,000 to the program.

“Applied Systems’ commitment to the InVEST program with this generous gift of $30,000 will help create a career path for the next generation of insurance professionals through financial literacy, insurance education and scholarships,” says Bob Rusbuldt, Big “I” president & CEO. “Companies, educators, volun-teers, agents and industry leaders, like the dedicated professionals at Applied Systems, are key to the success of the InVEST program. We applaud and thank them for their commitment to this criti-cal program.”

Reid French, CEO, Applied Systems, an-nounced the donation during a keynote presentation at the recent TENCon 2013, the flagship conference for Applied Systems software users, which was at-tended by more than 2,200 insurance in-dustry professionals. The contribution to InVEST coincides with Applied Systems’ 30th anniversary this year and reflects the company’s continued commitment to investing in the future of the insur-ance industry.

rience in industry. Prior to joining Atlas, Seago served as the director of market-ing at Rio National Insurance Company. He was responsible for creating market-ing strategies for several Mid-Western states, managing a team of field market-ing staff and worked with product de-velopment. Previously Seago held mar-keting and underwriting positions with Lincoln General Insurance Company and Gateway Insurance.

Church Mutual Expanding to Public Schools Market

Church Mutual Insurance Company has announced that it is expanding its work-ers’ compensation and commercial au-tomobile coverages — once available only to religiously affiliated schools — to public school districts.

By partnering with elite, experienced brokers, Church Mutual can now offer public schools the opportunity to ben-efit from its 116-year history of financial stability and value-added services. These services include risk management assis-tance, school-focused safety resources, quick and accurate claims service and

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ProAssurance Corporation Acquiring Eastern Insurance Holdings

Medical professional liability insurer ProAssurance Corp. said it is acquiring monoline workers’ compensation insurer East-ern Insurance Holdings Inc. in an all-cash transaction that val-ues Eastern at $24.50 per share.

Eastern will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of ProAssur-ance. The transaction, with an aggregate value of approxi-mately $205 million, is expected to close by January 1, 2014.

CPCU Society Expands Membership Options

CPCU Society candidate membership is now available for active students who have passed a minimum of two or more

CPCU exams! Membership will be offered at a discounted rate and will provide resources and opportunities that can help students achieve their career goals.

The CPCU Society’s mission is to provide resources and educational programs that will enable individuals to expand their technical insurance skills and business capabilities in order to improve the overall performance of the insurance industry while adhering to the highest ethical standards.

Westfield’s Welch Joins InVEST Board

InVEST, the insurance industry’s premier classroom-to-career education program, recently announced that Craig Welsh, CPCU, AFIS, has joined its national board. Welsh is group dis-tribution leader for Westfield Insurance.

“InVEST is pleased to announce that Craig Welsh has joined our distinguished board of directors,” says Robert G. Slocum, CPCU, CIC, InVEST board chair and president of The Slocum Agency, Inc., an independent agency in Warwick, R.I. “We look forward to drawing from Craig’s more than 20 years of industry expertise to improve and grow this wonderful pro-gram.” Craig Welsh has served in several underwriting roles and in the agribusiness business division with Westfield Insurance in the states of Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Ohio. u


Ashley NaShea Harmon, CISRInsurance Incorporated - Cleveland

Sonia Hill, CISRThe Crichton Group - Nashville

Puddy Holmes, CISRInsurance Incorporated - Cleveland

Kellie D. Hunt, CISRThe Crichton Group - Nashville

Sherilyn Kierulff, CISRLipscomb & Pitts Insurance - Memphis

Brandi Lane, CISRStrate Insurance Group - Morristown

Joyce L. Ouimet, CISRTravelers Insurance - Knoxville

Maranda Reffner, CISRInsurance Incorporated - Cleveland

Heather Rowan, CISRHarris Madden & Powell Insurance- Memphis

Chad Snider, CISRWestan Insurance Group - Martin

Jennifer Webb, CISRBFS Insurance Group - Clarksville

Pamela White, CISRVan Meter Insurance - Fairview

Certified School Risk Managers

Teresa Sheppard, CSRMChurch Mutual Insurance Company - Knoxville

Susan Patrick, CIC, CSRMBB&T - Huffaker & Trimble - Chattanooga

University Associate Certified Insurance Counselors

David Herzog, UACICUniversity of Mississippi - Oxford u

Robin S. Joines, CRM, ARMSedgwick - Memphis

Kendrick Noll, CIC, CRM, CSHMArthur J. Gallagher Insurance Services - Brentwood

J.R. Parsons, CRMPi Kappa Alpha Fraternity - Memphis

Jessica Walters, CIC, CPCU, CRM, CISRLipscomb & Pitts Insurance - Memphis

Certified Insurance Service Representatives

Sandra Adcock, CISRBFS Insurance Group - Clarksville

Renae Adelsbarger, CISRThe Allison Insurance Group - Jackson

Whitney Bateman, CISRLipscomb & Pitts Insurance

Ashley E. Beard, CISRBIS Insurance Group - Mount Juliet

Deborah A. Belknap, CISRThe Crichton Group - Nashville

Lauren Bowie, CISRLipscomb & Pitts Insurance - Memphis

Lyndie Cummings, CISRHardin County Bank Insurance Agency - Savannah

Stephanie D. DeFriece, CISRInsurance Incorporated - ClevelandYodi Fagio, CISRInsurance Incorporated - Cleveland

