30 BRAND STORY PRODUCED BY THE OREGON BUSINESS MARKETING DEPARTMENT BY VANESSA SALVIA When Nolan Colvin meets with business owners across Central Oregon, he doesn’t lead with an insurance sales pitch. “I don’t view myself as being a sales person,” he says. Instead, he focuses on understanding their unique challenges, growth objectives, and operational realities. As a commercial insurance advisor with Marsh McLennan Agency’s Northwest operations, Colvin views his role differently than many in his industry — starting with his approach to connecting with new clients. “I do a lot of in-person prospecting,” Colvin explains. “This allows for a great opportunity to meet business leaders at their place and start a conversation. My job is to partner with businesses, understand their operations, and effectively present their risk profile to insurance carriers. I’m helping them purchase insurance and manage risk — not selling to them.” Creative Solutions for High-Risk Properties This consultative approach recently proved invaluable for a Bend-area hotel facing a potentially devastating insurance challenge. The property was located in a high wildfire risk zone and scored nearly 100 (the highest possible score) on underwriters’ risk assessment scales. This meant the property was about to lose its standard carrier coverage. The hotel’s options appeared limited to a complex, multi-carrier solution that would have increased premiums five-fold. “In Central Oregon, fire risk is a major concern for property coverage, especially with recent catastrophic events affecting insurance markets nationwide,” Colvin says. “Many carriers are either pulling out entirely or implementing significant rate increases at renewal. Some are requiring businesses to split coverage across multiple carriers, with different insurers handling property, Building Business Resilience A Partner-First Approach to Risk Management JASON E. KAPLAN
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTcxMjMwNg==