Meetings Archives - a/e ProNet

a/e ProNet Holds Annual Spring Meeting in Arizona

By Lynda

For the last few sunny days, a/e ProNet members from across the country have gathered in Scottsdale, Arizona for our annual Spring Meeting (March 1-3). a/e ProNet brokers are independent. Technically, we operate as competitors. Membership is by invitation only. We come together voluntarily as recognized leaders in our industry, meeting the insurance needs of architects and engineers. Our combined premium volume, experience, and national reach make our meetings an attractive target for insurance companies, premium finance companies, and other professionals. With our two annual meetings, we keep our fingers on the pulse of the insurance industry and advocate for our clients.

The Spring Meeting

The purpose of our Spring meeting has changed over the last three decades. Invited representatives from the companies and industries mentioned above present to the group on educational topics. This year, attorney David Ericksen of Severson & Werson in San Francisco also organized a series of five panel discussions:

Non-Traditional Project Delivery Methods
Cyber Communication Conundrums
The Prime/Sub Team: Roles, Responsibilities & Risks
Contract and Claims Connections
Material Transparency & Building Green

Ericksen staffed these panels with underwriters, claims adjusters, etc. from companies like Victor O. Schinnerer, AXIS, Hanover, RLI, Beazley, and several other a/e ProNet sponsors. The panel environment increases the awareness of each company regarding their competitors’ products and services. As well, it gives our members a quick, comprehensive understanding of the market’s overall perspective on these issues. Continue reading “a/e ProNet Holds Annual Spring Meeting in Arizona”

a/e ProNet Holds Spring Meeting in Trendy Austin

By Lynda

Every spring, our members gather to network with one another, as well as to meet with representatives from the top-tier professional liability insurance providers. While our fall meeting is always held in Chicago, our spring meeting changes locations each year. For 2015, the choice was clear: trendy Austin, Texas!

10167978_10206206928070756_4679841597472695152_n — Above: Our crew enjoys the southern cuisine and atmosphere at Threadgill’s

The three-day meeting wraps up today, and our members will scatter back to their respective states, ready to assist their clients, newly equipped with the latest industry intelligence.

Are you a design professional with an insurance-related question? Get in touch with your local a/e ProNet broker today!

a/e ProNet’s Fall Meeting Kicks Off in Chicago

By Lynda

Dozens of a/e ProNet members from across the country are gathering in Chicago this week for the annual fall meeting. They will be joined by representatives from several top tier professional liability insurance companies and a few major design industry organizations, including the AIA, NSPE, and ACEC.

Over the course of three days, members will receive presentations from the following insurance carriers: Beazley, Ironshore, HCC, Victor O. Schinnerer, Axis, Catlin, Hanover, RLI, All Risks, Liberty, Travelers, Navigators and Arch. These presentations will help inform the specialist brokers of a/e ProNet about industry trends, policy language changes, new coverage opportunities, and the like. It will also give our members a chance to ask questions and make suggestions pertinent to their own clients.

Along with insurer presentations, there will also be ample opportunity for the brokers to network with one another, alerting the group to trends around the country and problem solving in the collective.

To open the week, the Board of Directors will meet, and to close, Kent Holland of Construction Risk will present to the membership on the second edition of a/e ProNet’s Risk Management and Contract Guide for Design Professionals.

a/e ProNet Holds Annual Meeting in Chicago

By Lynda

Chicago, IL, October 01, 2013 –(PR.com)– This week, a/e ProNet will hold its annual fall meeting at the Embassy Suites Downtown/Lakefront in Chicago. a/e ProNet is a nationwide network of independent insurance brokers specializing in the professional liability needs of architects and engineers.Members from across the country will convene to meet with representatives from several top-tier professional liability insurance companies and discuss changes in the industry, as well as to participate in a number of smaller events.

Over the course of the three-day meeting (October 2—4, 2013), eleven professional liability insurance carriers are scheduled to make presentations: RLI, Travelers, Hanover, AXIS, Catlin, HCC, Liberty, Beazley, Navigators, AllRisk and Victor O. Schinnerer. Each presentation will include information about the insurance company’s products, policy forms and endorsements, claims, risk management offerings, etc.

