A Letter from the Divisional President: Mark Vuono

As I look back to late December 2020 and recall what our expectations and hopes were for 2021 – following an unprecedented and extremely challenging pandemic year– I certainly did not envision the many twists and turns that all of us would experience. From the tumultuous changing of administrations, to the coronavirus vaccines being slowly rolled out, to then many scrambling to book an appointment, to then the re-opening of many businesses only to find supply chain issues and lack of adequate staffing, it was an eventful start to say the least. By summer, it felt that life may be getting back to normal for us to only start experiencing new variants and spikes in COVID-19 cases as winter approached. It’s amazing that any of us maintained our focus and not only adapted but also succeeded as we have done. It certainly says a lot about the human spirit and its ability to persevere even in the most trying of times.

At Great American Insurance Company, we have always prided ourselves in overcoming the many challenges and obstacles that we have faced throughout our 150-year history. As we celebrate this distinctive achievement in 2022, we will continue to remain committed to our high level of service and support during these extraordinary times to ensure you have the products and services you need to thrive and move forward.

Reflecting on a successful year

2021 has certainly been another interesting and challenging year, but as I reflect, I want to focus on the positives and recognize the great work that was done by our team. Let’s look at just a handful of highlights that we were able to accomplish over the past year:

• Continued our product collaboration with managing general agent (MGA), Align General. Our expansion into the GL market has been successful, and we look forward to continuing this collaboration in 2022. We are proud of the successful debut of our first combined GL /Pollution product.
• Developed and launched Great American’s very first podcast - Discover What We Cover: A Great American Environmental Podcast. Our episodes cover numerous topics ranging from industry trends to environmental insurance FAQs. You can listen to these episodes on all major streaming platforms.
• Launched our TankAssure Pollution Program, an extremely user-friendly online quoting and binding program for your clients’ storage tank coverage needs offered on admitted paper in all 50 states.
• Expanded our collection of various webinars and virtual resources such as our Riskopolis Series page and Claims Scenario Library to better assist you in informing your clients of environmental dangers.
• Named a 5-Star Environmental Insurance Provider by Insurance Business America (IBA) thanks to the support of our brokers. The Division was named a Top Environmental Carrier based on many months of research and hundreds of one-on-one interviews and surveys completed with top brokers across the country. The award celebrates the Environmental Division’s outstanding product offerings, first-class customer service and industry knowledge.
• Recognized as one of forty recipients across the United States as a Break Out Insurance Leader by Business Insurance. Our very own Olivia Derderian, production underwriting supervisor, was named as a Business Insurance’s Break Out Award recipient which recognizes the next generation’s leaders in the risk management and property and casualty insurance fields.
• Joined the Center for Creative Land Recycling as a National Visionary Sponsor that recognizes our leadership and expertise in the environmental insurance sector, joining other prominent companies aligning with CCLR’s mission of transforming communities through land reuse.
• Participated in a variety of charitable events as well as industry conferences and virtual team bonding activities.
• Continued the expansion of several existing programs, implemented with our key specialty brokers. We are delighted to continue these mutually beneficial relationships and look forward to the success and expansion of these programs in 2022.
• Developed new relationships with many brokers across the country and continued the success of our GREAT AMERICAN REWARDS Program which launched in 2018 and has now transitioned to a fully digital program. We developed an informative video to demonstrate how to become a member and participate in the program. Sign up today!
• Launched the newest addition to our suite of environmental products – Products Pollution is specifically designed for manufacturers and distributors of various products including but not limited to paints and chemicals, metal goods, automotive parts, machinery and machinery parts, plastic and rubber goods, and other commercial products.
• Augmented our educational platform – the Broker Toolkit – which was developed as a one-stop shop for access to all the educational tools and resources needed to assist in successfully marketing environmental insurance to current and prospective clients.
• Expanded our product video suite with the addition of the Products Pollution video which illustrates how pollution conditions can have the potential to impede business operations and may result in the required shut down of manufacturing processes if an insured is not properly protected.
• Maintained and strengthened our relationships with key brokers and clients. Our team took every measure to provide seamless continuity in our service to our brokers and agents. Our webinar series helped to continue our educational offerings in a virtual setting – we invite you to join us for our latest UST Training series!
• Continued to increase our media presence in an effort to communicate the importance of environmental insurance for commercial customers while also being formally recognized as a top service provider.

