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Senior Vice President
Willis, New York

Making Sure Coverage is Complete

Dallas Area Rapid Transit had little interest in sharing its tracks -- and even less interest in sharing liability with a rail carrier hoping to use them. Ultimately, DART had little choice about granting access. Its managers were even less thrilled when they saw the insurance package crafted by the other carrier's broker, said Susan Mullaney, DART's assistant vice president for risk management.

DART's broker, Daniel G. Bancroft, senior vice president, transportation, with Willis of New York Inc., pointed out that the insurance package left the Dallas transit system with significant uncovered liability. Since then, Bancroft has made sure DART will be protected, Mullaney said.

In addition, Bancroft identified a way the system might be able to transfer some of its existing liability, she added. "We may end up in a better position than we were."

Bancroft faced another recent challenge when he was tapped to provide brokerage services to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which runs public transportation in the nation's capital. The authority, whose coverage renewed in summer 2012, wanted a better program. "He basically crafted a completely different approach to buying liability insurance and did an excellent job," said Rodney D. Schraven, Metro's risk management director.

Bancroft continues to stay in touch with Metro officials. When Hurricane Sandy threatened last fall, Bancroft helped Metro gauge insurance coverage of its efforts to protect the D.C. subway system.

"He's not the kind of broker who will ignore you for weeks on end," Schraven said. "He calls up and finds out what's going on, what are your concerns."

Senior Managing Director
Beecher Carlson, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Looking at the Marketplace Every Different Way

The company in Northern California liked what Noreen Graham, senior managing director with Beecher Carlson in Woodland Hills, Calif., and her team had already done for its workers' compensation costs. It was even happier after it asked her to do more. She identified the opportunity to slice 33 percent from the monthly fee the company paid to a third-party claims administrator.

"That was a huge windfall for us," said the company's risk manager, who has called on Graham to look at other areas of the company's insurance coverage. Most recently, the company has turned to Graham for advice on how to use its captive insurance subsidiary more effectively. The captive currently handles auto liability and nothing else, the risk manager said.

"What I really like about Noreen is she's out-of-the-box. She looks at things every different way," the risk manager said. "She is exceptionally aggressive in representing us in the marketplace, not only with the carriers, but with our other risk management partners."

Clients also appreciate Graham's communication skills. "There's never really a doubt as to what's being done, what needs to be done," said Mike Reichert, risk management director for Pacific Coast Building Products Inc. in Sacramento, Calif. Graham took over the company's account at the start of 2012.

"It's been a drastic change for the good," Reichert said, citing Graham's background and her ability to present the company with multiple options. "Her knowledge and experience really gave us the ability to structure the program exactly how we wanted."

Managing Partner
Ross & Co., Mahwah, N.J.

A Broker With Plenty of Capacity

Financial savings were the initial draw for members of a captive insurance company set up by Louis Hefter, managing partner with Ross & Co., a division of The Capacity Group of Cos., to serve household moving and storage companies. But the companies have grown equally excited about the incentives for operating more safely.

"Now that we have true skin in the game is what really woke us up to be proactive on safety," said Matt Larmore, vice president of sales and marketing for Bayshore Moving & Storage in Newark, Del., one of the captive's charter members. "None of us wait any more for OSHA or an insurance underwriter to do a spot inspection. We do it for ourselves because he's helped educate us that you want to find the issue before the accident, not after the accident."

The captive started out with about a dozen members and has grown to more than 20. Hefter is more than their teacher, however. He is a trusted resource. "I lean on Lou -- I've got him on speed dial -- just as much as I do my CFO or my accountant," said Larmore. "He's a salt-of-the-earth guy and smart as heck."

Hefter earned the trust of Peter Toscano after sorting out the insurance coverage following a serious motorcycle accident. Coverage was being denied until Hefter got involved, said Toscano, president and CEO of Reliable Van & Storage Co. Inc. in Elizabeth, N.J., another member of the insurance captive. "I know that got the underwriter annoyed at him for a while, but he put everything on the line, including his reputation, for me," said Toscano.