On Thursday night, a/e ProNet will host a reception for its members and insurance company representatives, as well as members of the Risk Management Committees of NSPE, AIA and ACEC. The reception will be held at The Rookery in Chicago, a space designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Established in 1988, a/e ProNet’s member-brokers represent a combined annual professional liability premium volume exceeding $300 million. At this meeting, a/e ProNet will explore the possibility of extending its scope to include Lawyers Professional Liability insurance. To that end, five insurance companies (Beazley, AXIS Capital, Catlin, Travelers and Ironshore) will present on their lawyers’ professional liability insurance program offerings, as well.

Learn more about a/e ProNet

a/e ProNet offers a wide range of Risk Management resources to all design professionals via the a/e ProNet website including: Practice Notes, Guest Essays, ProNetwork News, Contract Concerns, Typical Coverages and Frequently Asked Questions. For relevant industry news and risk management information, you can also follow The ProNet Blog and/or follow a/e ProNet on Twitter.

New President Named at a/e ProNet’s Spring Meeting

By Lynda

Last weekend, a/e ProNet held its annual meeting in San Diego, California. Members from across the country came together to discuss industry trends and best practices.

The meeting also marked the end of Leslie Pancoast‘s two-year term as President of a/e ProNet. She is succeeded by Jeff Todd, President of IMCI.

Jeff grew up in Annapolis, Maryland and after he graduated from High School moved to Charlotte, NC. He attended Wingate College in Wingate, NC where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1994. Jeff joined IMCI in January of 1994 and specializes in professional liability insurance for Architects and Engineers. He is a licensed property & liability insurance agent and is currently working on his Certified Risk Management and Registered Professional Liability Underwriter designations. Jeff is a member of the Board of Directors for a/e ProNet, and formerly of the Board of Visitors for Wingate University and Phoenix Montessori Academy. He and his wife Cindy reside in Cleveland, NC and have four children, Blake, Mackenzie, Parker and Kendall.

Group picture time! (Don’t forget that you can find an a/e ProNet broker anytime on our website.)

First Row: Valarie Nunez of Marquis Agency; Mayensi Chavez of Assurance, Ltd.; Cindy King of Professional Underwriters, Inc.; Diane Hoskins of Wortham Insurance & Risk Management; Melissa Roberts of Euclid Insurance Agencies; Debbie Christen of Marquis Agency

Second Row: Rich Standing of Prosurance/Redeker Group; Mike Welbel of M G Welbel & Associates; Terry Lee of PDI; Karen McCabe of IMCI; Lynn Campbell of Assurance, Ltd.; Wendy Arnold of Johnson Insurance; Tom Warner of Walker & Associates; Marsha Bastian of Heffernan Professional Practice Insurance Brokers; Alicia Igram of IOA Insurance Services

Third Row: Leslie Pancoast of IOA Insurance Services; Dave Johnston of a/e ProNet; Jeff Steen of IOA Insurance Services; Jeff Todd of IMCI; Meade Collinsworth of Collinsworth, Alter, Fowler & French, LLC; Mark Jackson of Lykes Insurance; Rob Supple of IOA Insurance Services; John Tenuto of IOA Insurance Services; Kyle Damalouji of Klein Agency; Earleen Thomas of Cornerstone Specialty Insurance Services

Fourth Row: Eric Alderson of ProMark Associated Agencies; Steve Wilder of M G Welbel & Associates; Karen Erger of Lockton Companies; Eric Moore of Moore Insurance Services; Bob Coleman of Professional Underwriters, Inc.; Brett Coleman of Professional Underwriters, Inc.; Greg Kumm, Jr. of Prosurance/Redeker Group; John Feeney of Heffernan Professional Practice Brokers; Will Leaf of Cobb Strecker Dunphy & Zimmerman; Jeff Gerrick of Professional Underwriters, Inc.; Tom Coghlan of Design Insurance Agency

