Monday, November 15—Half-Day Workshops
Leaders of the construction units for five of the leading
construction insurance markets will share their thoughts on
emerging risks, insurance coverage developments, how
contractors’ moves into new markets affect their risk profiles,
industry challenges and trends, and much more. This lively panel
discussion provides an opportunity to get inside underwriters’
heads to learn what keeps them awake at night and what you can
do to address their concerns. We’ll also ask them to gaze into
their crystal balls and make some predictions for the future of
the insurance industry and the marketplace.
Moderator:
Jack Gibson,
President, IRMI
Panelists:
James E. Conroy,
Vice-President and Chief Underwriting Officer, Liberty Mutual
National Market Construction
Daniel F. Conway, President,
Construction Risk & Surety, Chartis Insurance, Inc.
Geoffrey M. Hall, Senior Vice President, ACE Construction
Scott Rasor, President of Construction, Zurich North America
William Sullivan, Vice
President, The Hartford
While wrap-up insurance programs (also known as controlled
insurance programs, or CIPs) are now familiar territory for many
seasoned construction risk and insurance professionals, those
who are new to the industry or who handle risk management as
only one aspect of their overall job responsibilities often have
more questions than answers when it comes to wrap-ups. The first
half of this workshop provides an advanced examination of
insurance concerns participants frequently encounter in a
wrap-up program, such as discrepancies in project location,
definitions, coverage duration/cancellation, and excess insurance
gaps. The second half of the program provides an overview of the
components of a typical CIP manual and demonstrates, with the
use of a checklist, how to analyze the manual to determine the
full extent of a program’s requirements and responsibilities and
better assess the cost and impact of participation in a
CIP.
Steven A. Coombs,
President, Risk Resources
Kathleen A. Creedon, Owner,
Wrap Strategies
Construction risk and insurance professionals must keep pace
with a multitude of new and changing documents and processes to
stay on top of the risks they pose for their companies. This
workshop provides an overview of two hot trends in construction
methods and their implications for risk managers. The first half
of the workshop provides a review of crucial risk and insurance
issues a construction risk manager should evaluate when the
company enters the green construction market, focusing less on
the technical aspects of green construction and more on the
practical implications for risk managers. The second half of the
workshop provides an introduction to the key principles and
objectives of lean construction, including the benefits and
challenges it presents for contractors.
John S. Alberici,
President, Alberici Group
Joseph M. Gallagher, Risk
Manager, Alberici Group
William A. Lichtig, Attorney,
McDonough Holland & Allen
This discussion of advanced risk management topics is by risk
managers for risk managers. (CFOs, controllers, general counsel,
and others with risk management responsibilities who are
employed directly by a contractor or project owner are also
welcome to attend.) Led by experienced construction risk
managers, this interactive workshop provides a closed-door
setting for discussing problems and concerns and sharing ideas
for handling today’s risk management challenges. Discussion leaders
will introduce a variety of preselected topics, offer
suggestions and ideas, and hear input from the
audience. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask
questions about their own risk management issues and concerns.
Jennifer D'Aquilla, Vice President, Risk Management,
Roy Anderson Corp
David B. Dolnick, Risk
Manager, The Brady Companies
Susan G. Staff, Director, Risk
Management, Zachry Industrial, Inc.
In many construction companies, the risk management
department is perceived by those in the field as an
annoyance—the keeper of policies and procedures and generators
of additional paperwork—which makes it extremely difficult to
implement changes in field procedures. In the first half of this
workshop, hear strategies for evaluating your company’s overall
risk culture and identifying real and perceived biases that are
obstacles to achieving safety and risk management objectives.
Subsequently, hear from an insider who made the transition from
field operations to risk management and used his knowledge of
field perceptions to improve buy-in and achieve better results
on risk management initiatives.
Ronn Lehmann, Owner,
Cool Learning Stuff
Stephen Villarreal, Quality
Manager, CF Jordan Construction
Monday, November 15—All-Day Workshop
This workshop lasts all day (9:00
a.m.-4:30 p.m.). If you choose this option, do not select a second
session to attend on Monday.
From a risk management perspective, construction contracts
can be a valuable tool or a deadly trap for a contractor.
Unfortunately, many contractors accept onerous contractual
provisions without complaint (often without even noticing them),
particularly when the business climate is very competitive. This
blind acceptance of risk exposes contractors to potentially
catastrophic losses. Based on the CRIS curriculum, this course
provides a basic-to-intermediate overview of key risk transfer
provisions in construction contracts and offers suggestions for
modifying problematic clauses. Potential gaps between a
contractor’s liabilities and its coverage for these risks are
identified, and suggestions for closing these gaps are offered.
Attendees will leave this course well on their way to being
prepared to pass the corresponding exam of the Construction Risk
and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) certification.
William H. Perkins,
Instructor, Florida Association of Insurance Agents
Bruce Thomas, Owner, The Thomas Agency