The Value of NASBP Membership
Below are how NASBP members, their clients and NASBP strategic partners value NASBP and NASBP membership.
“I always come away from a Regional or National NASBP meeting having gained more than I expected. They provide a great venue to make new agency relationships and sustain existing relationships. They also allow me to stay current on industry trends and developments. As a result, I always look forward to the next Regional or National NASBP meeting.”
- George R. James, Senior Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, International Fidelity Insurance Company
“Everyone is using technology to communicate, and it’s important that we, as bond producers utilize that to our benefit. SuretyConnect is a great way to do that; we can communicate with each other regarding vital topics such as legislation and financial reporting guidelines or just keep in touch with old friends from Surety School. As newer producers and contractors utilize SuretyConnect, it is important to have a tool such as this to keep in touch and to continue to be of service to contractors' needs.”
- Joshua A. Etemadi, Producer, Construction Bonds, Inc. a Division of Murray Risk Management and Insurance, Fairfax, VA
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Annual meeting for Regions 1, 2, & 3. The venue at Lowes Coronado was spectacular. I took away valuable information from the discussions we had at the steering committee meetings as well as the general membership meetings. NASBP continues to host these meetings in a professional, meaningful and entertaining way.”
– Ron Ballard, Vice President, SureTec Insurance Co., San Deigo, CA
"In the summer of 2010, compromise legislation was introduced in the Senate that would reform existing laws regarding interstate trucking firms and property brokers. The legislation was of interest to us because it proposed to make changes to property broker surety bonds and impose new requirements on surety companies and trust fund administrators. We contacted NASBP staff with our concerns and within two weeks NASBP scheduled a meeting with staff of Sen. Snowe, who sits on the subcommittee with oversight of the bill and also is the ranking member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. We were able to explain the surety’s and bonding agent’s role, discuss our concerns, and present a written summary of our concerns with the proposed legislation."
-Matt Zehner,Vice President-Surety Information and Communication, Roanoke Trade Services, Inc., Schaumburg, IL
“I believe that the NASBP Fly-in is an excellent opportunity to strengthen NASBP’s future by participating in the legislative process. It is equally as important as it provides participants the opportunity to gain insight into how the federal political process functions.”
- Mel Hrubetz, Account Executive, LaMair-Mulock-Condon Co., West Des Moines, IA
My first legislative fly-in was a huge eye opener for me. As a political novice, our Association did a great job of educating me on the legislative and lobbying process. Hearing Senator Cardin speak on the importance of face to face contact with our elected officials really hit home for me. I encourage all our members to participate next year.
- Stephen A. Spencer, President, Insurance Associates, Inc., Rockville, Maryland
Regarding the NASBP Fly-in, we visited the offices of three U.S. Colorado Congressmen and both U.S. Senators and were graciously received by all of them. Most were relatively uninformed about our issues, but all were interested in our concerns. It was a positive experience and we intend to go back for follow-up visits.
- Bud Withrow, Managing Member, CoWest Insurance Associates, LLC, Denver, CO
“I welcomed and appreciated the opportunity to be a participant representing the NASBP on the review committee composed of a broad spectrum of parties involved with the AIA Bond Forms. The meeting was productive and allowed the interests of the surety agent to be heard. As you well know, the NASBP agent is responsible for the execution and delivery of the bond, and it is essential that we be well informed and supportive of the AIA Bond Forms in that process”.
- Bill Cowan, Director of Surety, Insurance Associates Inc., Rockville, Maryland
“Virtual Seminars are wonderful and always very timely for us. Knowledgeable presenters share extremely useful information and we come away with important material we can use right away. The NASBP Seminars are truly a valued added resource provided by the NASBP. Members of our group who are not able to participate in the live Seminars make sure they listen to the recordings soon afterwards.”
