This month's employee spotlight is Lupe Erwin, from our personal lines group. We think she could be a finalist for having one of the most unusual jobs while in school. Read more about Lupe and the unusual job.

Product Recall Insurance has never been cheaper. I use the term ‘never’ loosely because I have no idea if that statement is true. The Phoenicians may have only paid a nickel for it. It certainly hasn’t been cheaper in the last 10 years, so that’s good enough. It’s an odd circumstance though: there are more recalls each year, but the cost of insuring recall events has fallen dramatically over those years. It’s the antithesis of insurance cycles. Additionally, more insurance companies are releasing Product Recall Insurance products, so there is more competition for the business. Every recall specialist I speak with agrees that this cannot last since the costs of recall insurance claims will ultimately far outpace the premiums collected. If you are on the fence about adding Product Recall Insurance to your insurance program, this is truly the time to do it.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has added a new statement to its website to communicate that they are not accepting electronic submissions of 300 logs at this time, and intends to propose extending the July 1, 2017 deadline.

2018 is already well underway, and off to a great start. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t take a look back at the year that just ended. 2017 was a tremendous year for Wood, Gutmann & Bogart. We experienced positive growth, welcomed new members to our team, provided phenomenal service to our clients, and gave back to our community. Let’s take a moment to reflect on some of WGB’s brightest moments in 2017.

What if disaster strikes and you need to leave your home in a hurry; will you be ready?  In WGB’s thirty years of shielding our customers from risk, we know there is one rule when it comes to disasters: no one is immune to the unexpected.

Thousands of people recently had to flee their homes in the wake of wildfires in California. Millions of people in Puerto Rico and the southern United States endured days, weeks, even months without electricity or running water after powerful hurricanes hit. Brutal east coast winter storms recently knocked power out for days as well, forcing residents to seek shelter elsewhere. Are you prepared to leave your home on a moment’s notice if one of these incidents occurs where you live?

Starting this year we wanted to share a little about some of our team members with a monthly employee spotlight. So to kickoff -- meet Debbie Rogister! Unfortunately, she will be leaving the WGB family in the next month or two to start some new adventures in retirement. As you can see in the photo, she has travel plans in her future. So, before she leaves we wanted to ask her a few questions to learn a little more about her.

Trust is everything in business. Returning customers spend up to 300 percent more on products and services than first-time customers, and you’re not going to get repeat business with a client who doesn’t trust you. So how do you earn a client’s trust? Here are four things you should consider.

Now is the time to talk about protecting wealth, from one generation to the next.

So your children have left the nest…or have they? This is not a trick question. But things can get tricky when it comes to understanding how, and when, liability exposure will transfer from parents to their children – from the college years and beyond.

Operating a motor vehicle safely requires concentration, focus, and awareness of constantly changing surroundings. Electronic devices such as cell phones and tablets can take your focus away from the road and increase the risk of accidents. On average, a driver is four times more likely to be in an accident when using an electronic device.

Managing Insurance Rate Increases

California food & beverage companies were hammered with Work Comp rate increases in the last 8 years. Many organizations that paid $80,000 for Work Comp in 2009 currently pay $200,000 or more without substantial increases to payroll. Food & beverage companies reacted to these increased costs by doubling down on workforce safety management to prevent new injuries and reduce the likelihood that employees will seek out personal injury attorneys.