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March 2008
Training Today's Auditors for Tomorrow's Industry
By Patrick J. Connolly

The value of a thoroughly trained workforce cannot be overstated. Training a geographically dispersed workforce can be costly, especially when you consider the interests of many companies to contain internal costs. So how can you effectively train your auditing staff with a reduced training budget? Using technology and different forms of media to train and provide continuous learning to your staff can be an effective approach. Overland Solutions, Inc. (OSI) uses a blended approach to training that incorporates many different technologies to drive maximum effectiveness in learning and knowledge retention. Overland Solutions, Inc. remains the industry leader with an experienced and highly trained work force.

The training of our field staff exemplifies OSI’s commitment to our employees and our high standards for the premium audit industry. As the industry leader, Overland Solutions, Inc. believes that enhancing the education and training of auditors in the insurance field is important. We believe in providing a healthy learning and continuing education environment to sustain a growing audit profession. It is our business to provide meaningful, accurate, and timely information that assists you in making better underwriting decisions. Because of this, it is a necessity to effectively develop and train our field staff so that they are equipped to meet those expectations. Since providing meaningful information is what we do, we must ensure that we are equipped to do it well.

 

It is not just the initial training that is important. Providing a nurturing environment for continuous learning is key. Overland Solutions, Inc. places focus on providing continuing education tools for more experienced employees that are looking to brush up on their industry knowledge. While offering training in classroom settings and using technology is important, training is not effective unless follow-up mentoring and coaching is completed on an ongoing basis. This is one of the major reasons that we have Audit Managers, Regional Managers, and General Managers to provide continuous guidance and support to our field staff. One of the primary responsibilities of that manager is to reinforce text book, computer, and live training with frequent mentoring and coaching. This is critical in a business where theory is important, but practical application of theory is vital. Overland Solutions, Inc. never underestimates the importance of mentoring and coaching in our field branch offices and continues to devote our time and energy towards this effort.

 

In this industry, consistent and timely data is a key ingredient to your company’s success. Overland Solutions, Inc. is dedicated to training our employees to the highest industry standards in order to consistently meet our customers’ specific needs. We want to partner with your company to give you meaningful information that can maximize your profitability and improve your underwriting results.

Patrick J. Connolly is the National Training Manager for Overland Solutions, Inc. Patrick will share his training expertise when he speaks at the 2008 National Society of Insurance Premium Auditors (NSIPA) Annual Seminar in Las Vegas on April 6-9, 2008. For more information about Overland Solutions, Inc. and our innovative training program, please click here to visit the Employee Training page of our website.



February 2008
In Print

Castle Inspection Service, a division of Overland Solutions, Inc., was recently interviewed and quoted as an industry expert by Consumer Reports magazine in its February issue. The publication's article highlighted common financial oversights that consumers make.

Castle commented on the percentage of residential U.S. properties that are undervalued for insurance purposes in an article entitled “12 money mistakes that could cost you $1,000,000" in a section called Underinsuring your Home. To see an online portion of the Consumer Reports article, please click this link.

Castle is regarded as the premier independent residential insurance inspection company in the industry. Castle has assembled highly trained, experienced professionals who are experts in their field. Many companies only trust Castle with their important accounts because of their reputation for high value residential surveys. For additional information about Castle, please click here to visit their website.


January 2008
The Importance of Information to a MGA Professional
by Jeffery L. Haniewich 

We all know the value of up to date and timely information in the underwriting process. This is critical in every part of the underwriting cycle which seems to be always changing.

 

In soft markets, pricing becomes highly competitive. The same risk that was either adequately or more adequately priced in a firm market is now generally priced significantly lower due to competitive market pressures. Since the same risk is bringing with it less premium, how can an organization be profitable with less premium to pay losses? Reducing operating costs by trimming budgets and economizing where practical can help to reduce expense ratios and impact the combined operating ratio.

 

However, we think that better underwriting and risk selection can have the greatest return for your company. In order to better understand what a risk’s characteristics are, more inspections and surveys can be performed to provide better up-front information to assist the underwriter in making more informed decisions.

