Big I Virginia E-News

Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia

Welcome
Brightway Insurance – Chester, VA

 

Bluewater Solutions – Henrico, VA

 

Barker Ventures LLC dba BIZSURANCE – Hayes, VA

 

Taylor & Brinkley Ins – Portsmouth, VA

 

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/via-nwl/pdf/New_Members_July.pdf to view the full article online.

Charles Nusbaum, S L Nusbaum Insurance Agency Inc
Norfolk, VA

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/via-nwl/pdf/VAPAC_final.pdf to view the full article online.

IIAV Member Resources
More than 20 years ago, the Trusted Choice® Pledge of Performance was created to convey the value of using an independent insurance agent to consumers. In the early years of building the Trusted Choice consumer brand presence in the marketplace, the Pledge of Performance became a critical piece of our brand messaging, and many member agencies included the brand promise on their websites and other marketing materials.  

 


The Pledge of Performance allows us, once again, to emphasize the unrivaled attributes that you bring to your clients and prospective clients. Thousands of independent agencies across the country have used the Pledge of Performance on their websites, business proposals and marketing materials.

 

If your agency has used the Pledge of Performance before, we encourage you to update yours to this new version. If you or your agency has never used it, we invite you to do so and join the groundswell of independent insurance agents nationwide that make us the trusted choice for consumers.  

Visit https://www.trustedchoice.com/about-us/pledge-of-performance/ to view the full article online.

  
Jackson Sumner & Associates has provided recordings from all of our keynote speakers for our members to watch! If prompted for a password, enter: 1898. Hear from Crystal Washington, Commissioner Scott White and more! 

Visit https://vimeo.com/channels/1847212 to view the full article online.

The Security You Need. The Name You Trust.
Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies®
Berkshire Hathaway GUARD Insurance Companies are rated A+ “Superior” by A.M. Best (as of July 26, 2023) and backed by the financial strength of our ultimate parent, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.  In Virginia, we offer a full product suite for your commercial clients that includes a Businessowner’s Policy (with typical limits up to $20 million; $50 million for select classes), Commercial Auto, Commercial Umbrella, Professional Liability, and Workers’ Compensation.  “Pay-as-you-go” billing options are also featured. 
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State & National News
  

We have some sad news to share. Dick Spiers, one of our industry’s true icons, passed away Saturday, June 17. Dick began his career in the insurance industry in the late 1950s with the Royal Insurance Company and later went to work for, and retired from, Utica Insurance. He was a member of the VAIA Board of Directors and most recently served that board as Director Emeritus.

 

After retirement, Dick stayed active in the industry and continued teaching. During his lengthy career, he taught CPCU at the University of Richmond, was on the CIC faculty, and taught ACSR, AAI, E&O and P&C pre-licensing for the IIAV. In addition, he was one of the initial members of the Virginia Insurance Continuing Education Board, remaining on that board until 2007.

 

If you have taken any insurance courses since 1970, Dick was probably one of your teachers. My first memory of Dick is from a reception I attended (1972 or 1973?) for folks new to the CPCU program. I had just completed my first course and I remember Dick encouraging me to continue. That was my first exposure to his quick smile, quick wit and exceptional way with words. His classes were peppered with “stories” relating to the subject matter. Dick was my teacher for my final CPCU course in 1978-79. At most every class, he would urge me to study because he didn’t want me to hold him responsible for not getting the designation. I will miss him.      

– Joe Hudgins 

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/via-nwl/articles/index-v3.asp?aid=790858&issueID=94266 to view the full article online.

  
Last month, the National African American Insurance Association (NAAIA) released its statement expressing disappointment in the recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings.

 

NAAIA has reviewed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision regarding the use of race-based affirmative action in college admissions, and we are disappointed in the outcome rendered last week. We believe this ruling will further widen the college accessibility gap for students of color, and thus diminish the opportunity for our industry’s workforce to reflect the growing racial demographics of its customer base. 

Visit https://www.naaia.org/news/2023/7/6/naaia-issues-statement-regarding-supreme-courts-decision-on-affirmative-action to view the full article online.

The occurence of five earthquakes in a month — two in Giles County, two in Carroll County and one in Craig County — has been raising questions for many people in Southwest Virginia. Martin Chapman, a professor of geophysics at Virginia Tech, said not to panic however. 

Visit https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2023/07/11/five-earthquakes-rattle-southwest-virginia-within-a-month/ to view the full article online.