Commercial Account Executive
HUB International, Edmonton, Canada

Showing up For Work at the Scene of the Crash

Kent Stormoen never knows when or where an accident will damage one of his company's trucks. But when it does, he knows that his broker, Duane Hoffman, a commercial account executive with HUB International in Edmonton, Canada, will be on the scene as soon as possible -- and stay there as long as necessary. That certainty has become a source of comfort.

"I've dealt with a lot of insurance brokers over the years," said Stormoen, president of Versatile Energy Services Corp. in Sylvan Lake, Alberta. "This is the most personalized service that I've ever had, and it gives me, as an owner, a whole bunch of confidence when I walk out the door and go to work that our people and our equipment are looked after and covered."

Hoffman, a former truck driver, routinely shows up at accident scenes, no matter the time or place. He ensures everything is property documented and explained to the insurance companies, Stormoen said. "As far as I'm concerned, he's part of our team. I feel he always understands what we do and is looking for the best solutions for us."

Indeed, Hoffman is clearly attuned to his clients' needs. After noticing an increase in contractual requirements set by the companies with which his clients do business, he made sure their insurance coverage was responding appropriately.

"Duane is out there going to bat for his clients more than any other guy I've seen," said the president of another energy services company in Alberta. "He actually understands the oil-field business. A lot of people don't really do that."

Director, Client Services
Aon, Little Rock, Ark.

A Broker Way Into Value

Clients don't tend to question whether they're getting the best efforts from Rob Kibbe, director, client services, with Aon Risk Solutions in Little Rock, Ark. They are living happily with the results and they continue to entertain a stream of cost-saving ideas from the broker, who specializes in trucking.

One client has been considering the purchase of an insurance company shell, with the goal of achieving a 15 percent reduction in workers' compensation premiums in states where it has the highest costs. Another client is contemplating formation of a risk retention group that would alleviate its collateral burden, a sore spot since the financial crisis of 2008.

"The thing I value with Rob and his group is, he knows what the issues are out there. He knows collateral is a thorn in my side," said Mark Emmen, CFO for Transport America, a trucking company in Eagan, Minn.

For a third client, Coleman World Group LLC, the thorn is rising workers' comp costs in Texas. Kibbe identified a way for the company to save $250,000 a year, said Katheryn Grigsby, safety and risk management director for Coleman American Cos., a moving and storage company in Midland City, Ala. Kibbe delivered where other brokers had not, she added.

"He has a sincere desire to help us grow our business and to make sure that we're getting the best amount for our money," Grigsby said. "He just watches the bottom line from the broker point of view, and it's just evident in everything that he does, that he cares about our business and he cares whether we're successful."

Senior Vice President
Aon, Baltimore

Keeping Clients on Track

Rose Lang, senior vice president and senior account executive with Aon Risk Solutions in Baltimore, has kept her clients on track despite the obstacles blocking their way, from staffing emergencies to skeptical insurance carriers.

One client, a rail company, needed liability coverage to provide luxury passenger service but was told that it could not obtain the policy it needed. Lang, however, found a way to secure the right coverage and get the passenger rail operation moving.

"She has helped us create a new program this year that ... has allowed my company to pursue opportunities that were previously unavailable to us," said the company's general counsel. "Rose has a deep knowledge of the industry, very strong industry connections, is extremely customer-focused and has really gone the extra mile for us."

Her knowledge and connections benefited another client entering the insurance market for the first time after having secured general liability insurance through its corporate parents. Lang had to show underwriters how and why the client was different. "It was a challenging story to tell. But she was able to come through with a competitive program that met our needs," said the company's chief legal officer. "We're very grateful for what she was able to do."

For another client, Lang pitched in to help a risk management department unexpectedly caught shorthanded. She provided resources to plug the gaps among internal staff, said the client's risk management director, who already had been impressed by Lang's work. "This year she really went way beyond the call of duty."