 

Do you know what you have in your policy portfolio? Would inspections help you to determine if you want to stay on the policy or remove your company from it within the free look period? We think so. We also believe that the identification of major exposures is a primary concern for many. Recommendations generated during the inspection process can ease your concerns and be tailored to focus on specific areas that you determine to be the most critical.

 

The tendency in a soft market is to cut costs and associated budgets, especially in the Loss Control area. While this is possibly a quick fix to expense issues, this may be the worst action taken in a soft market. Instead, requiring more surveys, loss control work, and inspections can assist to reduce loss ratios to offset the up-front soft market pricing.

 

A Managing General Agent must always be price conscious and sensitive to the trends in the insurance industry. If you decide to outsource your fieldwork, it can be a cost-effective solution for you and the carriers that you represent. You can receive specialty services performed by experts to help to ensure the quality of your book of business without increasing your staff. You will obtain the important information that is required through inspections while improving your profitability.

 

Quality risk assessment translates into improvement in loss ratios. If one big loss can be avoided, the cost of an inspection is relatively insignificant and will surely pay for itself. The issue really becomes whether or not you can afford to spend less on good underwriting when the premium you are getting for each risk is much less than in a harder market. That choice is up to you.

 

Jeffery L. Haniewich is the Chief Executive Officer of Overland Solutions, Inc. (OSI). OSI leads the industry in business outsourcing services, specializing in premium audit services, loss control and inspection services, and residential underwriting services across the country. For more information about OSI, please visit our website at www.olsi.net.

October 4, 2007
Redesigned Website

We are excited to launch a new design for our corporate website, www.olsi.net, released to all online guests and customers.

The new look and feel of the website is fresh and bright with new graphics and colors. The website offers improved content and showcases all three divisions and their industry knowledge.  Each division has its own section with content dedicated to its expertise and services.

 

Other new features of our website include:

• A Leadership page highlighting the leaders of Overland Solutions, Inc.
• A Tradeshow Calendar to outline the tradeshows where OSI will be exhibiting in the coming months
• Pages dedicated to Frequently Asked Questions for all three OSI divisions
• A Job Search function listing all of Overland Solutions, Inc.’s employment opportunities
• Improved functionality and navigation

One significant change is the way our web customers log on to the web site. Web customer will not enter their username and password on the OSI home page under client login. Instead, customers will click a button called “Login” in the top right corner and be transported to a Client Home Page to enter their information. This will offer added security with little inconvenience. If you are a frequent user, you may have checked the box called "Remember my password." Our new Client Home Page may not remember that username and password. For any questions regarding this change, please contact our Help Desk at 1-800-690-2182, option 1.

As always, we thank you for visiting our website and hope you have a pleasant online experience.

October 1, 2006
OSI to exhibit at ISOTech and The National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference & Expo Conference.

Overland Solutions, Inc. (OSI) will feature its solutions at two industry shows this November. We invite you to stop by to talk with one of our OSI professionals. OSI will exhibit at ISOTech 2006, the insurance technology conference, on November 12 to 14 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida. ISOTech is regarded as a premier conference for the property/casualty insurance industry offering information on best practices, systems, and technology for our industry. The convention features speakers, workshops, resources, and vendors to help support your success in today’s business world. Additional information can be found on their website at www.iso.com/conferences/isotech06. Please stop by and visit us at booth #111.

OSI will also exhibit at The National Workers' Compensation and Disability Conference & Expo Conference (NWCD) on November 14 to 15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. The convention has fourteen years of success providing valuable knowledge for professionals in the in the disability or workers’ compensation industries. As the nation’s largest workers’ comp and disability show, NWCD attracts more than 200 exhibitors to feature their products and services. Additional information can be found on their website at www.wcconference.com. Please stop by and visit us at booth #906.

April 18, 2006
CEO will be Keynote Speaker at 2006 NSIPA Conference

Jeff Haniewich, Chief Executive Officer, will be the keynote speaker for the 2006 National Society of Insurance Premium Auditors (NSIPA) conference in Boston, Massachusetts this April. Jeff will share some of his experiences in the insurance industry and focus his presentation on the customer’s perspective of a Premium Audit.

