August 2021 - Competitive Edge Insurance

The Key Differences between General Contractors and Construction Managers

in Construction, High-Risk Insurance, News

Hard to place insurance is not impossible to place.

Although being a General Contractor (GC) and Construction Manager (CM) may sound like the same type of position, the difference is often overlooked in the industry. The difference between positions equates to a difference between the type of construction insurance needed.

General Contractor

A General Contractor “agrees to build the entire project—they’re the party ultimately responsible for the timely and proper performance of the work for a set price.”

The general contractor isn’t doing the manual labor at the job site, but instead managing the subcontractors who do.

In terms of insurance as a general contractor, general liability insurance is the type of high-risk coverage you should be looking toward. With construction coverage, there are specific risks to be made aware of, including:

Canceled or non-renewed insurance coverage
Repeated rejection from multiple carriers within a short time period
Shock losses
The high volume of small claims
High risk of property damage, illness, injury, or death

Construction Manager

On the other hand, a Construction Manager, “is a consultant hired by a developer or property owner to manage and oversee the performance of contractors that they’ve hired. The developer, owner, etc. hire each of these contractors directly.”

When you’re a construction manager, the type of insurance that will give you the best coverage is professional liability insurance.

The main difference between a GC and CM is the legality behind their hiring process, including coverage. The CM is hired, for lack of a better word, as a consultant whereas a GC is given a distinct payment with the job fully in their hands. The construction business needs to be protected with high-risk coverage, and Competitive Edge specialized in construction coverage.

At Competitive Edge Insurance, we work with insurance carriers across the country to place all types of business coverage. We are always seeking out new insurance companies to write hard-to-place and high-risk business insurance.

Don’t let cancellation dissuade you from finding comprehensive coverage. We can help! Learn more by connecting with Competitive Edge Insurance today.

Cannabis Insurance: Risks and Coverage

in Cannabis, Health & Wellness, High-Risk Insurance, News

The emerging cannabis market has created a new space for industry coverage. There are, however, both general and unique risks of cannabis insurance that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Let’s talk about the risks of cannabis insurance and what coverage is available to keep your business protected.

Risks of Cannabis Insurance

Claims can vary, but some of the most common in the cannabis industry include:

Bodily injury or property damage caused by a product misuse
Product-related/manufacturing defects that result in some kind of loss
Inhaled, edible, and infused products that may have caused illness
Faulty/misused equipment (which includes vape cartridges, batteries, and lighters)
Marketing/labeling misrepresentations

Moreover, The National Association of Insurance (NAIC) acknowledges that companies might need to reevaluate their coverage when it comes to cannabis and hemp. With the rising popularity of different forms of cannabis (for example, edibles), there are mental effects that need to be accounted for with insurance risk.

NAIC claims that products like edibles “increase the risk of product liability and safety recalls. The psychoactive effects of CBD raise the risk that products may be deemed mislabeled, misrepresented, or harmful.”

Research shows that young people have shown more interest in illicit drug use in recent years, which could change the insurance services and risks available.

Some additional and unique risks associated with cannabis coverage to consider include:

Cannabis businesses are complex
The market is constantly changing
Policies are not on the same playing field
Vaping products muddle the market

What Insurance Does Your Cannabis Business Need?

So, what insurance does your cannabis need to combat these risks? Below are three of the best ways to protect your cannabis business.

Product Liability Insurance

Cannabis and CBD products require custom product liability policies for their:

Manufacturers
Retailers
Distributors
Cultivation
Facilities
And more

This coverage applies to any business bringing a product to market. If an incident were to occur, these custom product liability policies kick in to help defend your company against claims and allegations and to pay damages if your business is found liable.

Considering the potential claims that can be made against your business (listed under “Risks of Cannabis Insurance”), product liability insurance is an essential part of your cannabis coverage.

Product Recall Insurance

Similarly, you may want to consider product recall insurance, which can cover the costs of removing a defective product from the market and further prevent third-party claims.

Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI)

Lastly, your cannabis business might consider EPLI.

Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) is insurance that provides coverage to employers against claims made by employees.

EPLI policies typically extend coverage to the following:

Wrongful Termination
Sexual Harassment
Wage-Related Claims
Claims of Unequal or Unfair Pay
Discrimination Claims (i.e. age, race, gender, sexual orientation)
Third-Party Claims
And more

According to Amtrust Financial, the below are also common employer missteps that may be covered:

Failure to Hire or Promote
Libel, Slander, Defamation of Character, or Invasion of Privacy
Wrongful Infliction of Emotional Distress
Wrongful Discipline or Demotion

Who Needs EPLI?

The fact of the matter is that some industries are more susceptible to these types of claims than others. Highly susceptible industries include the cannabis industry as well as healthcare, professional services, restaurant, food services, retail, and manufacturing.

Again, EPLI claims can be detrimental to businesses of all sizes and types. This policy helps protect against many kinds of employee lawsuits which is why it’s important to invest in coverage, especially for a client-facing business such as cannabis.

A Final Word

Naturally, carriers have their own best interests at heart and only cover the safest bets to protect themselves. At Competitive Edge Insurance, we build your case with the carrier to ensure that you get the right coverage at the best price based on your real-world conditions.

Read on if you’re wondering the difference between cannabis and hemp insurance, then get in touch with our team today.

