Search CompleteMarkets

Your weekly update on what's happening on CompleteMarkets. Featured Markets | Latest Discussions | Latest Blog Posts | Did You Know?

Your weekly update on what's happening on CompleteMarkets. Featured Markets | Latest Discussions | Latest Blog Posts | Did You Know?

Hurricane Sandy, tornadoes, flood -- all of these disasters affected construction firms during the past year. Some companies took direct hits, while others suffered from massive service demands, and shortages of help and supplies. Although your business might never face such massive "destruction and distress," other events --everything from IT failure to vandalism -- could trigger a crisis. Whether it's a catastrophe or a stressful disruption, the best way to prepare for any potential disaster is to develop a catastrophe plan in advance. This plan should allow your staff to mobilize the right resources quickly in the right order so you can get up and running with as many contingencies as possible accounted for in advance. How do you go about developing a plan? What's the process? Who should you include? How often should you review and update it? An effective plan should involve a "business resumption team" with managers from these areas: Information technology Communications, both internal and external Moves and relocations Services and logistics Salvage and security Customer service Before a crisis erupts, the team will determine what activities to follow, assign responsibilities for these tasks, and provide the resources and information needed. When compiled and organized, these activities, responsibilities, resources, and information make up the disaster plan. Don't wait for a crisis to uncover the gaps in your preparations. Get started now on creating and/or updating your plan. Feel free to give us a call so we can offer our advice and recommendations. Insurance might not solve all your crisis planning problems, but it can provide a solid foundation.

Homes take a beating on the outside, from wind, rain, sun, insects and snow. Summer gives you a chance to repair damage, protect your home and keep its face to the world looking bright. Home maintenance is like housework, flossing and exercise: You might as well work it into your routine, because the penalties are worse than the jobs themselves. Here’s just one example: Cleaning the gutters costs nothing if you do it yourself, and roughly $100 to $200 if you hire a service. Ignore the job, though, and a ruined roof or damaged foundation could cost you thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to repair. Here’s why: Leaky or overflowing gutters can rot fascia boards (the roof edge under the gutters), soffits and rafters. Water may drip onto window trim, rotting it. Leaky gutters let water pool at the foundation, causing basement leaks, mold and even foundation damage. 1. Paint Fresh paint doesn’t just make your home look great. It’s a protective skin against UV light and moisture. Earth911 tells where to get free paint: Many household hazardous waste (HHW) facilities around the country have product exchange rooms, sometimes called swap rooms or swap shops. These rooms offer safe, unopened HHW items for public consumption, keeping them out of the landfill and letting you save some money. Call your city to ask about your local HHW facility. Other sources for cheap paint: Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores (find one near you) sell “gently used” tools and supplies for home projects at low cost. See EcoBusinessLinks’ national directory of recycled and surplus building materials and suppliers. Search online for a city’s name and “salvaged building supplies” or “recycled building materials.” 2. Mulch Laying a 1- to 3-inch layer of mulch on garden beds spares a lot of weeding. Mulch smothers weeds by depriving them of oxygen and light and it holds moisture in the soil, saving water and giving plants a consistent source of moisture. Mulch includes many materials placed on the ground to prevent weeds from growing, including rocks, gravel and plastic. Leaves, grass clippings and tree bark are organic materials most often used on garden beds. Hay and straw also are used in vegetable gardens. Organic mulch breaks down into nutrients that feed plants. Be careful in vegetable gardens to avoid mulch with pesticides, herbicides or other garden chemicals. Also, used incorrectly, mulch can damage or kill trees and ornamental plants by depriving them of oxygen, so leave a 3- to 5-inch space around stems of younger plants and give mature tree trunks eight to 12 inches. North Carolina State University’s Cooperative Extension Service explains how to safely use mulch. Free or cheap sources of mulch: Grass clippings. Let them cool down before mulching. Raked leaves. Shred first with a shredder or lawn mower so air and moisture can reach the soil beneath. Shredded wood or bark. Electric utility companies and tree services may have cheap or free wood chips or shredded bark. Also, some cities collect leaves and branches, chipping them for use by local residents. Cardboard. Ask recycling centers and appliance stores for free cardboard. Wet it down, cut it to fit and place it around plants, covering with soil or bark mulch. This is best in wet climates where cardboard breaks down into the soil. WikiHow gives instructions on using cardboard and has more ideas for cheap mulch. 3. Seal wood decks The cheap way to approach this job is to do it yourself. It’s not difficult, although it’s nice to have help. You’ll spend a couple hundred dollars on supplies and rented tools. Do it annually or every two to three years, depending where you live. Ignore the job long enough and you’ll need to replace the deck, at a cost of thousands of dollars. Read the entire article here. Read more at http://www.moneytalksnews.com/2014/06/02/12-cheap-and-easy-summer-home-projects/#4f2LmYs5xjDE2Rbw.99

Did you just lose a market? Are you looking for coverage for garage risks that sell, service or repair a wide variety of vehicle types? Backed by a company with an AM Best Rating A, your dealers, mobile repair or service operation risks are guaranteed to be covered.

Did you just lose a market? Are you looking for coverage for garage risks that sell, service or repair a wide variety of vehicle types? Backed by a company with an AM Best Rating A, your dealers, mobile repair or service operation risks are guaranteed to be covered.

Looking for coverage for Garage Service & Repair Insurance for risks that service or repair a wide variety of vehicle types? Backed by a company with an AM Best Rating A+, your mobile repair & service operations are guaranteed to be covered.