AGENT INSIGHTS
The Value Of A Second Pair Of Eyes
Earth Friendly Builders Has Someone Watching Over Their Policies
WITH ALISHA PARADISE
When Alisha Paradise first met with Rob Tjostelson and James Paulet of Earth Friendly Builders , a Twin Cities roofing company , she was asked to review the company ’ s insurance coverage .
“ The first thing I noticed was there were a lot of errors with the policies ,” Alisha recalls . “ In fact , one of the policies didn ’ t have the correct company name .”
Something else she noted was the fact that they had a worker ’ s comp certificate that was issued by their insurance agency . “ In Minnesota , an insurance agency can never issue such a certificate ,” she notes . “ It must come directly from the carrier . They could incur heavy fines for having this .”
What she found was that their policies were written up as if they were “ swinging the hammer .”
It got to a point where Alisha found so many issues that they asked her to take over as the insurance agent for the company . “ James told me , ‘ I don ’ t care what it takes . Please fix all of these issues ,'” she says .
Alisha recalls going over the paperwork with a fine-tooth comb and was able to correct all of the issues as well as update their policies . “ We have a great working relationship ,” she says . “ They now refer me to all of their clientele .”
Looking out for their best interests , Alisha warned James and Rob to only work with insured subcontractors . “ When you bring a general contractor on-board for a construction or home remodeling project , he or she assumes responsibility for the build and just about everything else that happens on the job site ,” Alisha notes . “ And with that enormous responsibility comes an equally massive liability .”
Alisha says if an uninsured subcontractor fails to do the job properly , it is the contractor that will ultimately get sued , not the little guy . Consequently , Alisha has them send her all of their potential subcontractors to ensure they are insured . She is grateful for the mutual trust that they have established over the years .
James admitted to Alisha that because he is not comfortable during an audit process , he has her handle them , ensuring that the process goes smoothly .
Alisha is impressed with the fact that , as the name suggests , Earth Friendly Builders is committed to being good stewards of the environment and uses environmentally friendly materials as well as recycles all waste when possible .
Alisha advises that all business owners have a second pair of eyes review their policies . “ I mean , with James and Rob , their previous agency couldn ’ t even get the name of the company right ,” she says . “ What ’ s more , I know that I ’ m not perfect , and I would not mind someone taking a look at policies that I recommended . In the end , it ’ s all about finding the right agency for you , someone you can trust .”
She also wants readers to know that it doesn ’ t cost anything to request a consultation .
Keep in mind that contracting is a risky business at best . Anything can happen at any time , so it ’ s crucial that your company and subs are all properly insured . You can never be too careful . +
Alisha Paradise has been with the Nesbit Agencies for almost four years and has been in the insurance industry for over 6 years . She started her insurance career by learning the industry as a Customer Service Representative in our East Bethel Saarela Insurance office and quickly evolved from CSR into one of the Nesbit Agencies most productive Producers . She handles all types of insurance but especially loves the commercial side due to its complexity and the importance it represents for all business owners .
14