Congratulations to Marcie Ober on Her Retirement!

Marcie Ober Retirement

Please join us in congratulating Marcie Ober, Personal Lines Account Manager, on her retirement! Thank you for 17 years with Wallace & Turner!

We will miss her...
*"Work horse" ethic - Give her a project and she’d have it done by the end of the day or it would drive her crazy. 😀
*Management of all Cincinnati processing.
*Invoicing complicated accounts.
*Telling us about all the sales at Christopher Banks.
*And all of the many Marcie-isms, like singing the last refrain of the birthday song, and too many more to count!

Most of all, we’ll miss Marcie's smile, laugh and dedication to Wallace & Turner.

P.J. Miller Comments on Holiday Light Display Liability Concerns

Holiday Light Display

Partner P.J. Miller was quoted in the Best’s Review article “Winter Wonderland” discussing the host of liabilities that home and public holiday light displays can create for insurers, including fires, injuries and distracted-driver accidents.               

“Light display-related losses are typically covered under business, auto or homeowners’ policies,” said P.J. “A standard homeowner’s policy, for instance, typically provides about $1,000 of medical payments coverage for injuries, regardless if the homeowner was negligent or not.” 

Public light display organizers now face some new concerns, including elaborate computer systems, drones and laser lights.

P.J. added: “Misdirected laser lights could temporarily blind visitors as they drive through a display, or homeowners may fly drones above their homes or neighborhoods. This creates new risks and additional investigation requirements for agents and brokers, who now are tasked with assessing if drone operators are certified and follow FAA guidelines, determining how high a drone is flying and ensuring computer networks aren't at risk for potential cyber hacks. That's where having risk mitigation procedures and a full risk assessment to minimize potential hazards can help.”

Read the full article.

Wallace & Turner Participates in Tour de Biz 2018!

Each year, the Springfield City Youth Mission hosts “Tour de Biz,” an Amazing Race-style field trip through its Biz Basic$ Entrepreneur program to teach students how to start and run their own small businesses, sell products, handle personal finances and earn money. Seen in the photos are Partner P.J. Miller and Producer Myles Trempe with the Biz Basic$ kids. 2018 was full of new experiences, handshakes, conference rooms, hands-on challenges and lots of fun! 

Partner Patrick Field Honored with Clark State Community College's Founder’s Award

Wallace & Turner Partner Patrick Field

Wallace & Turner Partner Patrick Field

Longtime Clark State Community College supporter and advocate for education, Patrick Field, was presented with Clark State’s Founder’s Award at the 25th Anniversary Circle of Friends Gala on September 29, 2018. The Clark State Circle of Friends created the Founder’s Award in 2004 to recognize and honor individuals and organizations who have contributed significantly to the success and sustainability of the Performing Arts Center. 

Patrick is a partner at Wallace and Turner Insurance and owner of Coppertop Restaurant in Urbana. He has also been a supporter and mentor for the Champion City Scholars program since the inception of the program and initiated the start-up of the Champaign County Scholars program which welcomed its first class this school year.

“I am incredibly humbled,” said Patrick. “My relationship with the PAC goes back to day one. My dad was on the Clark State Board of Trustees at the time. I distinctly remember opening night and praying for the paint to dry in time.”

Field’s father, John Field, received the Founder’s Award in 2006. “As a son, I don’t know if there is anything better you can do than look through the list of names and see your father’s name and know how proud you were of him and what it meant to him,” he said.

Field said just to have his name associated with the list of Founder’s Award recipients is an incredible honor. “A lot of those people made a lot of things possible at the PAC and in Springfield,” he said. “Growing up with my dad on the Board…I consider the entity of Clark State a friend.”

Field’s passion for education has led him to support numerous students and schools in the community, in addition to Clark State. He hopes to see the Scholars program expanded to more schools and students in the area.

“Arts to me is a rounding piece of education,” said Field. “Education creates opportunities, the arts enhance those opportunities and create a better person. I believe the greatest out-of-the-box thinkers were somehow connected to the arts. If I had to define Clark State, they are building better people by creating better opportunities.”

