Sara Jane Sinclair is the CEO of Sara Jane Inc., a medical marijuana dispensary located in Sacramento, California. In this episode of Watching the Risks, Sinclair talks about the growth of the medical marijuana industry, how her insurance agent made her own business possible, and how her insurance needs are very similar to those [...]
Corporate Helicopters is a San Diego business focusing on charter, tours, aerial filming and helicopter sales. In this episode of Watching the Risks, Corporate Helicopters president Ivor Shier explains how looking through the lens of risk analysis from the formative years to the present has led to a safer company.
Stroz Friedberg is a consulting firm that does computer forensics, mobile phone forensics, electronic discovery and cyber crime response, operating at the intersection of law, technology and behavioral sciences. David Garrett, managing director of Stroz Friedberg’s San Francisco office, explains why clients may or may not have cyber risk insurance, whether those that have the [...]
The San Diego Film Commission works to attract entertainment businesses to San Diego. One way it does this is by helping to streamline the insurance buying and risk management process that can involve multiple jurisdictions and unusual risks from helicopters to bungee jumpers, explains Kathy McCurdy, the director of features for the SDFC.
Moving companies face a number of exposures in their daily operations, including workers compensation, cargo, fleet and general liability. Priority Moving in San Diego, Calif. is no exception. A Wheaton Van Lines agent, Priority Moving has created a series of internal procedures, reinforced by a strong employee screening process and training program. Analytics software [...]
The Internet makes it easier to get into business but it also makes it easier to steal others’ ideas. The Web is also expanding the notion of what materials, images and designs need to be protected. Intellectual property attorney David Branfman advises agents on questions to ask clients about intellectual property exposures and warns about [...]
Based in San Diego, Jack in the Box Inc. was founded in 1951 and is the first major fast-food chain that started as a drive-thru. Today, it has approximately 43,000 employees with more than 2,200 quick-serve restaurants in 18 states. In this episode, Jack in the Box deputy general counsel of 12 years, [...]
Opened in 1949, Gatorland is central Florida’s oldest theme park. The 110-acre attraction is home to a multitude of animals, including the powerful alpha predators that are the park’s namesake.
With over 100 employee roles, ranging from custodial and food handling to gator wrestling, the potential for injury is great; however, the incident of harm at [...]
Don Reha is the winemaker for Orfila Vineyards and Winery in Escondido, California where he oversees the winemaking process from vine to bottle. In this episode of Watching the Risks, Reha talks about insuring and protecting the product and business income through its various stages.
George Brooks-Gonyer, Vice President, COO & CFO of San Diego Natural History Museum, says preventing loss is key when it comes to insuring the kinds of priceless artifacts put in their care. In this episode of Watching the Risks, Brooks-Gonyer shares the strategy his museum takes to protect what cannot be replaced.
With over 600 employees and five waterfront properties, Diane Caminite has her hands full as the Unified Port of San Diego’s Risk Management Analyst. In this episode of Watching the Risks, Diane shares with us the Port’s efforts to keep costs down and claims low.
Jim Oberg has been sailing most of his life, which has come in handy as owner of Douglas K. Smith Marine Insurance Inc. in San Diego, CA. In this episode of Watching the Risks, Jim talks about what it takes to write for such a niche market like the marine industry.
Brian O’Loughlin is managing partner at The Vine, a San Diego, Calif. restaurant that serves wine and beer, and food that pairs well with both. In this episode of Watching the Risks, Brian explains The Vine’s insurance risks and coverage and outlines staff training and other measures he uses to manage risk.
John Norwood, principal of Norwood & Associates, has a career in political work dating back to the early 1980s, and he’s one of the state’s best known lobbyists in the insurance and financial services sectors. Norwood talked about workers’ compensation, and other legislation and regulation matters that the insurance industry will face in 2012, including [...]
John, principal of Norwood & Associates, has been an lobbyist for insurance and financial services sectors across several decades. Norwood offered a focused looking at the all-important workers’ compensation issue, and he gave his thoughts on health insurance exchanges. In fact, Norwood forecast that 2012 will rank as an important one when it comes to [...]
John Norwood is one of California’s best known legislative advocates for the insurance and financial services sectors. Norwood spoke to the Insurance Journal about legislation and regulation, including a proposal by a consumer advocacy group that would establish prior approval for healthcare insurance and would make major changes to auto insurance and homeowners insurance in [...]
This year the Entrepreneurial Insurance Alliance (EIA), sponsored by MarketScout, named Vertafore and Risk Metrics, as winners of it 2011 Entrepreneurial Award in technology. Vertafore’s WorkSmart and Risk Metrics’ Insurance 360 technology products received recognition from the EIA as being some of the industry’s most innovative concepts in technology. Each year, the EIA receives hundreds [...]
Retail and wholesale brokers face the challenge —and opportunity— of redefining their relationships and value proposition in today’s changing insurance distribution world, according to Glenn Hargrove, president, MarketScout Wholesale, Dallas, Tex. In this interview from the recent Western Insurance Agents Association’s Insurance Industry Roundtable in California, Hargrove outlines the value proposition of agents and brokers [...]
The medical liability market continues to perform well even as the nation struggles to implement health care reform. Robert Allen, senior vice presidents at Torus Insurance, says many health care institutions are implementing new strategies to be successful in today’s health care reform world. In this interview with Insurance Journal’s Andrea Ortega-Wells from the annual [...]
Patrick Ryan is an innovator who sees opportunity. And it was opportunity that drove him to launch Ryan Specialty Group in early 2010. Success lies in hiring “good people,” Ryan says. In this interview from the annual National Association of Surplus Lines Offices (NAPSLO) annual convention in San Diego, Ryan says his newest venture gave [...]
In his first year as insurance commissioner of Oklahoma, John Doak has been a busy man.
Doak and the agency he leads have had their hands full implementing reforms in the workers’ compensation system, dealing with a host of natural catastrophes, encouraging insurers to offer more products and services in the state, and working with the [...]
The magazine you turn to for the most up to date information on property and casualty insurance is now on the iPad. Check out the great features included in the digital edition of Insurance Journal.
In this podcast, Audra M. Szollosy, senior vice president at Hales & Company Inc. covers the components that go into creating a strong brand. She explains why a good brand is much more than a logo and a tagline. Rather, it is tied into a firms reputation and every touch point that shapes the consumers [...]
A mom is angry about her insurance rates