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California Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency for the state, saying it is facing “perhaps the worst drought that California has ever seen since the record began about 100 years ago. In his declaration he called for a voluntary 20% conservation to our water use. The point of this declaration is to wake all of Californians up to the serious situation that people should pause and reflect on how dependent we are on the rain, nature and one other. Since 2011 extremely dry conditions have parched the state and as of 2014 90% of California is currently in a severe drought, meaning this coming year could be a giant fire year. Under the proclamation, Brown directed officials to take "all necessary actions" to address the drought, including assisting farmers and communities with water shortages. He directed state agencies to use less water and hire more firefighters. How do you see the drought affecting the insurance industry?

Most people have heard of the Fukushima Diichi nuclear disaster that occurred on March 11th 2011. This catastrophic failure occurred when the plant was hit by a tsunami that was triggered by the Tōhoku earthquake. On March 12th 2011 the plant started releasing substantial amounts of radioactive materials, becoming the largest nuclear incident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. This disaster along with Chernobyl has been the only two nuclear disasters to measure a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Their government says it usually takes several years after radiation exposure for cancer to develop, but as of August 2013 there have been more than 40 children who have been newly diagnosed with cancer in Fukushima. Data from the Chernobyl accident shows that there was a steady then sharp increase in cancer rates following the disaster. It may be too soon to know the full extent of damage. On July 22nd 2013, more than two years after the incident, it was revealed that the plant is leaking radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean. As of August 20th 2013 it was announced that 300 metric tons of heavily radioisotope-contaminated water had leaked from a storage tank. Six days later the Japanese government took charge of emergency measures to prevent further radioactive water leaks. As we start 2014 there are some concerns suggesting tat radiation from Fukushima have hit the West Coast of the United States and is causing major harm to the Pacific Ocean off of California. There is a report from NaturalNews.com that a scientific study found a significant drop off in sea life in the Pacific Ocean. At the same time the people at Deep Sea News are doing their best to debunk these rumors. They state it is not even dangerous to swim off the coast of Fukushima. What do you think? Is it safe and people are over reacting? Or is this something that deserves more attention and precaution?

Social Media is no longer an option, or a “nice to have.” Just as we need the lights and A/C for our office to function, every agency needs social media in order to conduct business. It’s that simple. Social Media has become a utility. You need to be where your clients and prospects are. And today, ever increasingly, that place is on social networks. Two recent articles (on liveinsurancenews.com, and propertycasualty360.com) illustrate what most of you know already: To survive in the marketplace today and remain viable in the future, every agency needs to participate in Social Media. From the PropertyCasualty360 article “The truly important takeaway … [is] the overwhelming success of 85 percent of users seeing an increase in brand awareness on social media platforms.” Visit TransformerMarketing.com today — an all-inclusive marketing platform that combines the most powerful online media channels into one focused, fully managed resource for your business — all done for you.

Hello my Friends, I have a hard to place Risk They Collect Traffic date in Arizona, Installation of pneumatic tubes for counting vehicle traffic. NCCI Risk pool had them with 8720 Class code (didnt make sense to me) I suspect more like a Surveyor Due to temporary lane diversion with Flashing Vehicle lights and cones for safety. @$2500 target premium Continuous Coverage no losses over 10 years. Merry Christmas to my Favorite Underwriter! :-)