Our Mission Statement

By Lynda

a/e ProNet was established in 1988 by a group of insurance brokers specializing in professional liability insurance and risk management services for the design community. The organization has grown to 36 member brokers, representing more than 16,000 design firms nationwide. We meet twice annually to exchange ideas and information, as well as to analyze and communicate with insurance companies. At our most recent meeting (October 2012), our Board of Directors updated the a/e ProNet Mission Statement:

To establish an internal information and resource sharing network that enhances services to the design professional community and their societies.
To provide a forum for strengthening communications with the professional liability insurance markets serving the design community.
To maintain an independent source of professional liability information, risk management, loss prevention and continuing education services for design professionals and their professional societies.
To maintain the highest ethical industry standards among our members.

Contact a/e ProNet today to see how our substantial experience advocating for the design community can benefit you!

a/e ProNet’s Annual Fall Meeting (Oct 3 – 5, 2012)

By Lynda

This week, 46 a/e ProNet members from 27 member agencies are expected to attend our annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Over the course of two and half days, twelve top-tier Professional Liability insurance companies will present to our membership. Each company will take this opportunity to announce policy form changes, new endorsements, and pricing expectations for the coming year; as well, they will alert us to industry trends surrounding claims and risk management.

Because a/e ProNet brokers are independent, that-is, not tied to any single insurance company, the insurance companies sending representatives to this event know that they are in competition for our business. It is in their best interest to make their programs as comprehensive and beneficial to our clients as possible. The companies attending this event include: RLI, Travelers, Victor O. Schinnerer, Liberty, Beazley, Catlin, HCC, Hanover, Navigators, Insight, All Risks, and AXIS.

Our Thursday night reception for members and insurance company representatives will be held at a new venue this year: The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Rotunda at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Our clients are architects and engineers, and we appreciate what they do today, as well as what they have created in the past. We chose the Chicago Cultural Center, opened in 1897, because it is “one of the city’s most popular attractions and is considered one of the most comprehensive arts showcases in the United States.” In other words, it’s beautiful! A Chicago landmark, located in the Loop, across Michigan Avenue from Millennium Park, the GAR Memorial consists of a large hall and rotunda in the north wing of the building. The hall is “faced with deep green Vermont marble, broken by a series of arches for windows and mahogany doors. The rotunda features 30-foot walls of Knoxville pink marble, mosaic floor, and a fine, stained-glass dome in Renaissance pattern by the firm of Healy and Millet.”

If you have questions about this meeting, or a question about a/e ProNet, don’t hesitate to contact us. You can also find your local a/e ProNet broker through our website.

John Tenuto Named Regional President of IOA

By Lynda

Since its founding in Florida in 1988, Insurance Office of America (IOA) has added more than 20 branch offices across the country. Today, IOA is the largest privately-held agency in Florida and one of the fastest growing agencies in the U.S. At its National Sales Meeting in Orlando last month, the company appointed a/e ProNet Member John Tenuto as a Regional President of IOA.

Tenuto is Senior Vice President and Managing Partner of IOA Insurance Services, and he is the Branch Representative of the San Diego office, which he opened in 2005. Tenuto was appointed to the IOA Board of Directors in 2010, and this latest move by IOA places him in the position of Regional President over all IOA’s offices on the west coast.

Tenuto began his insurance career in 1985, developing his expertise at a number of prominent brokerages in both Northern and Southern California, including HRH, Barney & Barney, and Dealey, Renton & Associates. He also founded Tenuto & Associates Insurance Services in 1994, which was acquired by HRH in 2001. His practice focuses on providing his clients with property and casualty insurance products and various risk management services. Tenuto specializes in representing design and construction related firms.

“We are at a place in our company’s life where it makes sense to have more local leadership,” said IOA Chairman and Founder John Ritenour in last week’s announcement. “John is a huge asset to IOA and really cares about what we are building out west.”

Congratulations, John! And good move, IOA!