Hotchkiss Okayed to Form Comp Group for Green Industries

Hotchkiss Insurance Agency Inc. (HIA), which provides insurance services to the building industry and related trades in the State of Texas, announced that the Texas Department of Insurance has approved its application to form and maintain the Texas Green Industry Workers’ Compensation Group.

The purpose of the group is to create a workers’ compensation purchasing group to provide the members of the Texas green industry with a competitive option for acquiring workers’ compensation insurance.

The green industry consists primarily of growers, landscape contractors, retail nursery, and allied green industry businesses. The purchasing group combined with management training and a safety program will be part of a comprehensive program designed for the benefit of green industry members and their employees. With the support and resources of HIA, the Texas Green Industry Workers’ Compensation Group will provide value added benefits to members of the green industry.

Among one of the benefits is a customized safety training program that will be available to members to promote better industry safety practices. The primary benefit of the group will give members the ability to qualify for a premium discount.

One of the immediate benefits of the group is the application of the 10.5 percent premium discount to each member, regardless of premium size. This substantial discount is otherwise unavailable to the typical individual policyholder.

The safety program will also give member employers the opportunity to earn policy dividends as a group, in addition to the individual dividends that they may qualify for on their own. Due to their premium size, most green industry workers’ compensation subscribers are not currently earning an individual policy dividend.

By banding together in a safety group of other green industry employers, members have the opportunity to access and implement HIA’s exclusive safety training program at no cost so they may learn how to:
a. earn their own individual dividend;
b. earn a separate dividend based upon loss experience of the group as a whole;
c. strengthen their industries’ voices on insurance issues including rates and WC laws by establishing a collective voice; (long-term effect)
d. gain credibility as an industry, with the general public, by promoting their commitment to safety and loss control.

In addition to the above HIA will work with the green industry members to promote the Green Industry Workers’ Compensation Group in Texas in the following ways:
– Identifying expert speakers for educational safety programs at association meetings;
– Providing informative articles for newsletters;
– Building a Q&A database for members regarding educational topics in the field of insurance coverage;
– Working to build informative links on the Web sites for members to access;
– Actively assisting the green industry in its marketing drive to gain new members.

Underwriters meeting the criteria of the group, which will include an “A” rating by AM Best, strong financials and claims paying ability have been identified and negotiations are underway.

Membership in the group may include anyone working in the following insurance classifications of Texas green industry businesses: Nursery-Wholesale-with Hot House or Greenhouse Growing Operations and Drivers; Landscape Gardening and Drivers; Lawn Sprinkler Installation and Drivers; Garden Supply Stores-Retail and Drivers; Nursery-Wholesale and Drivers; Lawn Maintenance-By Contract; Farm: Nursery Employees and Drivers; Farm Christmas Tree and Drivers; Grass Nursery and Drivers.

For more information about this program contact sshahon@hotchkissins.com, call (800) 899-3750 ext.260.

Topics Texas Workers' Compensation Training Development