Richmond Times-Dispatch

The cost of the insurance that covers medical bills and lost wages when Virginians are hurt or die at work is set to decline again. The basic building blocks for what insurers charge businesses for workers’ compensation coverage — called loss cost — would decline 0.5% for voluntary coverage and 2.5% for assigned risk coverage beginning next spring if the State Corporation Commission accepts the just-filed proposal from the National Council on Compensation Insurance.

Visit https://richmond.com/news/local/business/workers-comp-costs-for-virginia-businesses-set-to-decline-again/article_242e6070-24af-11ee-abb8-6f3288581f60.html to view the full article online.

Goodville Mutual
Food For Thought

Question: We decided to offer our employees some flexibility over the summer by letting them flex their schedule and dress more casually. Now that summer is ending, we want to change back to our former requirements after Labor Day. However, some employees are acting like we need to allow them this flexibility going forward. Do we?

 

Answer: Most employers have the right to dictate policies and procedures such as work schedule and
dress code. Usually, these policies can be changed at any time at the discretion of the company. Just like you relaxed them at the beginning of the summer, you can reinstitute the stricter guidelines after summer. Even if employees did not realize they were temporary changes, you can change them back. Of course, if employees are unhappy, they have the right to search elsewhere for employment if that new-found flexibility is important to them.

 

Rather, the question to ask yourself is, "Do the changes need to be reversed?" If productivity
stayed the same (or maybe even improved), do you really need to go back to the way things were?
But, if there are legitimate reasons to return to the status quo (e.g., summer is typically slow but
you get busy again in the fall), explain that to your employees so they know it is not an arbitrary
decision.

 

If your employees react so favorably to small efforts like that, perhaps consider other ways to
offer employees some form of flexibility in the future to keep them engaged and happy.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/via-nwl/articles/index-v3.asp?aid=790860&issueID=94266 to view the full article online.

Pay equity means compensating all employees equally for equal or similar work, regardless of factors
such as race, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, religion and age. Compensation is anything of value
including salary, benefits and perks.

 

Several federal laws, including the Equal Pay Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in
Employment Act and Americans with Disabilities Act, have been enacted to prevent pay inequity;
however, they have resulted in slow progress in the gender pay gap. In 1963 when the Equal Pay Act
became federal law, overall, women in the workforce made 59 cents for every $1 earned by male
workers. In 2022, almost 60 years after the law was passed, women earned 82 cents (17% less) for every $1 made by a male worker. Following this rate, experts calculate that women will not receive equal pay until 2059, almost a century after passage of the EPA.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/via-nwl/pdf/Article_-_Pay_Equity.docx_(1).pdf to view the full article online.

Local Presence. Regional Strength.
Penn National Insurance®
Penn National Insurance is small enough to provide personal, caring interactions, but large enough to serve you and your policyholders with the same sophistication and product offering of the largest carriers. We back our promise to help people feel secure and make life better when bad thing happen with our strong financial position, and we remain committed to distributing our products and services through independent agencies.
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Press Releases

Sheryl A. Chasse has been named the next Association Executive at PIA of Virginia & DC and PIA of North Carolina. She will be taking over for Kevin P. Kowar, who after eight years at the helm, will be retiring on August 31.

 

“Sheryl has done an outstanding job, navigating many challenges, to grow our education programs to historical levels. She is truly deserving of this opportunity,” said PIA VA/DC President Josh T. Sojda. He added “she has such a passion for PIA and our members. I look forward to watching her take PIA to new heights.”

 

Sheryl has been the drector of education and event planner for PIA VA/DC for the past 11 years. Three years ago, she also added PIA NC to her responsibilities. Prior to that, she was heavily involved with recruiting for several Richmond area firms including Colonial Life, where she was awarded the #1 recruiting manager in the nation in 2009.

 

Sheryl holds the Virginia Property and Casualty and Health, Life and Annuities licenses and works closely with the Young Professionals Council, the Education Committee and the Convention Committee.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/via-nwl/articles/index-v3.asp?aid=790862&issueID=94266 to view the full article online.

Hilb Group
Iroquois Mid-Atlantic
Education
The Excellence in Insurance Education award recognizes state associations and staff who have made significant contributions to insurance education for members and the industry. Through a variety of traditional and cutting-edge professional development programs, recipients of this award have proven their dedication to promoting quality insurance education and the Big ‘I’ Agent Development Group is proud to honor them for their accomplishments.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/via-nwl/pdf/2023_EIE_Highlights[26334].pdf to view the full article online.