When I received the opportunity to move to Richmond and work in the corporate offices two years ago, I never thought I would be moving back to Texas so soon.  I believe everything happens for a reason.  As the Managing Director of Wholesale Marketing, I had the opportunity to work with the IT Department, Shared Services, Accounting, the Product Line Leaders and more. This multi-discipline approach allowed me to not only establish internal relationships, but more importantly helped to increase my overall knowledge of the entire Markel organization.

 

Now that Jeff Lamb has moved to Richmond and been named Executive Underwriting Officer for Wholesale, the stars seem to be aligning. I am back in the Mid South (and I can't tell you how happy I am to be back working with Greg Rubel, Jeff Fields and the rest of the Mid South Team and Producers). The time in Richmond is providing me a new perspective on how the Mid South Region can support our wholesale partners to write more Markel business! Not only do you have Jeff Lamb defining and enhancing our overall product offering, my home office experience will give us better insight to ensure that we are meeting your needs as efficiently as possible. 

 

One of the biggest accomplishments for Markel in the last two years is the introduction of the internal reporting tool Qlikview.  You are probably wondering why this tool is so important to you as a Markel appointed wholesaler? Qlikview allows Markel to now drill down on a premium reporting level that has previously not been possible. Our overall submissions have been steadily increasing over time. This technology will give us both a better platform to determine areas of growth for our relationships. Markel has also been brainstorming on how we can provide the best service to our best partners.  We often hear at producer councils that we have too much representation and that we should consider reducing our producer base to provide better service.  I can tell you that Mid South has significantly decreased the producer base over the last 4 years.  This will continue to be on an ongoing project, but our main focus going forward is specific product authority.  While a producer may be Markel Mid South's top producer in Inland Marine ... they may not be our best producer on professional.  With Qlikview we now have the ability to slice and dice the numbers so that our underwriters become more strategic when it comes to prioritization of the business on their desks.  We will be looking closely at success ratios, quality of submissions, new business growth, renewal retention, etc.  We believe that knowledge is power and we intend to use it to get us to the next level and ultimately be the best we can be for you!

 

As we all see the market changing on specific product lines, I think we all know that it is important for us to work smarter.  Over the next few months, I think you will see Markel raising the bar!  It is our goal for the Markel Mid South to be your  "Go to Market!"    Please don't hesitate to call me if you should need anything.  I would love to hear from you!

 

Wendy Houser

Managing Director, Underwriting and Production

469.241.3415

[email protected] 

 

 

Please join us in welcoming the new additions to the Mid South team and congratulating a few of our recent promotions!

From L to R: Rance, Regina, Kevin, Katherine & Fabion

 

Welcome aboard, Katherine Hunter!  

Katherine joins Markel as the newest Underwriting Assistant for our Environmental team.  Before coming to Markel, Katherine studied economics in both her undergraduate and graduate work.  During this time, she also taught math and economics to undergraduate students and worked on grant-funded economic research.  In her spare time, she enjoys dancing and choreography as well as learning new sports - football and soccer are the latest!  Katherine's favorite things about working at Markel are the welcoming folks on her team and the new and exciting things she is learning about the Environmental product line.

 

Congratulations, Rance Seay!  Rance was recently promoted from Submission Technician to Underwriting Assistant for the Environmental team.  Rance, a native Texan, grew up in Mineral Wells and graduated from Texas A&M.  Before joining Markel, Rance worked as a manager for Enterprise and as a security officer for Hewlett Packard.  Rance's favorite thing about working with Markel is being able to be part of a solid, successful and reputable company.  One thing you wouldn't know about Rance? He likes to eat lemons straight-up....rind and all!

 

Congratulations, Regina Higgins!  Regina was recently promoted from Underwriting Assistant to Underwriting Technician for the Environmental team.  Before joining Markel, Regina owned and managed a mortgage company for over 9 years.  In her spare time, she likes to hang out with her family and friends.  Her husband coaches a select football team on which her son plays, so her weekends are jam-packed with his many sports and activities.  Regina's favorite part about working with Markel is forming relationships with her brokers.

 

Congratulations, Kevin Byrnes!  Kevin was recently promoted from Underwriting Technician to Underwriter for our Binding P&C team.  Kevin graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Florham Park, NJ with a degree in Business Management.  Before joining Markel, Kevin worked as a Store Manager for Abercrombie & Fitch and as a Customer Experience Manager at Banana Republic.  Did we mention that Kevin is well-dressed?  Kevin is also an outdoors kind of guy - he enjoys hiking, kayaking, biking and long walks with his dog in his spare time.  Kevin's favorite part about working with Markel is the support everyone has given him since he began his journey here.

 

Congratulations, Fabion Dorsey!  Fabion was recently promoted to Senior Underwriter for the Binding P&C team.  Fabion has been with Markel since 2008.  During his time with the company he has also been the Lead Garage Underwriter and a Brokerage Casualty Underwriter.  In his spare time, Fabion spends time as a jungle gym, a limo driver and an Ambassador of Fun for his twin boys, Taj and Dakari.  Fabion's favorite thing about working at Markel is all the great relationships he is able to build with his fabulous clients and his insanely brilliant teammates!  One thing you would never know about Fabion?  He is really a shy, introverted guy that would rather curl up with a good book than party like a rock star.