Overland Solutions, Inc. (OSI) will exhibit at the conference, showcasing its products and services. Other OSI executives in attendance include Mario Fiel, Lead National Account Executive and President of NSIPA, Lisa Hood, VP of Marketing and Sales Support, Peter Falco, Account Executive, and Brian Keller, Account Executive.

 

Overland Solutions, Inc. is proud to be a sponsor of NSIPA. The organization offers a broad spectrum of involvement opportunities for auditors across the country, including chapter participation, networking, continuing education, a lending library full of resource materials, recognition programs, and volunteer opportunities for Premium Auditors. NSIPA is a valuable resource for OSI, as many of its employees are members of local chapters and attend chapter seminars to stay informed of the latest industry news and trends. This year’s annual conference will be held April 26 through 28, and Jeff Haniewich will be speaking on Thursday, April 27 at 8:15 a.m. For more information about NSIPA and this year’s conference, please visit their website at www.nsipa.org.

 

For more information about Overland Solutions, Inc. and its involvement in similar associations, please contact the Marketing department at 888.827.2118 ext. 8702.

August 31, 2005

OSITrac Launched Nationwide

 

More than 200 executives, General Managers, Audit Managers, Office Managers, and Reviewers participated in the week-long training session beginning June 6 in Overland Park, Kansas. The event marked the first time in Overland Solutions, Inc.’s history that these groups of professionals were all together in the same location. The training centered on OSITrac Professional, the business portion of our new software, which focuses on the back office portion of the software used by our management, office staff, and sales force.

Warren Aldrich, OSITrac Implementation Director, said, "Management training was a great experience for all involved. I believe those experiencing OSITrac for the first time were amazed at the versatility of this new system. With 10 additional training sessions over the next two months, many exciting changes are coming our way!"

 

As OSITrac was implemented across the company this summer, some questions and concerns about the system arose. IT addressed those concerns through weekly conference calls that focused on specific topics to help familiarize everyone with the new system. This allowed users to provide feedback on the use and deployment of OSITrac. IT and the Help Desk staff worked overtime to attend to all OSITrac inquiries.

 

Our company accomplished a major initiative by completing OSITrac training for every branch staff member and field representative across the country. The OSITrac team completed eleven training sessions in ten cities from June 6 until the first week in August to educate our branch and field professionals about OSITrac. The OSITrac team logged countless hours preparing training materials and presentations, writing and creating training manuals, and ensuring all the necessary equipment was ready and available for every attendee.

Warren Aldrich, OSITrac Implementation Director, said, "Thinking back over the last few months, I find it rather amazing that Cherlyn Lewis and I were able to coordinate travel and facilities for the training of approximately 1,000 OSI employees on the new OSITrac systems. I think our success can be attributed to the dedication of Bob Gits, his trainers and SMEs, the branch office staff who helped with numerous tasks at each of the local sites, the IT department and their long hours of hard work at each training site, as well as many Home Office employees who worked extremely hard at making this project a success. Of course, we cannot forget the field staff who took several days out of their busy production schedules for training. This is what teamwork is all about. Thanks to all of you for making the OSITrac rollout sessions a huge success!"

 

David Robinson, Chief Information Officer, said, "The rollout this summer was the culmination of a year of hard work and dedication from the IT staff, Field Support, Training Department, and many others. I am very proud of what has been accomplished and believe it will help OSI provide ELITE service to our customers."

August 1, 2005
Safety Resources Ranked #2

Safety Resources, a division of Overland Solutions, Inc., was recognized as the second largest independent safety consultant in the August 1, 2005 issue of Business Insurance (BI) magazine. Rankings were based on 2004 revenue and included factors such as staff and clients.

 

The article indicated that independent safety consultants own 43.1 percent of the market share as compared to 56.9 percent of the market share controlled by brokers/insurance companies.

