National Recognition, Island-style

on September 19, 2012

By John Schapperle
President & CEO of Island Insurance Companies Ltd.

What do the recent Olympics Games, graduating with honors and success in the insurance industry have in common?

All require individuals and teams to perform at optimum levels for extended periods. And, as we have seen through sports and academic competitions, consistent peak performance enables any local team to compete on a national stage.

The insurance industry also has its method of gauging the performance of its companies.

Each year, the Ward Group, the insurance industry’s leading benchmarking organization, evaluates more than 3,000 property and casualty insurers across the United States, and recognizes the top performing companies in its prestigious Ward Top 50 list.

Not only did we earn the distinction this past year, but 2012 also marks the fifth consecutive year Island has been recognized as one of the Top 50 P&C insurance carriers in the nation.

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The Island family: (front, from left) Nova Kim, Brian Hirano, John Schapperle, Dawn Hirano and Joan-Maree Sasaki; (back) Marites Untalan, Leighton Ito, Barbara Kaufman, Francis Aguada, Michael Salvatera, Mitchell Matsuura, Guyton Galdeira and Ramy So. Photo courtesy Island Insurance.

As the only Hawaii-based P&C insurer to reach this milestone, we feel that our Island values have made all the difference in our climb to the top of our industry.

The heart of our company values was established more than 70 years ago when Masayuki Tokioka and a dedicated group of business professionals witnessed the high rates charged by the established insurers of that period. In an effort to provide more affordable insurance options, Island Insurance was founded to help local families and businesses obtain the insurance they needed.

It is through this spirit of helping the people of Hawaii that the company motto, “Always Here To Help,” sprang to life.

Island’s founding commitment to helping others creates a keen focus on providing superior customer service. In working to serve our policyholders as we would a family member or close friend, Island currently holds a 99 percent satisfaction rating for claims servicing. Reaching these high levels of customer satisfaction is not only achieved through our clear company philosophy, but also is a direct result of providing employees with the training opportunities for continued growth.

Professional development programs in a wide range of topics such as leadership, communication and insurance continuing education have provided the foundation for employees to develop more-spe-cialized skills and knowledge in their respective areas.

In addition, we’ve focused on cultivating a new generation of talent through our Property and Casualty Internship program. By providing college students with the opportunity to work alongside seasoned employees and gain practical experience, we’ve been able to transition nearly 100 percent of our college interns into full-time employees of Island Insurance upon graduation.

We appreciate our success and understand the formula to maintain a high level of performance can be elusive at times.

But as our company continues to grow, whether it is with our customers, employees or communities of Hawaii, being “Always Here To Help” will continue to be the core of achieving success the Island way.

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