If you or your spouse is employed in the military and want to fund your small business, then you can take advantage of several different favorable loan options directed towards veterans, in this article you will learn how to get funded as a veteran. VA loans, or SBA 7 (A), SBA Express and Military Reserve Economic Injury Disaster (MRIDL) loans are actually from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to the veterans or their soldiers or their wives or widows who are being stopped serving in the military or who have their military service has returned from. This loan does not actually originate from the VA or the Veterans Administration. Small Business Administration has an office of Veterans Affairs, which oversees the business debt of veterans. This fund is not paid as a grant. Standard loans that are required to repay, with the attached an interest rate. Types of VA Business Loans SBA has three types of VA loans that how to get funded as a veteran. First, there is SBA Express Loan Initiative for seniors. This program is open for non-veterans, but there is an Advantage Program of SBA veteran who abandons the guaranteed fees for advance loan for everyone who qualifies for this loan. Veterans can borrow up to $ 350,000. Secondly, SBA's 7A (A) loan program provides up to $ 5 million for funding, again for both veterans and non-veterans. However, the Advantage Program of Veterans also applies to this loan, reducing zero guarantee fees for a loan of $ 125,000 or less and a guarantee fee of up to $ 125,000 plus 50% of the guaranteed VAT. SBA provides advice and training to borrowers with debt to help their business enterprises. Third type of business loan MRIIDL or military defensive economic hit disaster loan. This loan provides capital for businesses that can meet their obligations and continue to fulfill their obligations; their principal owner has not been called for military service. Eligibility for VA Loans All active military workers, veterans, service-able veterans, and their current husband or widow are eligible for this loan. Those who obtain a disrespectful discharge are not eligible for the insurance loan program. If you retire within 24 months of separation or retirement within 12 months of the separate duties department, you can qualify for SBA Express Loan Program. Reservists and National Guard are also eligible as well. Types of Businesses That Can Borrow Must have at least 51% percent of eligible experience on the business. Most businesses meet the eligibility requirements, unless the company is a pyramid project, gambling business or a loan business. Also, the business will be a profitable business. Non-profit is not eligible. What Can the Loan Proceeds Cover? SBA Express or 7 (a) fees may be used for most business plans. For example, you can add your main business to your business, cover the cost of buying new products, purchasing a product, purchasing a real estate for your business, obtaining purchases, retrieving business services, expanding your business, updating trade and contract with the government (contract), establish your business for the convenience of your transmission, and retrieve yourself from disasters such as wind, wind, and earthquake.

Yes you read that right! Facebook is building its own apartment complex so that employees never have to leave work. Adding to the many perks of working at Facebook’s campus is now an opportunity to move in next door–because who isn't sick of their healthy work/life balance?+ The social media giant announced plans to erect a community development a mere 1.5 miles from the Menlo Park, Calif. sprawl. The $120 million, 630,00 square-foot complex will house 394 units including studio apartments and three-bedroom apartments, with a handful of units set aside for non-Facebook employees and low-income residents.Facebook hired local developers St. Anton Partners to helm the project located between the 101 freeway and salt marshes, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company has not disclosed how much they plan to invest. Construction begins this month and is expected to be complete in 24 months. Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/10/04/facebook-building-its-own-apartment-complex-so-employees-never-ever-have-to-leave-work/#ixzz2gmALFRK4

I am seeking to acquire/merge employee benefit blocks of business from carriers or brokers.

We are in a sinking hole of technology, no matter how hard you fight it, you will get sucked in! Everywhere you are technology has been implemented in some fashion. Who knew places like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter were going to have such a huge following?? Insurance agents spend more time and money creating "old fashion" marking plans or depend solely on referrals from current clients. How can YOU leverage Social Media Marketing in order to increase your agencies revenue? First, you must realize that these social sites are not going to give you a thousand leads in a matter of days. Just because you have 5,000 friends doesn't mean any of them want to do business with you. So what is the key to this success? A BRAND! You must brand yourself and your agency. You accomplish this by representing yourself to your clients and potential clients in a professional manner, but you have to peak their interest. Now, we aren't talking about posting obscene pictures or saying controversial things to stir the pot, but you need to be relevant! You have to make those social media people WANT to know about insurance.

Need help placing an Arizona GL risk. Has good Insurane history. No claims over 5 years. Need to AI including form CG 20 10 07 04 or equivalent for multiple municipalities. (City contracts) Best’s rating of A VII or better – Admitted Carrier Best’s rating of A XII or better – Non-Admitted Carrier Prefer Admitted if possible. Risk: Traffic counting to include pneumatic hoses in road & electronic traffic counting.