Downey Insurance Group Blog | Great Insurance People

You may pre-order your one of 10,000 license plates for $25, for shipment on 2/1/2012. More license plates may be created if there is a strong demand, but pre-ordering will get you on the list for the first edition.

The idea for the plates arose the of the “I Am Vermont Strong” movement that was started by Lyz Tomsuden and Eric Mallete of Rutland, VT.  Originally “I am Vermont Strong” started as a Facebook photo that went viral. Vermonters loved the message so much that they started  requesting t-shirts by the hundreds.  So far they have sold over 4,500 t-shirts to Vermonters and Vermont supporters.

“I am Vermont Strong” will be donating $18 to the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund, and $2 to the Vermont Food bank for every license plate sold.  Irene cause so much damage to the state of Vermont and donations are starting to decline, new sources of revenue for the relief funds can only help our cause.  The resiliency and resourcefulness of our people never cease to amaze me as we travel on this journey to recovery.

To Pre-Order Your “I am Vermont Strong” plate you may do so through Vermont Life, and to read more about the “I am Vermont Strong” movement check out their website http://vtstrong.vermont.gov/ or Facebook Page.

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After 3 months at our temporary location at 57 Elliot Street  Brattleboro, VT we are finally back in our 80 Flat Street Location that was flooded out by hurricane Irene.  What a crazy ride it has been, but what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.  Overall Downey Insurance Group is lucky, all we lost were material possessions.  Thanks to technology and the ability to work “in the cloud” we did not lose any of our policy data and we were able to help clients with their own claims during and after the disaster.  We could work from the top of Mt. Wantastiquet if we wanted to, but there is nothing like you own familiar surroundings to make you feel at home.  With the addition of new office furniture and carpet we think our office is looking pretty snazzy.  Thank you to Conte Office Interiors for helping us with our new office furniture!

Looking around Flat Street it is hard to envision what it looked like during the flood.  We found this video on You Tube, we don’t know this guy but I would like to thank him for this crazy footage of Flat Street during the flood.  Check out this video of our office building being ravaged by the flood waters…

To get the whole story read our first Flood Blog post.

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Downey Insurance Group is fully functional even as our Brattleboro, VT office is currently under water with the many other businesses near Main Street in Brattleboro, Vermont.  The area is experiencing devastation from flooding conditions that have not been seen in nearly a century.   Many of the residents in Vermont were not expecting this magnitude of flooding from hurricane Irene. Rivers and streams flooded quickly forcing people to evacuate without much notice and without many options.   Many of these flooded homes and businesses are without flood insurance which will make recovery difficult for many.   FEMA will be assessing the damage and should be accepting request for Disaster Assistance shortly.

Unlike some of the businesses in the area, it is crucial for Downey Insurance Group to maintain complete functionally during this crisis due to the nature of our business. We are responsible for filing claims for our clients during this difficult time.  We are simultaneously working on our own claim for Downey’s Brattleboro office that is currently still unreachable due to flooding conditions.  We have re-routed our phone lines to our only fully operational location in Keene, NH where we currently have power, internet, and phone.   Our Marlborough, MA office is semi-functional  with power and phone, but no internet.  Thankfully as part of our Emergency Management Plan we have the capacity to handle this type of  situation with lists of phone and fax numbers for our insurance companies and paper claims forms.

Charlie Downey sprang into action this morning by driving up to Brattleboro, VT through the devastation zone to reach out to the community to find a temporary office space to house our Brattleboro, VT during the cleanup.  The rest of our team at Downey Insurance is working feverishly to file claims for our clients and to help the people during their time of need.  The teamwork and quick action of the Downey Insurance Group family have made this all possible.

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Downey Insurance Group is excited to be marching in the 10^th Annual Strolling of the Heifers parade in Brattleboro, VT again this year.  This will be our 4^th year sponsoring the event and participating in the parade.  We think it is such a great way to show our support for our local farm clients that are so important to us and to the community.  We insure most of our farm clients in the Monadnock region with Co-Op Insurance Company of Vermont which is co-sponsoring us to march in the parade.

This year the prade is being held on Saterday June 4th, 2011.  It will run down the Main Street of Brattleobro, VT then end at The Living Green Expo on Brattleobro common that will include farmers, food-producers and other sustainability vendors.  There will alos be food vendors and a small carnival for children.  The parade will include around 100 heifer calves adorned with flowers, then other livestock and local community organizations will follow.  You never know what the parade will bring with many floats and performances expected.  My alltime favorite would have to be the ”Plastic Bag Monster” of 2008.

If you were at the parade last year you will remember Charlie Downey’s son David with the oversized hula-hoop.  He was a crowed pleaser for sure,  everyone was amazed that he could keep that large hoop up for so long!!

This years Strolling of the Heifers theme is “It Takes a Community to Support our Farmers.”  Downey Insurance Group is so happy to be part of that community, by protecting our local farms with farm insurance products.   When the unthinkable happens we are there to help make it right.  Without insurance most frams would not be able to continue their operations after a large loss.

This year preceeding the Parade on Saterday Brattleboro is hosting the first Slow Living Summit June 1st – 3rd.  It’s focus will be on growing the sustainablity movent .  Many speakers and workshops are planned with industry leaders.  This summit will definaly get things moving in on

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KEENE, N.H.—Maple season is under way in New Hampshire, and Gov. John Lynch is getting in on the action.

Joined by his wife and local school children, Lynch will tap a tree in Keene on Monday to officially mark the start of the season.