 

According to the BI survey, the most common services offered are safety/audit reviews, evaluations or inspections, on-and off-site training classes, safety program assistance to employers, OSHA and DOT audits. The research also showed that the majority of the staff (81.5 percent) is focused on safety.

Jack Leonard, President, said, "This growth was certainly not possible without the hard work of many people as we transitioned the OSI survey business into the Safety Resources organization. We were also supported by the sales force and Home Office staff of OSI."

 

Overland Solutions, Inc. congratulates Jack and his team of hard-working professionals for this honor of national recognition and noteworthy exposure in our industry. Check out Business Insurance magazine online at www.businessinsurance.com.

 

March 14, 2005

Kevin Kramer as Vice President of Quality

 

In support of Overland Solutions’ continual efforts to improve the quality of our products and services, we are pleased to announce the formation of a new national Quality organization. This team will report directly to Jeff Haniewich, CEO, and will be accountable for overseeing the review process at OSI.

 

Kevin Kramer has been recruited to lead this effort. Kevin has 20 years experience associated with the audit function of insurance or insurance-related companies. He spent 5 years with Equifax Commercial Specialists as the Assistant Manager of the Chicago branch, managing the premium audit function, local sales, and oversight of loss control function. Most recently, Kevin was with Royal & SunAlliance. During his nine years with RSA, his responsibilities included Regional Operations Executive for the Risk Management & Global division; National Premium Audit Executive for all divisions; Premium Services Executive,; and he was responsible for all Premium Audit, Premium Accounting, and Premium Processing functions. Kevin holds an MBA and the APA and CIPA professional designations. In addition, he is a past president of the Midwest Insurance Auditors Association. Kevin will join OSI as Vice President of Quality on March 14.

 

OSI is committed to providing high-quality service to all of our valued customers. The inception of this national Quality function is one additional step to ensuring that we do exactly that.

January 26, 2005  
New CEO Announcement

Overland Solutions, Inc. (OSI) is pleased to announce that Jeffery L. Haniewich, a seasoned insurance executive with extensive experience in the Property and Casualty industry, has been named Chief Executive Officer of Overland Solutions, effective January 31, 2005. Haniewich brings more than 20 years of relevant industry experience, including senior roles at The Ohio Casualty Group, Great American Insurance, and Progressive Casualty Insurance.

 

In welcoming Haniewich to the company, Alok Singh, Managing Director at New Mountain Capital and Chairman of Overland Solutions, says, "Jeff’s track record in the insurance industry is outstanding. In particular, Jeff brings a great understanding of OSI’s core customers and their evolving needs. We are confident that Jeff’s industry knowledge, leadership qualities and proven success of building customer service focused organizations will enable him to lead OSI to be both the highest quality outsourced provider of premium audit, personal lines inspection and commercial loss control services and increasingly a strategic partner to our customers."

 

Haniewich says, "I am very excited about the opportunities at Overland Solutions and working with the excellent people at both Overland and New Mountain Capital. Overland is already one of the premier providers of Premium Audit, Loss Control, and Personal Lines inspection services to the Property and Casualty industry. I look forward to working with all the employees of Overland to help make OSI without peer in the insurance service industry. In order to accomplish this and to add greater value to our customers, investors, stockholders, and employees, we will work hard to provide unparalleled service and quality to our customers. This will be accomplished through a strong focus on hiring and retaining talented employees who possess enthusiasm, integrity, and loyalty and who have a passion and sense of urgency to do things right for our customers."

 

Prior to accepting the position at OSI, Mr. Haniewich served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Lines Business, at the Ohio Casualty Group. His responsibilities included leading the Commercial Lines segment, the largest segment of Ohio Casualty, comprised of all field and home office functions including marketing, underwriting, pricing, product management, business automation, loss control, and premium audit. From 1998 to 2001, he served as Regional Vice President at Ohio Casualty, and from 1990 to 1998 was a Senior Vice President at Great American Insurance, which became part of Ohio Casualty. His other insurance industry positions included being Division President of Progressive Casualty Insurance’s Central Division. From 1976 to 1983, Jeff was a practicing attorney at Arter and Hadden in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

Throughout his career, Mr. Haniewich has demonstrated a strong track record of success. Jeff graduated with a B.A. degree in Economics and also received a J.D. degree from Cleveland State University. Jeff was also a member of the board of the National Council on Compensation Insurance, Inc. (NCCI) during 2003-2004.