 

Congratulations to all of you!

In order to more efficiently serve you and increase quote turnaround time, please be advised of new guidelines regarding our submission process.   

 

Please keep in mind the following when submitting business:

• Please identify what products you would like quoted on multi-line new business applications (ex: "Please quote property and inland marine. No need for GL.").  Multi-line new business submissions received that do not identify the products needed will be returned with a request for clarification.

• New business submissions received more than 90 days in advance of the requested policy effective date will be returned along with a request to resubmit closer to the effective date. For OCP, special events, and brokerage property, the threshold is extended to 120 days.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact your Mid South underwriter.  

New Minimum Payroll in Texas

Markel Annual NAPSLO Party

Tuesday, October 9th
9:00 pm - 12:00 am
Opera Nightclub, Atlanta

Motor Coach Location:
Marriott/International Level/Courtland Street Entrance



Markel 2012 PLUS Reception

Thursday, November 8th
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Pops for Champagne, Chicago

Did you miss last month's newsletter?

Click below to view past editions of 'On the Mark'.

Based on your feedback, when you log-in to MarkelOnline and proceed to Quick Quote, you will notice some positive changes!  Our goal is to provide you with a better online quoting experience with fewer tabs, less screen-refreshes and an all-around quicker and more seamless workflow.

In addition to the upgrades mentioned above, here are just a few more of the changes we've made to make your experience using MarkelOnline an easy and productive one.


Changes to MarkelOnline:

• We have added  even more classes to Quick Quote including:
• OCP
• Special Event
• Restaurant
• Bar/Tavern
• Our Distance-to-Coast tool is now integrated within Quick Quote for an easier property quoting experience.
• Producers may override the default minimum premium to increase it within the system
• Within the qualification screen, we've eliminated most eligibility questions and displayed expanded guidelines
• If an account must be referred to an underwriter, agents will receive notification earlier in the process

Each of these changes were made as a result of your feedback.  Please remember to keep your suggestions coming!  If you have any questions regarding the new enhancements or comments for what else you'd like to see, please contact your Mid South underwriter.

Class of Business	Coverage	Limits	Premium	State
Casualty
Funeral Home Schedule	General Liability	$1M/$2M	$80,520	FL
Appliance Installation/Dealer	General Liability	$1M/$2M	$15,000	ND
General Contractor	General Liability	$1M/$2M	$6,000	TX
Contract Binding
Factory and Showroom	GL/Property	$1M/$2M	$8,276	LA
Auto Dealer	Property	$529,000	$4,231	TX
Chemical Distributor	GL/Products	$1M/$2M	$7,600	MS
Equipment Dealer	GL/Products	$1M/$2M	$4,813	OK
Environmental
Non-Destructive Testing & Inspection	GL/CPL/PL	$1M/$2M	$18,261	OK
Oilfield Seismic Specialists	GL/CPL/PL	$1M/$2M	$38,026	TX
Environmental Consultant	GL/CPL/PL	$2M/$2M	$26,310	TX
Excess & Umbrella
Commercial Plumber	Excess	$5M	$11,201	TX
Manufacturer	Excess	$2M	$19,126	TX
Wooden Pallet Repair	Excess	$5M	$12,000	TX
Garage
General Auto Repair	Liability/GK	$500K/$150K	$1,494	TX
Forklift Maintenance	Liability/GK	$1M/$2M/$50K	$2,354	TX
Transmission Repair	Liability/GK/BPP	$300K/$600K/$100K/$50K	$2,044	TX
Inland Marine
Excavation Work	Contractors Equipment	$5.8M	$40,777	TX
Hauling Oilfield Equipment	MTC - Broad Form	$500,000	$10,500	TX
Installation of a Sprinkler System	Builders Risk	$751,000	$3,755	TX
Ocean Marine
Marine Dry Dock	Hull Physical Damage	$1.8M	$20,750	LA
Boat Sales/Repair & BD Inventory	MGL/MOLL/BD P&I/BDI	$300K/$300K/$55K	$3,000	MS
Boat House - Retaining Walls	Marine General Liability	$1M/$1M	$4,000	TX
Professional
Chiropractor	Professional Liability	$1M/$3M	$2,225	CA
Home Owners Association	D&O/EPL	$1M/$1M	$1,235	TX
Systems Integrator	Professional Liability/GL	$1M/$1M	$7,098	MO
Property
Banks	Property - EQ	$5M x/s $16M	$10,000	AR
Plastic Mfg.	Property	$5M	$21,000	TX
Foundry	Property	$2M	$10,000	LA
Transportation
Oilfield Service Risk	Auto Physical Damage	$431,500	$12,945	TX
Frac Sand Hauler	Auto Physical Damage	$453,417	$18,137	TX
Taxicab	Auto Physical Damage	$26,000	$1,495	TX