SANTA ROSA -- Vantreo Insurance Brokerage was endorsed by a 900-member trade association for offering specialty coverage, bringing the total number of such endorsements to eight professional groups from various industries.
The California Healthcare Interpreters Association is the latest to recommend the Santa Rosa-based insurer as a brokerage with enough specialty experience to cater to specific industry groups, according to Vantreo Vice President Pamela Chanter.
[caption id="attachment_36239" align="alignleft" width="154" caption="Pam Chanter"][/caption]
"Basically we partner with these associations to bring purchasing power to the members, enhancing their business with a competitive advantage and aggregating the association's membership in some cases," said Ms. Chanter, who oversees the brokerage's policies for winery associations.
The relationships grant involved associations economies of scale and more clout, according to Ms. Chanter.
The interpreters association describes itself as a "public charity dedicated to improving the quality of language services in the delivery of health care." Members include interpreters, translators, trainers, students, language companies and agencies, health care providers, hospitals and clinics, insurers and health plans.
Vantreo often is able to find savings by combining lines of insurance, including property and casualty, employee benefits and workers' compensation, as was the case for 101MFG, a recently formed association of manufacturers along the Highway 101 corridor in the North Bay.
"We were able to identify a $600,000 savings for nine manufacturers," Ms. Chanter said of some members of 101MFG. The group endorsed Vantreo last year.
Vantreo said it currently has 21 manufacturing company accounts and savings average between 10 percent and 20 percent for all lines -- property, casualty, workers' comp and benefits. About 20 percent of Vantreo's premium volume is derived from the eight association policies, a number that has grown recently, Ms. Chanter said.
The brokerage estimates it has saved the 24 wineries in its insurance program an average of 16 percent on its premiums while identifying serious gaps in coverage during the audit process, Ms. Chanter said.
Most of the associations endorsing Vantreo are within the wine industry. They include Sonoma County Vintners, Alexander Valley Winegrowers, Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, Wine Road of Northern Sonoma County and the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance.
The other association is the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, which represents about 800 members in the Bay Area.
Each association has a Vantreo relationship manager.