 

The search committee for OSI engaged Heidrick & Struggles, one of the largest and most respected providers of executive search and leadership consulting services, for this process, and Mr. Haniewich was selected after an extensive search.

 

January 3, 2005

Restructuring Including Branch Changes

 

Overland Solutions, Inc. is in constant pursuit of improvement in our products and services for all of our customers. To support and enhance our ability as a premiere provider of services in the marketplace, OSI continuously reexamines and, at times, reinvents itself. We would like to announce several exciting changes that are occurring due to opportunities for continual growth, market strength, and ever improving customer service. The first described change involves segregating our product offerings of Premium Audits, Commercial Surveys, and Personal Lines Inspections into separate OSI divisions to ensure that you always get the best possible products and services from us. The second reflects some upcoming changes in the branches.

 

Company Divisions

With the recent acquisitions of Safety Resources and Castle Inspection Service, we at Overland Solutions have truly positioned ourselves as the premier provider of non-claims-related services to the insurance industry. We are a growing, vital, customer-focused company. We can offer a far greater range of products than in the past, and through these acquisitions, we now have industry leaders heading each of our product lines.

 

With this growth comes the ability to segregate our product lines based on expertise. This will enable us to better serve you, our customers, to create better career and development opportunities for our staff, and to improve financial strength through increased market share and revenue. This month, we will begin organizationally segmenting our products into three operating divisions. Overland Solutions, the leader in our field for audits, will continue as our premium audit division. Safety Resources, with expertise that includes middle market and high end inspections, will be responsible for all loss control work, including all existing survey work. And Castle Inspection Service, utilizing their expertise in personal lines dwelling evaluations, will be responsible for all personal lines and high-value Homeowner valuations.

 

Some of the changes will be immediate; some will take several months to implement. When fully implemented, each of the three divisions will be focused on its own area of expertise. Safety Resources and Castle Inspection Service will retain their current names and will be referred to as a “Division of Overland Solutions.”

 

Branch Changes

In support of the restructuring that has been mentioned above, several branch-level changes will be made. Effective 12/20/2004, the Staten Island, Birmingham, Columbus, and Anaheim branches began a consolidation process into four other existing branch offices. The consolidation was completed by 12/31/04. Customers will not be affected by these changes in that our field staff will continue to work their current territories. Specifically:

 - The Staten Island branch merged into New York/New Jersey.

 - The Birmingham branch merged into Atlanta.

 - The Columbus branch merged into Louisville.

 - The Anaheim branch merged into Los Angeles.

You may wonder why OSI has made such an apparently dramatic change regarding our footprint across the nation. OSI is responsible for continually improving products, processes, and our organization for the good of customers and the future of our company. Based on the business model changes of moving to three operating divisions, the mix of audit and survey business, and proximity to other offices, the service to our customers and employees for these locations is improved through the consolidation.

 

Although we are creating three operating divisions and making changes regarding the branches, we remain one company focused on customer satisfaction. We enhance our commitment to our corporate vision to “Meet or exceed our customers’ needs in quality and time service on a national basis, achieved through standardization and continual improvement of our products and services.” These changes represent the next step in our efforts to continually improve. We are excited as we move the company along toward our next step to our achievement of world-class status.

 

We believe that the modifications to our organization as outlined in this communication are in the best interests of our customers by allowing us to provide dedicated and focused services. We know that customers will see increasingly positive impacts of these changes as we move forward, as partners, into the future.

  

December 6, 2004

Castle Acquisition Letter for OSI Customers

 

We are very pleased and excited to announce that, on December 1, 2004, Overland Solutions, Inc. acquired The ITV Solutions, Inc. group of companies including Castle Inspection Service, Rapid Survey Group, and Castle Data Services. This acquisition follows our previously announced strategic plan to aggressively develop the scale and breadth of our nationwide service offerings in order to meet the growing needs for outsourced services from our core clients in the insurance, financial, and government sectors.