Looking forward

Moving forward and setting ourselves up for future success was our main goal in 2021. All of our units did a great job in accomplishing this. While there were many times when things appeared confusing or even disheartening, we were able to refocus our energy and resources to move forward and make progress and continuing on our path to success. Just a few examples include:

• Our National and Executive Underwriting teams achieving historic production and profitability results while continuing to provide superior customer service as well as creative and flexible product offerings to meet the needs of our brokers and insureds. The team’s dedication to the development and fostering of strong customer relationships while remaining committed to our underwriting discipline served us well and continues to pay dividends.
• Our Technical Support group continued to provide quality and efficient service to both our claims and underwriting operations throughout the year. Their partnering with our underwriters to lend their expertise to our collaboration process is vital and provides not only quality technical knowledge on individual risks but also serves as an excellent learning opportunity for all our underwriters and claims professionals. Keeping up to date on changing regulations and emerging issues is a constant struggle, and our Technical Support team does a first-rate job keeping us ahead of the curve and contributing to our broker resources with relevant and timely whitepapers.
• Our Claims Department had a very good year handling all environmental claims with professionalism, responsiveness and overall service at the forefront. With this commitment to excellence, the team successfully exceeded all of the goals established internally as well as set by our corporate claims group.
• Our marketing team’s continued dedication and hard work has helped to further advance our profile in the marketplace. Even more important, the development of better marketing resources has strengthened our broker relationships. They continue to find and cultivate opportunities for us to speak to new and diverse audiences and author articles that raise awareness of our products and services. With the pandemic still impacting travel capabilities, the team continued its focus on virtual marketing opportunities including the development of broker webinars, website collateral and the company’s first and only podcast.

I reached a personal milestone in 2021, celebrating 40 years working within the Environmental Industry, an achievement that I would have never dreamed of when I started my insurance career in 1981. As we move into 2022, another significant milestone will be commemorated – 2022 marks Great American Insurance Company’s 150th anniversary, an accomplishment that only a small number of companies have achieved. For 150 years, Great American Insurance Company has grown with each generation and has risen to the challenge through wars, economic turmoil, natural disasters and worries. This longevity and strength reflect on the continued execution of a strategy focused on profitable growth while honoring our commitments to our customers. As a result, Great American as a company is well positioned to handle the complexities that continue to evolve from COVID-19 or any other unforeseen challenges that may arise. With our deep expertise and financial strength, we’ve laid a foundation of success that has stood the test of time. Learn more about our strong past and current financial strength.

For 2022, you can be confident that our team is committed to taking whatever reasonable measures may be needed to continue to provide seamless continuity in our service to you. We are excited to feature upcoming business expansion opportunities within both our traditional offerings and new programs including:

• Our new TankAssure Pollution Program which has launched in all 50 states on admitted paper with our easy-to-use online quoter tool.
• Our team of experts will continue to host the popular environmental insurance-focused podcast with new episodes throughout the year.
• With the addition of an experienced training coordinator to our division, we are committed to enhanced training for our existing staff and the hiring and onboarding of key personnel as appropriate to enable us to continue to meet our commitments to our clients.
• Our Broker Satisfaction Survey will be conducted again in 2022 to ensure we continue to provide the best service and coverage to our brokers and their clients.
• We will continue to focus on our keys to success. Focusing on strategic growth in which we ensure our culture remains at the forefront of any business decisions, these “keys” will help to guide us in best serving our customer needs for the next decade and beyond.
• Professionalism: To work with all people in an ethical and respectful manner
• Quality: To ensure that our work product is complete, accurate and meets the needs of our customers
• Ownership: To take responsibility for our actions and commitment to a strong work ethic
• Change: To adapt to change which remains a constant within our industry
• Collaboration: To work as a team because we’re stronger together than we are individually

Only by excelling in these core principles will we be able to maintain our position as one of the industry’s premier environmental insurance carriers.

Overall, I am proud of the remarkable accomplishments the Environmental Division has achieved despite the constant hurdles the past couple years has dealt us all both personally and professionally. I am very proud to be associated with the great group of people in our division, and I look forward to even better times for all.

I would also like to thank you – our various business associates – for your business and continued support. We look forward to a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous 2022. Let’s keep the ball rolling.

Sincerely,
Mark Vuono
Divisional President, Great American Environmental Division

Mark is Divisional President after holding the position of Chief Underwriting Officer since the start of Great American’s Environmental Division. Along with his extensive experience in the insurance field including business planning, product development, underwriting and training, his background also includes experience as an environmental specialist as well as a health & safety officer. He is based out of our Exton, PA office.