Quaker Special Risk Senior Executive Jim Andreoli looks to ASI for efficiency, innovation and collaboration to give his brokerage firm the competitive edge.
“When you dial the underwriter at ASI,” says Quaker Special Risk Senior Executive Jim Andreoli, “that underwriter makes the decision.” For the Massachusetts-based regional brokerage, that means transactions happen quickly, affording it a competitive advantage.
This agility can be very attractive to the local middle market retail agencies that are Quaker Special Risk’s key client base. “We take a lot of pride in knowing our customers extremely well,” says Andreoli.
ASI, in turn, has taken the time to get to know Quaker Special Risk and its retail agency customers. That intimate knowledge translates into business opportunities for Quaker Special Risk and its customers. “ASI is a substantial national firm that makes you feel like you’re dealing with a much more accessible, smaller, regional company,” Andreoli explains.
Faced with competing to insure a condominium construction project, for example, Quaker and ASI sought to provide something via the retail broker that the insured would not otherwise be offered. Understanding the increased exposure that comes with the reality of multiple owners in a condominium project, ASI and Quaker were able to provide a comprehensive general liability policy with an extended products/completed operations endorsement which provided coverage for up to 7 years after the project is completed.
“Some companies don’t want to underwrite this sort of risk at all,” Andreoli says. “It was an enhancement to a standard policy that caught they eye of the insured. Our ability to bring something different and special to the insured steered the business our way.”
Since landing that account, Quaker gained the trust of the retail agency – which has turned into one of its largest clients. “That initial transaction went a long way toward developing that relationship,” Andreoli says “Through a collaborative effort with the decision making underwriter, we were able to provide something that separated us from the competition.”
More generally, Andreoli says Quaker values ASI: accommodating modified coverage wording in a timely manner; approving modifications on the spot thanks to its underwriters’ knowledge, experience and decision making authority; and its stability, responsiveness, and efficient handling and paying of claims and performance of audits. ASI finds a way to balance accommodating client needs with maintaining discipline in a competitive market.
”It is an enormous advantage to us that not all of our competitors have access to ASI,” says Andreoli “It‘s truly special relationship.”
For additional information on ASI’s casualty risk capabilities, contact our underwriting team at 1-800-388-3647 or visit www.amsafety.com/casualty.