 

Castle Inspection Service is the nation’s premier provider of personal lines inspections and replacement cost data. (Castle Inspections is the inspection company. Castle Data Services is the replacement cost company). With an objective of being the one-stop resource for the needs of the personal lines insurance industry, Castle offers high-value and exterior residential insurance surveys, risk analysis surveys, a replacement cost estimator, and various book analysis products. Castle’s staff is made up of over 300 highly-trained professionals located throughout the US. Castle has built a reputation on professionalism, replacement cost expertise, and innovative automated solutions.

The acquisition of Castle is an important step forward in our development plans, which emphasize both organic growth and the expansion of our service capabilities by acquiring high-quality companies within our traditional areas of focus and in new areas of value-added services to our clients. This acquisition also enhances our unique ability to service all customers with a true nationwide team of professionals who deliver solutions to your needs. These professionals represent our collective mission to provide the highest quality Commercial and Personal Insurance services in the industry through “Quality People Providing Quality Information.”

 

Please feel free to communicate with your local Overland Solutions representative should you have any questions regarding this notification. We can also be reached at our web site at http://www.olsi.net/. All of us at Overland Solutions are looking forward to the future as we continue to develop true partnerships that allow you to continue to receive reliable information in a timely manner.

September 27, 2004

OSI Develops Special Employee Compensation Program for this Year’s Hurricane Season

 

Overland Solutions, Inc. (“Overland Solutions”), the leading outsourced insurance services provider has developed a special compensation program for its employees who could not complete audits and surveys during Hurricane Ivan and its aftermath.

 

Six branch offices of Overland Solutions, Inc. (Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Charlotte, North Carolina; Birmingham, Alabama; and Memphis, Tennessee) were affected by this hurricane season.

 

Severe weather conditions, power outages, closed businesses, and curfews created numerous challenges for OSI field representatives to complete their jobs. Because of these challenges, the company has created a special compensation program for its field personnel. The company will reimburse these employees for work they could not perform during the hurricane and the time following.

 

Robert W. Wickizer, Overland Solutions President and CEO, said, “Our field representatives are critical to the success of our company. We are dedicated to supporting them and empowering them to do their best work. Our company puts a high value on our field representatives, and we will continue our commitment to all employees.”

Lee Surridge, Regional Vice President for the Southeast region, said, “After Hurricane Ivan, our team at the branch offices and our field representatives did a great job getting people back to work. Although many people in Alabama and Florida lost everything, our team was fortunate to only have suffered limited damages.”

April 7, 2004

OSI Acquires Safety Resources, LLC

 

Overland Solutions, Inc., the leading outsourced insurance services provider owned by New Mountain Capital, LLC, today announced the acquisition of Safety Resources, LLC (“Safety Resources”).

 

Safety Resources, based in Parsippany, New Jersey and established in 2000, is a leading specialty loss control services provider to the insurance industry. Safety Resources provides services that are aimed exclusively to meet the needs of the insurance industry in providing higher end loss control consultation to insureds, underwriting and engineering departments.

 

Jack Leonard, CSP, President Safety Resources said, “We are excited to be associated with Overland Solutions, the industry leader in outsourced insurance field services. We look forward to working closely with Overland Solutions to fulfill our collective mission to provide the highest quality field services in the industry.”

 

Bob Wickizer, Overland Solutions President and CEO, stated, “Overland Solutions intends to continue to aggressively develop the scale and breadth of our nationwide service offerings in order to meet the growing needs for outsourced services from our core clients in the insurance, financial and government sectors. The acquisition of Safety Resources is an important step forward in our development plans which emphasize both organic growth and the expansion of our service capabilities by acquiring high quality companies within our traditional areas of focus and in new areas of value-added outsourced services to our clients. Safety Resources is a very high-end loss control provider that will help to broaden our service offerings in order to meet the ever evolving needs of our customer base.”
 

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