Texas Company Forms Industry Workers’ Comp Group

After 18 months of mandatory filing, the Hotchkiss Insurance Agency (HIA) has secured approval from the Texas Department of Insurance to form and maintain the Texas Green Industry Workers’ Compensation Group.

The purpose of the group is to create a workers’ compensation purchasing group to provide members of the Texas green industry with a competitive option for acquiring workers’ compensation insurance.

“This program is a direct response by the insurance industry to the ever-increasing professionalism exhibited by members of this powerful $9.3 billion industry,” says Doug Hotchkiss, president of HIA. “We are proud to be able to deliver this vehicle for the benefit of the entire green industry.”

Combined with management training and a safety program, the group will be part of a comprehensive program designed for the benefit of green industry members and their employees. With the support and resources of HIA, the Texas Green Indsutry Workers’ Compensation Group will provide value-added benefits to members of the green industry. Among the benefits is a customized safety-training program that will be available to members to promote better industry safety practices. The primary benefit of the group will be to give members the ability to qualify for a premium discount.

“One of the immediate benefits of the group is the application of 10.5-percent premium discount to each member, regardless of premium size. This substantial discount is otherwise unavailable to the typical individual policyholder,” reports Anne Davis, vice president of sales for HIA.

The safety program also will give member employers the opportunity to earn policy dividends as a group in addition to the individual dividends that they may qualify for on their own. Due to their premium size, most green industry workers’ compensation subscribers are not currently earning an individual policy dividend. By banding together in a safety group of other green industry employers, members have the opportunity to access and implement HIA’s exclusive safety training program at no cost so they may learn how to:

In addition to the above, HIA will work with the green industry members to promote the Green Industry Workers’ Compensation Group in Texas in the following ways:

Membership in the group may include anyone in the following insurance classifications of Texas green industry businesses: Nursery-Wholesale with Hot House or Greenhouse Growing Operations & Drivers; Landscape Gardening & Drivers; Lawn Sprinkler Installation & Drivers; Garden Supply Stores-Retail & Drivers; Nursery-Wholesale & Drivers; Lawn Maintenance-By Contract; Farm: Nursery Employees & Drivers; Farm Christmas Tree & Drivers; Grass Nursery & Drivers.