Read the full article.

Client Spotlight: Opportunities for Individual Change (OIC)

Wallace & Turner’s Dorian Hunter sits down with Mike Calabrese, Executive Director of Opportunities for Individual Change (OIC) of Clark County, to discuss how the organization is making an impact in the community. OIC provides services designed to eliminate poverty, unemployment and illiteracy in Clark County, Ohio.

4 Things Renters Insurance Covers (That You May Not Know)

4 Things Renters Insurance Covers (That You May Not Know)

Renters insurance covers so much more than just the house, apartment or condo you rent. Your renter’s policy can also cover your personal belongings if they are stolen or damaged at your rental unit, or even at someone else’s unit.

Here are 4 things you may not know are covered by your renters policy:

1.  Renters insurance covers personal belongings within your house as well as personal belongings you keep in your car or storage unit.

Renters insurance can cover any of your personal belongings that are stolen or damaged in the house, apartment, condo or dorm you rent as well as personal belongings that may be damaged or stolen from your car, or even a storage unit you use to keep your belongings. Coverage includes fire, lightning, theft and vandalism.

2.  Renters insurance can cover medical payments if someone was injured on the property you are renting.

Your friend falls and cuts his ankle because you forgot to put some salt on the sidewalk after it snowed and expects you to cover the medical expenses – your renters insurance policy will cover that!

Note that medical payments coverage is meant for small claims. Medical payments would cover the medical costs as long as the costs don't exceed the limit, typically $1,000 or $5,000.

3.  If someone sues you for damaging their property, your renters insurance policy can cover lawyer fees and court costs.

Through your renters policy, you can have personal liability coverage which means your lawyer fees and court costs would be covered if you were sued for damaging the property of someone else or an injury on your property that exceeds a small claim.

One common injury that falls under personal liability coverage is a dog bite. It’s estimated that dog bites account for nearly one-third of home insurance liability claims. If you’re a dog owner, don’t assume this situation would never occur or rely on your landlord’s insurance to cover injuries.

4.  Your renters insurance policy can cover hotel and food expenses if the home or apartment you rent is damaged by fire or tornado.

Your apartment is damaged by a fire from the next door neighbor and it’s determined for health and safety reasons you can’t stay there. In addition to replacing your damaged belongings, renters insurance can cover your hotel and food expenses while your place is getting fixed.

Don’t assume your personal property or expenses would be protected by your landlord’s insurance. Making this mistake could leave you at risk of losing your personal belongings and being on the hook for any related bills while your rental unit is uninhabitable.

Questions about what a renters insurance policy covers? Contact Wallace & Turner today to learn more.

Parents: Accidents Happen, Make Sure Your Kids’ Valuables Are Protected

Summer is over and school is back in session which means kids will also be starting up sports and other school-related activities. Did you know that insurance can be important when it comes to covering the tangible part of your kids’ activities?

If you have children in elementary, middle or high school, your homeowner’s policy can be used to protect against any items your child was loaned through the school they attend. If your child plays an expensive instrument or if they have a school-assigned laptop, consider consulting with your agent about adding that item to your insurance policy. Otherwise, you’re risking paying for a replacement if the item is lost, stolen or damages.

For our empty nesters sending their young adults off to college, make sure your child and their possessions will be protected while they are away. Check to see whether your personal homeowner’s policy extends to the contents your child took to school. Protect anything valuable that you would not want to pay out-of-pocket to replace. Accidents happen and, whether you want to believe it or not, an 18-year-old fresh out of high school may not be at the peak level of responsibility.  

Additionally, if your son or daughter is leaving their car behind at home while they’re at college (and it’s more than 100 miles away), don’t forget to advise your agent because there might be a pretty good discount!

If you have coverage questions about your children’s valuables, or what your homeowner’s policy covers, contact Wallace & Turner to discuss.