- Katherine J. Foreit, Assistant Vice President, MARSH USA Inc., Chicago, IL
“As a young professional in the surety business, one of the first things I realized is that the surety industry and the clients we serve are constantly changing and evolving. The NASBP Virtual Seminars have really helped continue my education and stay up to date with the issues surety professionals and their clients are currently facing.”
- Jeffrey D. Kawamoto, Bond Producer, Early, Cassidy & Shilling, Inc., Reston, VA
"SuretyConnect offers NASBP members a simple, uniform suite of online tools to facilitate communication by and between members at large as well as by the standing committees and ad-hoc groups."
- Randall K. Moon, Area Vice President - Surety, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc., Itasca, IL
“I thought our Regional Meeting in San Diego was a good mix of timely relevant information combined with some time to catch up with longtime friends in the business. The keynote from The Captain from the Navy Seals was fantastic! I am still talking about it with clients and co-workers.”
- Eric Zimmerman, Surety Manager, Propel Insurance, Tacoma, WA
“Surety Bonds are a critical piece of all of our small businesses and our contractors need your help, so we’re delighted….Congratulations on this award, we really do appreciate all that you do.”
- Karen Mills, U.S. SBA Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, Washington, DC.
"This was my first year attending the NASBP Legislative Fly-In Event in Washington DC so I was not sure what to expect. After listening to the various Speakers and visiting with our respective congressional delegation, I can say this event made for an enlightening and enjoyable experience. Explaining our Surety Bond Product and the important aspects we need understood by our Legislators should help this event become even more successful in future years.”
- Rich Kainz, Vice President, City Underwriting Agency, Lake Success, NY
“What we look for in an agent is a broad perspective on the industry and an awareness of the trends and issues that could affect our business. We’ve never found an agency with these abilities who was not an active member of NASBP.”
– Don Shaw, President and CEO, ISEC, Inc., Englewood, CO (building interiors specialty contractor)
“How do you keep up with all of the trends in our industry? How do you establish open and honest relationships? Or ask a client tough questions about performance shortfalls? Where do you learn that?”
– Ed Heine, Executive Vice President, Payne Financial Group, Inc., Missoula, MT
“I consider my NASBP membership to be an investment that has produced a significant bottom-line benefit to my business.”
– Carl Dohn, Jr., President, Dohn & Maher Associates, Palatine, IL
“Once, a client’s bond requirements exceeded the threshold that the surety’s local office could approve. A few days later, I had dinner with top execs from the surety company at an NASBP conference. The next day, I had the approval I needed.”
– Craig Hansen, Senior Vice President, Holmes Murphy & Associates, Inc., West Des Moines, IA
“Every time you turn around, someone, somewhere is working to undermine our product.”
– Larry McMahon, First Vice President/Surety Manager, Alliant Insurance Services, Inc., San Diego, CA
“I don’t have time to reinvent the wheel. And if I did, it wouldn’t be as good as something created by NASBP with its perspective on, and commitment to, our industry.”
– Bill Maroney, Senior Vice President, City Underwriting Agency, Inc., Lake Success, NY
“The producer’s insight on surety relationships, risk management issues, and market forces provides specialty contractors with critical information to direct their businesses on successful paths.”
– Dan Walter, President of the Associated Specialty Contractors, Inc. and Chief Operating Officer of the National Electrical Contractors Association, Bethesda, MD
“The opportunities to network, to form lasting relationships, and to make a difference in our industry are some of the tangible rewards of my NASBP experience. The more involved I have become, the more my business has benefited.”
– Sarah Finn, National Surety Senior Vice President, IMA of Colorado, Inc., Denver, CO
“Why do surety companies prefer to work with NASBP agencies? Because they know they will be working with the very best.”
– Kurt Lundblad, Vice President, Cedarleaf, Cedarleaf & Cedarleaf, Inc., St. Paul, MN
“Surety companies regard our members as the best in the business. They expect—and they get—better qualified submissions.”
– Steve Cory, President, Cory, Tucker & Larrowe, Inc., Metairie, LA