Danny E. Forsee, CISRBB&T - CLJT&H - Nashville

Susan Gregory, CISRSunbelt Insurance Group - Chattanooga

Amy Griest, CISRMiller Loughry Beach Insurance Agency - Murfreesboro

Conferees Honored at Ceremony ...continued from page 13


OUR DWELLING INSURANCE

REWARDS OUR AGENTS.National Security strives to provide competitive, affordable insurance for policyholders, but we also reward our agents with some of the highest commissions in the industry, a partnership profit sharing program and an award-winning web site that provides fast online quotes, policies, and endorsements. Find out more by calling 1-800-239-2358 x213 or visit us on the web at www.nationalsecuritygroup.com. Elba, Alabama • 800-239-2358

RLI’s Personal Umbrella Policy is now accepting many new

exposures for new and renewal business. There’s something for

almost everyone in our new underwriting box!

Now eligible for the RLI Personal Umbrella Policy:

Drivers of any age

20–21 year old drivers can have up to 1 incident

Drivers with an international license

Up to 1 DWI/DUI per household

Up to 6 moving violations and 3 at fault accidents per household

Up to 10 autos (+25 antique autos) per household

Up to 10 properties per household (5 can be rentals)

Up to 5 non-U.S. properties per household

PERSONALUMBRELLAPOLICY

®

For more information, go towww.rlipersonalumbrella.com

Your customers will love our new underwriting boxYou asked us to �nd ways to make our standalone, A+ rated personal

umbrella policy available to more of your customers.

And we listened.

PUP-MK 509 (06/10)

Enter Contact Infoor

highlight and deletebefore printing

Contact David Williams at [email protected]

Call 615.515.2605or

Visit our RLI PUP page at www.insurors.org/products-pro-

grams/rli-pups/


We push ourselves for you.Because you push yourself for them.

grangeinsurance.com

For more about how Grange can help you help your cus-tomers contact: Donya Wilson at 800-422-0550 ext. 3137 or [email protected].


MeetingsWinter Lineup Includes Two Big “I” MeetingsSouthern Agents Conference in Atlanta on December 13-15

The Southern Agents Conference was founded in 1971, to provide a communication forum for Independent Insurance Agents throughout the Southeast. Membership includes agencies which are members of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA) in Alabama, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia.

The 2013 event will be held December 13-15 at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta. For more information, please visit www.southernagents.com.

Memphis Local Board Holiday Luncheon Set for December 18th

The Insurors of Memphis local board will hold their annual Holiday Luncheon & Auction on Thursday, December 18th at the Hilton Memphis. The luncheon will feature a guest speaker as well as some great items up for auction to raise money for charity.

Please contact Sally Baker at [email protected] for more information or to register now.

Big “I” Winter Meeting to Be Held January 7-11 in Orlando

The 2014 Big “I” Winter Meeting & Best Practices Symposium will take place January 7-11 at the Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando. The meeting is an opportunity for Big “I” and State leaders to recap 2013, plan for the year ahead and set goals.

In addition to Best Practices, meetings will be held on InVEST, Diversity, Trusted Choice, Project CAP and more. Get more information now by visiting www.independentagent.com/Events/WinterBoardMeeting/home.aspx. u

Preferred Comp of Tennessee is endorsed by

the Insurors of Tennessee (IOT) to provide member

agencies competitive workers’ compensation options.

Meadowbrook Insurance Group, Inc.

Low to Moderate Hazard Workers’ Compensation

Artisan Contractors

Auto Repair & Service

Goods & Services

Hospitality

Light Contracting

Light Manufacturing

Office/Clerical

Physicians

Restaurants

Wholesale/Retail

www.preferredcomp.com

YOUR FIT FOR WORKERS’ COMP AND MORE!

For more information or to get started, please contact:

Laurie Zdanis at (800) 755-8090 Ext. 4362or email a submission to:

[email protected]

John Stinnett at (800) 755-8090 x4368

Bruce Hunzicker 615.417.6377 • [email protected]

Visit us on the web @ WWW.CIUSA.COM

NEW LOOK!Same dedication to our TENNESSEE agents!

Our mission is to provide you withexcellent SERVICE from EXPERIENCEDstaff you can TRUST in your time of need.