In the last few years, New Hampshire has produced between 90,000-100,000 gallons of syrup a year, which adds up to nearly $5 million in annual revenue through the sale of maple products  – Article from Boston.com

Downey Insurance Group in Keene, NH and Brattleboro, VT proudly insures maple farms in New England.  Also don’t forget  Co-Op Insurance has just announced a new Group Discount Program for the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association.  This discount can be applied your current Co-Op policy, or we can help you start a new policy if you would like to take advantage of this program. If you are a maple producer in NH and you are not a member the Maple Producers Association you can fill out an application on their website linked here: http://www.nhmapleproducers.com/application.html

NHMPA members will receive 10% off of Farm, Home and Auto insurance with CO-OP!   This is essentially the same group discount that the Vermont Maple Producers Association has enjoyed for years.  Thanks Co-Op for making this available to the great people of NH!  Visit our website http://www.downeyinsurance.com/ or call us for additional information at 603-439-2022 or stop by our office in Keene, NH at 45 Summer Street.

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Flooding is becoming an annual nuisance in New Hampshire.  The threat of damage to many homes and businesses is very real.  As you may know your standard Homeowners policy and Business policy will not cover damage caused by flood.

If you fall within certain flood lines your mortgage company will most likely require you to carry flood insurance.  Even if you are not required to carry flood insurance it is still a very good idea. The thought of your home or business being destroyed by flood is unimaginable to most.  At Downey Insurance we have the resources to assess and protect your flood risk, as well as your home.

WMUR in New Hampshire said today:

PETERBOROUGH, N.H. – Heavy rain in the southern part of the state led to flooding issues Monday, while more than a foot of snow fell in northern areas.

Residents on Beauregard Street along the Sugar River in Claremont were evacuated when the river overflowed and left the road under more than 4 feet of water. Homes in the area are above that level and weren’t flooded, but officials said there was no way to get in and out of the homes because of the road flooding.

In Newport, a couple was rescued by boat from their home on a private road. Emergency workers said they crossed about 500 feet of water that was about 4 feet deep to get to the home.

In Hooksett, a Kmart on Londonderry Turnpike was closed because of flooding. Police said water was going into the store.

The rain sent chunks of ice floating down some rivers, forming ice dams that sent water spilling onto roads. Old Sharon Road in Peterborough was flooded for about a mile when ice wedged under a bridge.

The Department of Transportation sent in an excavator to break up the ice in what safety officials called a delicately timed operation.  “Just a little bit at a time so we don’t have a big rush of water going into the downtown area,” said Fire Chief Joe Lenox.

The heavy rains Sunday and overnight created torrents of rushing water on the Contoocock River. Complicating things for public works crews, there was more than one ice dam to deal with in Peterborough alone.

John Kaufhold owns a business by the river and said he has been through this before.

“(In 2007), we had about 2 feet of water where we’re standing,” he said.

Kaufhold said ice jams Monday could spell trouble again.

“By the dam in north Peterborough, we could get an ice jam and really clog things up,” he said. “The water level will rise fast behind the dam.”

In Wilton, officials monitored an ice jam on Stoney Brook. They said water started to rise Monday morning near the downtown area, but the jam broke up, and water began to flow freely again.

North of the White Mountains, a foot or more of snow fell since Sunday afternoon. Residents said they were running out of places to put the snow after all the storms this winter.

Power outages were also reported across the state, especially in western areas and the Upper Valley.

Public Service of New Hampshire reported about 3,400. New Hampshire Electric Coop reported about 3,200, while Unitil reported no outages.

Several ski areas were also closed because of the weather. Officials at Cannon Mountain said it’s closed because of some electrical issues caused by the storm. Cranmore and Dartmouth Skiway were closed because of poor conditions.

To read the full article click here.

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How do you decide which vendors to use, who you do business with, and what you want associated with your business?  Whether you are a small business or a large business you are probably thinking a little bit more about your purchasing power and business reputation when you decide who you do business with.  Does moral consciousness play a role in your decision?  There has been a large shift in the way business professionals are making these decisions.  The drive to align themselves with like minded businesses is becoming stronger. Take The International Association of Conscious Professionals for example, they are a network of like-minded entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals, who are positive, passionate, and inspired to create businesses that give back to the world.

As an independent insurance agency Downey Insurance has the ability to decide which insurance companies we represent, looking only to do business with the best of the best and like minded companies for the benefit of our clients.  After doing some research. we sought out a contract with Travelers Insurance. We now often recommend Travelers Business Insurance to our socially conscious clients which has been a win win for all.  This practice has made us the number one Producing Agent for 2010 for newly appointed agents in Massachusetts. Travelers Insurance has been one of the thought leaders in social responsibility under CEO Jay Fishman, and when it comes to insurance companies and we are proud to do business with them.  Here is an excerpt from an interview from Forbes Magazine with Jay Fishman CEO of Travelers Ins:

“The man has nothing to hide. In fact, his is a remarkable tale of straight-talking his way to success. This is a guy who was once a protégé of Sandy Weill’s and walked away from a big job at Citigroup; who preemptively said no thanks to any bailout from then Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, even as his peers were taking handouts; who warns his investors that his company’s returns might be lower from one year to the next; who frets that, left unchecked, the government debt crisis will turn into a death spiral; who expresses misgivings about his own abilities; who takes a very long view of his custodianship. “I don’t want to be [just] a caretaker,” he says during a rare couple of interviews. “I want to leave something behind that was better than what I got.”

You’d expect that from the head of the Nature Conservancy. But from a Wall Street mogul?”

You can read the whole article from Forbes Magazine Here.

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