Bringing relief to area employers. (Special Advertising Profile: ABD Insurance & Financial Services).Unprecedented economic factors are putting the squeeze on area employers -- and employees. Global uncertainty, poor equity performance, legal issues and tightening insurance markets keep raising the stakes. Jim Hall Jim Hall is the name of:
There is no one "right" answer to this dilemma. Yet the seasoned members of ABD's Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, team help employers find solutions that fit. ABD's innovative approaches beat even the toughest challenges. "And our solutions work," says Jim Czesak, ABD ABD n. A candidate for a doctorate who has completed all the requirements for the degree, such as courses and examinations, with the exception of the dissertation. [a(ll) b(ut) d(issertation).] Executive Vice President. "We find ways to flat-line, if not save, costs in our clients' employee benefits programs. We develop combinations of traditional and new approaches to address the enormous changes in property and casualty insurance. All with a minimum amount of pain. And we stay involved, providing whatever assistance and support is needed to make sure these solutions take root." Solutions that Fit "It's like having a new level of expertise in my HR department," says Alex LaBrie, Vice President, Human Resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. at Entravision. When LaBrie was looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a broker to take Entravision, a fast-growing media enterprise, to the next level, his requirements were simple. They included service excellence, solid insurance expertise and good relationships with carriers. More importantly, he wanted trust, honesty and loyalty. With ABD involved in all aspects of the company's risk management and health care benefits, Alex says, "I have made the right choice. ABD delivers on all fronts." It's All About People What is the key ingredient to inspiring client loyalty? Several factors come to mind with ABD. Their clients talk about professionalism, straight-talk, a huge knowledge base, solid resources and "out-of-the-box" thinking. They even describe ABD employees as "hard working" and "fun" to have on their teams. An amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. 96% of ABD's clients have retained the company's services for five years or more. And ABD is viewed as an "employer of choice" -- meaning it has the pick of the best and brightest in the industry. Behind each client relationship is continuity of service that's unprecedented in the industry. Nearly 20% of the people in ABD's Southern California operations have accrued ac·crue v. ac·crued, ac·cru·ing, ac·crues v.intr. 1. To come to one as a gain, addition, or increment: interest accruing in my savings account. 2. over 15 years of service, and 60% have more than five years. What this means in day-to-day terms is working with people who know each business intimately. The ABD team brings a breadth of employee benefit and risk management expertise to the relationship - and they know what will work, and work well, in different environments. With clients ranging from hi-tech to retail and from manufacturing to construction, ABD knows that each organization grapples with different economic, risk management and human resources challenges. In the Southern California market, ABD not only has bilingual bi·lin·gual adj. 1. a. Using or able to use two languages, especially with equal or nearly equal fluency. b. specialists, it is a nationally recognized leader in addressing multi-site, multi-state insurance needs. Trust, Communications Service, and Expertise ABD teams stay involved, anticipating needs and exploring practical solutions in a proactive way. Now, more than ever, employers are looking for this kind of support to provide relief. From strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. to program administration and balance sheet protection, ABD's breadth of core competencies A core competency is something that a firm can do well and that meets the following three conditions specified by Hamel and Prahalad (1990):
"ABD has demonstrated a true partnership with us in their responsiveness, anticipation of our needs and providing a full gamut See color gamut. gamut - The gamut of a monitor is the set of colours it can display. There are some colours which can't be made up of a mixture of red, green and blue phosphor emissions and so can't be displayed by any monitor. of services," says Linda Yezek, Agents' Benefits Manager for Farmers Insurance. "We have very high standards for accuracy and service. ABD recognizes this and has coordinated, insisted upon and enforced these standards with all of our carriers. "We thoroughly enjoy our working relationship with the ABD team. The qualities they exhibit individually, and as a group, provide true value added Value Added The enhancement a company gives its product or service before offering the product to customers. Notes: This can either increase the products price or value. to our program." Marketing Clout ABD, the largest broker headquartered in the Western U.S., has developed solid relationships with all of the world's leading insurance companies. "What this means in today's terms," says Jim Hall, "is gaining influence and flexibility for our clients, and having carriers who can be convinced to try something new, rather than just deliver another rate increase." ABD uses their strength to meet the specific needs of each client -- and develop special programs for niche markets A niche market also known as a target market is a focused, targetable portion (subset) of a market sector. By definition, then, a business that focuses on a niche market is addressing a need for a product or service that is not being addressed by mainstream providers. . The company's proprietary Municipal Benefits Pool, forexample, has grown over the last seven years to include more than 100 cities, providing participants with a range of benefit options that Would be impossible for each municipality MUNICIPALITY. The body of officers, taken collectively, belonging to a city, who are appointed to manage its affairs and defend its interests. to mount on its own. New Tools of the Trade ABD is also at the leading technical edge of the industry. The company has embraced the power of the internet, as a business-to-business tool and as an efficiency enhancement for end-users. The company's proprietary Cybersure website provides ABD clients with information on a wide range of insurance-related topics, as well as tools, forms, reports, background data and industry surveys and benchmarks. More than just bells and whistles A slang English term for exceptional features in some product. In the computer field, it typically refers to functions in software that may be greatly appreciated by some users, even though they may not be necessary most of the time. , CyberSure tools can reduce the administrative time spent on day-to-day insurance-related tasks by as much as 40% -- an efficiency factor that's vital in today's business Today's Business is a show on CNBC that aired in the early morning, 5 to 7AM ET timeslot, hosted by Liz Claman and Bob Sellers, and it was replaced by Wake Up Call on Feb 4, 2002. environment. In fact, ABD is so committed to CyberSure, it provides the website link exclusively to all of its clients at no charge. ABD Excellence ABD's steady growth, success and respect in the industry can be attributed, first and foremost, to its people - and the close-knit relationships they have developed with clients. These partnerships focus on: helping clients save money, keeping plans in compliance, retaining employees, protecting balance sheets and leveraging technology to simplify administrative tasks. In today's "perfect storm," with a convergence of factors presenting really tough challenges, organizations are looking beyond the usual services and are turning more and more to companies they can trust. ABD -- Overview / Services ABD is a full-service, multi-line broker specializing in employee benefits, risk management, and retirement plans. Headquartered in Redwood City, California Redwood City is a suburb located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Redwood City is the county seat of San Mateo County. As of the 2005 census, the city had a total population of 76,000. , ABD ranks in the top 15 U.S. brokerage firms. ABD's 500 consultants and specialists, serving more than 2,000 clients nationwide, generate annual revenues of $110 million on more than $1 billion in premiums. ABD is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Greater Bay Bancorp. [GRAPH OMITTED] For more information contact Dennis Rainey or Sam Elliott at (888) 543-9995. |
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