TRADE ASSOCIATE MEMBER UPDATE

BOUCHARD INSURANCE
COMBINING GROWTH WITH CORE VALUES

Founded in 1948 as one small office in Clearwater, Florida, Bouchard Insurance has grown into one of the largest brokers in the country, with office locations throughout Southwest and Central Florida. The company's services include employee benefits, personal insurance, business insurance and contract surety, and is proud to be able to reduce its clients' costs through its proprietary ClearTRAC® System, which we'll cover later

Bouchard followed a long-term plan of expansion to become the successful company it is today. "It basically expanded through acquisitions of other agencies," said Administrative Manager Nicole Ziegler. The four current locations are in Clearwater, Kissimmee, Sarasota and Ft. Myers, which incorporated staff and expertise from other smaller offices acquired earlier. The Kissimmee office, where Zeigler works, actually had roots dating back to 1918, under part ownership of a gentleman named Sam Lupfer. Today, Sam Lupfer IV is one of the five current owners.

Bouchard's Kissimmee office is one of four locations throughout the state.

"I think one of the most important things about that acquisition was that Sam I and the other owners of that company wanted to make sure that they were selling to someone who had the same values and the same work ethics as they had. Bouchard was perfect for that," said Ziegler.

The other owners include sons of Bouchard's founder, Roger: Rick, CEO; Tim, COO; and Ray, president. Sam is the division president in Kissimmee. And Earl Horton, the former owner of another agency that Bouchard acquired several years ago, heads up the benefits area.

As a large regional insurance agency, Bouchard is able to approach a broad spectrum of insurance markets for both employee benefits and property and casualty. Its senior management staff has developed relationships with the decision makers at an extensive list of partner insurance companies. As a result of the company's preferred broker status, Ziegler says clients enjoy the benefits of their ability to consistently negotiate favorable terms and conditions.

Roger Bouchard opened Bouchard Insurance in 1948.

In the area of business insurance, Bouchard features a range of value-added services that include delivering custom solutions for risk management needs like exposure analysis, loss control techniques, OSHA compliance and reporting, safety education and training, claims analysis, and developing safety policies and programs.

To help its clients meet their bonding needs, Bouchard's surety expert is a licensed Certified Public Accountant with more than ten years of financial statement analysis. And it also offers specialists with knowledge of all lines of employee benefits.

MANAGING COSTS THROUGH PLANNING

As we mentioned earlier, the company has developed a consultative process to lower clients' costs and concentrate on mutual objectives and expectations, The ClearTRAC® System, a multi-year strategy, helps clients manage their total cost of risk.

Here's how it works: It begins with an awareness of mutual objectives and expectations. During the "Builder" phase, specialists work with clients, using ClearTRAC tools to better understand their unique goals, needs and priorities. During the "Planner" stage, data is analyzed and technical reviews performed. This step leads to "Solutions," where clients receive precisely tailored and affordable insurance programs and specialty resources to manage the total cost of risk. The final stage is "Management." Bouchard's specialists work with clients throughout the year to measure progress, success and satisfaction.

Bouchard is also known for its involvement in the communities in which it operates. It has a policy of encouraging and supporting corporate and employee involvement with hospitals, schools and charitable organizations.

To find out more about Bouchard Insurance, go to http://www.bouchardinsurance.com/default.asp.