What’s happening with EIDL?

in EIDL, General Business Insurance, News

Are you like many others received an alarming email from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) through the Small Business Administration (SBA)?

As part of EIDL requirements, you are required to have hazard insurance in order to apply for the EIDL loan. The SBA recently sent out an email to all of those who have received the EIDL loan, and they are requiring proof of insurance in order to get your loan forgiven.

As a business owner, if you do not have hazard insurance, now is the time to get it! Brenda Jo at Competitive Edge has helped many people acquire hazard insurance to ensure they remain compliant with the EIDL requirements.

Here’s a look at what the email states, and why you might need hazard insurance.

The email stated:

“The SBA is launching a new round of Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advances – called Targeted EIDL Advance – which provides eligible businesses with $10,000 in total grant assistance. If you received the EIDL Advance last year in an amount less than $10,000, you may be eligible to receive the difference up to the full $10,000. The combined amount of the Targeted EIDL Advance and any previously received Advance will not exceed $10,000.”

Along with additional information claiming that:

“Businesses eligible for the Targeted EIDL Advance must meet ALL the following eligibility criteria:

Located in a low-income community, as defined in section 45D(e) of the Internal Revenue Code. The SBA will map your business address to determine if you are in a low-income community when you submit your Targeted EIDL Advance application.
Suffered economic loss greater than 30 percent, as demonstrated by an 8-week period beginning on March 2, 2020, or later, compared to the previous year. You will be required to provide the total amount of monthly gross receipts from January 2019 to the current month-to-date.
Must have 300 or fewer employees. Business entities normally eligible for the EIDL program are eligible, including sole proprietors, independent contractors, and private, nonprofit organizations. However, agricultural enterprises, such as farmers and ranchers, are not eligible to receive the Targeted EIDL Advance.”

The EIDL has said that loans won’t be forgiven unless you have proof of insurance coverage. If you’re looking to check which Covid-19 loans are forgivable, check this list.

Why is SBA changing its loan policy?

Lenders and CDCs are required to ensure that all collateral with a recoverable value is adequately insured in order to protect the ability to recover on the SBA loan. Generally, SBA will not require that you pledge collateral to secure a physical disaster home or business loan of $25,000.

What type of insurance do you need?

Under the requirements for the EIDL, the SBA requires that your business has hazard insurance to cover 80% of the loan amount. Hazard insurance is a term for coverage the may be included within several different types of property coverage.

If you have any kind of business property insurance, you are probably covered. Commercial property insurance is considered hazard insurance. This coverage protects your company’s physical assets, like buildings, furniture and equipment, supplies, computers, inventory, customer’s goods, signs, fencing, and even lost income from damage or loss.

The SBA does not allow personal hazard insurance to be considered for loans. Business auto insurance is also not allowable coverage for this requirement.

Do you have the right coverages and the correct amounts to satisfy your SBA loan?

The SBA is requiring you to have hazard insurance as a requirement to apply for the EIDL loan. If you received EIDL funds without coverage, you should contact your insurance agent as soon as possible. The SBA requires that at least 80% of your loan amount is covered with hazard insurance. It may be beneficial to have 100% of your business property value covered with hazard insurance.

There are a few other rules related to the insurance coverage that the SBA has stated:

The insurance must be in the name of the business and must show proof of business property.
If someone is a sole proprietor, and they have a DBA, the DBA must be on the policy.

As you look to ensure you provide proof of insurance that is compliant with the SBA’s requirements, reach out to Brenda Jo Robyn at Competitive Edge for all of your insurance needs.
Please submit the requested documents as soon as possible to complete your file. Talk to Brenda Jo Robyn today for more information!

It’s a Good Time for an Insurance Review!

in General Business Insurance, News

Maybe you’re thinking, “I’ll review my insurance at the end of the year, along with all my other financial planning.”

Think again, because right now is a good time for an insurance review!

Why Should I?

At Competitive Edge Insurance, we believe that you are more than a history of insurance claims. There’s so much more to the story of your business than shock losses and industry pivots. We make sure to learn about your whole business because articulating who you are as more than a series of profit and soss (P&L) statements allows carriers to confidently cover you and your business.

Here are some steps that you as an individual, health and wellness practice, or general contractor can take to review your insurance now.

What Are The Steps?

One of the first questions to ask yourself is, “What has changed over the past year?” The insurance coverage you have is bound to change based on the previous 12 months. This is even more so given the aftermath of a global pandemic.

Next, one key factor in an insurance review is to consider risk. To successfully mitigate risk, you need to ensure there is a transparent and frequent line of communication between project managers and stakeholders. Stakeholders might include owners, contractors and subcontractors, architects, and so on, depending on your project.

Work in tandem with stakeholders and go down the rabbit hole: What is everything that could potentially go wrong? After going down the rabbit hole, assess the risk. For each potential risk, rate it. On a scale, discuss the impact each risk would have on the project. Then, assign priority to the largest risks.

After evaluating each risk that is currently affecting your coverage, seek more developed opportunities. You may qualify for discounts if circumstances have changed, which is worth looking into.

How?

Let’s connect! At Competitive Edge Insurance, our team is dedicated to your safety, security, and ongoing success. Our clients stay with us for decades because we have their business’ best interests at heart and the depth of knowledge and experience to protect and insure them no matter what the market conditions.