Table Of
CONTENTS
4 RENTAL CAR INSURANCE CONSIDERATIONS
6 THE IMPORTANCE AND PURPOSE OF OCEAN MARINE CARGO COVERAGE
9 BUILD A NETWORK WITHOUT FEELING SLIMY Phil Gerbyshak
12 BUSINESS GROWTH INSIGHTS & TRENDS
15 BREAK THIS RULE TO AVOID BURNOUT AND INCREASE REVENUE Mike Michalowicz
18 THE DEMISE OF FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTIONS HAS LED TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE CRISIS John DiJulius
22 THE MAGIC LABEL: " HAVE YOU GIVEN UP ON? Chris Voss
26 WHAT IS A NUCLEAR VERDICT?
29 POLLUTION PREVENTION AND SPILL CONTROL STRATEGIES
Welcome To
SPECTRUM INSURANCE
GROUP
Insurance That Offers The Greatest Protection At The Lowest Cost
Welcome to the spring 2026 edition of Risk & Business Magazine. Spectrum Insurance Group is pleased to provide this magazine as a valuable resource for your company. The purpose of the magazine is to bring relevant content to help your business succeed. Inside this edition, you’ ll find many great articles related to business insurance, employee benefits, safety / risk management, employment law, banking, financial management, and general business topics. We think you will find these articles informative, and useful to the success of your business.
When Spectrum Insurance Group was started in 2007, one of the core values we established was to provide value-added services to our customers. Risk & Business Magazine provides another outlet to help inform and educate not only our customers but all businesses located throughout the state of Wisconsin. What is good for all businesses in Wisconsin is good for Spectrum Insurance Group!
As the insurance marketplace moves away from the horrendous losses of 2022 and 2023 and the relatively quiet years for storm activity in Wisconsin in 2024 and 2025, we expect 2026 to be a stable year compared to previous years. Insurance companies have increased rates to a more adequate level to sustain profitably at least through 2026 in property insurance. Future rate increases and coverage restrictions will depend greatly on weather patterns this spring and summer.
One trend that continues to raise red flags for insurance companies is the large claims in general liability and auto liability. Many of these“ nuclear verdicts” are also reaching the umbrella / excess policies( see article on nuclear verdicts in this edition). Insurance buyers can expect to see rate increases in all three of these policy types. We have also seen many underwriters restricting the limits available on the umbrella policy. In various classes of business, it has become extremely difficult to attain umbrella limits over $ 5,000,000. For businesses that require higher limits, an additional excess policy over the umbrella is the only way to purchase the higher limits. These policies will obviously add additional cost to the overall insurance spend.
Now more than ever, you need an insurance professional who understands your business, helps you plan for unique risks, has access to many insurance companies, and advocates on your behalf. All of this can be achieved by working with an independent insurance agent, who can tell your story to insurance carriers in a way that will best position your business come renewal time. No matter what happens in 2026, businesses in Wisconsin have an innate ability to adapt to challenges that they are confronted with. This makes Wisconsin an excellent state to do business in! +
Darrel Zaleski, Owner SPECTRUMINSGROUP. COM
SpectrumInsGroup. com • 3