As a member of Insurors, you also have access to product and service programs developed by our national Association, the Big “I”. In the past, the Big “I” developed a program for agency members to receive discounts on shipping through FedEx. That program has expired, and a new deal has been created through a partnership with UPS.

The new program will allow you to save up to 70% on shipments with UPS, an American global package delivery company headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia. It delivers more than 15 million packages a day to more than 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the world. The company was founded in 1907 and has since become the largest global courier delivery service with revenues of over $53 billion per year internationally.

Make the most out of your membership and take advantage of some of the most competitive rates available on shipping services with UPS. Whether you need your documents or packages to arrive the next day or you’re simply looking for the most affordable shipping option, UPS understands the importance of reliability, speed and savings. UPS discounts can help your bottom line by saving you:

Up to 34% on UPS Air letters including UPS Next Day Air*•Up to 30% on UPS Air packages weighing more than one •pound* Up to 32% on UPS International imports and exports•Up to 16% on UPS Ground shipments•70% or more on UPS F• reight shipments over 150 pounds

These discounts are available even if you already have a UPS account. To enroll and start saving, visit http://savewithups.com/iiaba or call 1.800.MEMBERS (1.800.636.2377) on Monday-Friday from 8 am - 6 pm.

* Discounts exclude UPS Express Critical and UPS Next Day Air Early A.M. u

Big “I” Announces New UPS Program for Shipping New Vendor Replaces FedEx for Shipping Discount Program

Member Tips

ACUITY (800) 242 - 7666 www.acuity.com 20Amerisafe (866) 719 - 0267 www.amerisafe.com 17Arlington/Roe & Co. (800) 878 - 9891 www.arlingtonroe.com 7Auto-Owners Insurance (615) 373 - 5200 www.auto-owners.com 55Berkley Southeast Insurance Group (615) 932 - 5508 www.bsig.com 18BKA General Contractors (877) 267 - 1566 www.bkageneralcontractors.com 30Brentwood Services Administrators (800) 524 - 0604 www.bwood.com 26Builders Mutual (800) 809 - 4859 www.buildersmutual.com 13Burns & Wilcox (800) 341 - 4844 www.burnsandwilcox.com 33CNA Insurance (800) 251 - 5852 www.cna.com 45Consumers Insurance (615) 896 - 6133 www.ciusa.com 52Donegal Insurance Group (800) 277 - 7442 x1370 www.donegalgroup.com 2EMC Insurance (800) 239 - 2005 www.emcins.com 15, 26Fessenden Consulting Group (615) 308 - 7926 www.fessendencg.com 34FCCI Insurance Group (800) 226 - 3224 www.fcci-group.com 32Grange Insurance Companies (800) 422 – 0550 www.grangeinsurance.com 50Guard Insurance Group (800) 673 - 2465 x4567 www.guard.com/apply 16Harford Mutual (800) 638 - 3669 www.harfordmutual.com 46Heartland Ovation Payroll (901) 598 - 4829 www.ovationpayroll.com 38INSBANK (866) 866 - 4268 www.insbanktn.com 11J.M. Wilson (800) 595 - 0063 www.jmwilson.com 47Johnson & Johnson (931) 704 - 0810 www.jjins.com 28-29Keystone Insurers Group (800) 416 - 5498 www.keystoneinsgrp.com 40Lemic Insurance Company (225) 201 - 0107 www.lemicins.com 42Millennium Brokerage Group (800) 434 - 1992 www.mbgnow.com 24National Security Group (800) 239 - 2358 x267 www.nationalsecuritygroup.com 49North Alabama Insurance (800) 824 - 1740 www.nai1982.com 44Penn National Insurance (800) 395 - 0518 www.pennnationalinsurance.com 56Preferred Comp/Meadowbrook (800) 755 - 8090 www.meadowbrook.com 51 Preferred Property Programs (888) 549 - 2465 www.umbrellaprogram.com 26South & Western (800) 492 - 5351 www.southandwestern.com 36Southern Cross Underwriters (800) 682 - 5263 www.scui.com 43Summit Holdings (800) 971 - 2667 www.summitholdings.com 37Tennessee Underwriters, Inc. (615) 791 - 1400 www.tnund.com 17

Directory of Advertisers Advertiser Phone Website Page

Thank you, agents.

Auto-Owners has always been

dedicated to the independent agency

system and proudly standing behind

the agents who represent us. We

would like to thank you for your

continued loyalty, which has helped

us achieve tremendous growth and

accomplishments over the years.

2500 21st Avenue South Suite 200Nashville, TN 37212

We look for the best independent

agents and build relationships

that last the duration. We are

committed to the independent

agency system as the only means

to deliver our products. Because

of that, we work hand-in-hand to

help our agencies grow profitably.

Our agents set us apart.

www.PennNationalInsurance.com

Business Surety Auto Home

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage

PAIDNashville, TN

Permit No. 380

Documents

The Tennessee Insuror Nov/Dec 2013