61
APRIL 2015
ACT
NEWS
We defend all our insureds and work with the
tools they have given us, but it’s a whole lot easier if
they follow our risk techniques and give us an arsenal
to work with instead of a handing us a water pistol
in a gunfight.
Bill Smith, executive vice president, claims and riskmanagement
The team focusesonproviding solutions
topolicyholdersprior toa claim scenario
actuallyarising, somethingBill Tepehas
admired from thebeginning.
“When I joinedNBIS,” saidTepe, “oneof
themain factors inmydecision to come
onboardwas thatNBIS trulyprovided
riskmanagement services,whereasmost
insurance companies I’d encounteredonly
talked about it.”
Of course, theproof is always in the
proverbial pudding, andNBIS is always
more thanhappy to serveup large
helpings.NBIShashad somebigwins
over theyears in termsof defending their
customer’s interests in claims that, from
anoutsider’sperspective, seempretty
unfavorable.
However, giving companies a “fighting
chance” ispart of theirmantra. Billy
Smith, executivevicepresident, claims and
riskmanagement, remembersonewin that
standsout among the rest.
“Therewas a crane companywe insured
that couldhavebeen lookingat apotential
loss exposureof between10and12
milliondollars,”Smith said. “But because
they followedour riskmanagement
techniques,wewere able toget themout
for zero liability. Plus,wewerepaidback
forour expenses inhandling the claim.”
It’snot just bigwins Smith remembers,
though, it’s themyriad smallerwins, too.
“Therehavebeenhundredsof claims
wherewehavedefendedour insureds
using themany tools availableunder risk
transfer, standardsof careusingB30, and
subrogation,” saidSmith. “Each claim is
different andunique in itsownway.We
defendall our insureds andworkwith the
tools theyhavegivenus, but it’s awhole
lot easier if they followour risk techniques
andgiveus anarsenal toworkwith
insteadof ahandingus awaterpistol ina
gunfight.”
“Waterpistol inagunfight”– it’s a
T
heNBISoffice inAtlanta,GA, in
an area calledVinings, is housed
inside a towering, glass-encased
buildingknown asOverlook III. For
just over tenyears,NBIShas called the
buildinghome. In the courseof their time
there, the companyhas ebbed and flowed
with thepulsingAmerican economy,
pausingnow and then to reinvent its
serviceoffering, but always looking
towards the industry it serves to seehow
it can serve it evenmore effectively.
“NBIS continues to improve,” saidBill
Tepe,NBIS’spresident andCFO. “The
management team is focusedonoffering
thebest possible insuranceoptions and
riskmanagement tools available.”
During2014,NBIS,who functions
as amanaginggeneral underwriter
(MGU), teamedupwithanumberof
new insurancepartners, andnowoffers
five linesof business insurance through
insurance companies ratedA-XIVor
greaterbyAMBestCompany. Byoffering
inlandmarine, general liability, rigger’s
liability,worker’s compensation, and
automobile liability, theorganization sells
a robust insurancepackage thatmany
heavy-construction industry companies
arehardpressed to findanywhere else.
But it’snot just the insurancepackage
that drivesdifferentiationwithin the
company; it’s also their teamof experts,
adept at providing real-world solutions to
their customers– something they casually
refer toasproactive riskmanagement.
THEAUTHOR
TIMHILLEGONDS
spent a decade
in the heavy construction
insurance industry before
founding Thrive Content
Solutions, a copywriting agency
dedicated to helping businesses
tell their stories.
TimHillegonds
reports
on howNBIS, SC&RA and
itsmembers have forged
a partnership that is good
for the industry.
Industry
partners
RobertMoore, Bille Tepe, Bill Smith and
Jim Jinhong stand together at a SC&RA
managementmeeting in Florida.
