(Photo above: (L-R) Travis Davis, Vic Martinez, Martti Rahi and Matt McGowan | Photo by Cascade Business News)
Provider of Unique Insurance Solutions
What comes to mind when you think of an insurance agency? Is it a strategic business partner, a group of local professionals dedicated to protecting your assets? Is it a firm that provides risk management and helps you identify and prioritize risk proactively?
“PayneWest Insurance is changing the way people think about and interact with their insurance agency by exceeding expectations and delivering unparalleled value” says Travis Davis commercial sales executive at PayneWest Insurance. PayneWest is an independent, employee-owned and northwest-based insurance agency with the strength of over 700 employees.
In an industry often thought of as one generation behind, PayneWest Insurance just might be a generation ahead. “Innovation shouldn’t be the exclusive domain of technology or manufacturing industries; we have an opportunity to innovate in our approach to each client and to each risk,” offers Davis. “Often the best solution for the client lies not in an insurance policy, but in a shift in a business process. By being motivated by client success, by being risk managers first and brokers second; only then can we truly serve our clients.
“People and businesses have been trained for decades to view insurance as a product and a broker as their personal shopper of those products. That only works when products are simple and well understood; two things that insurance is definitely not.”
Innovation is at the forefront of PayneWest’s strategic business plan in Bend. By design, PayneWest is not organized like other brokerages in regions like Central Oregon. The company applies industry specialization to their commercial team, with specialty practice groups in construction, development, healthcare and public entities, as well as a unique benefits team that is constantly building solutions to be at the forefront of ever-changing
healthcare legislation.
PayneWest recognizes that when a loss occurs, this is the most stressful time for a client. PayneWest Commercial Sales Executive Matt McGowan says, “When a client calls with a claim, that’s our time to shine. We have a team of five expert claims advocates at PayneWest that ensure clients receive exactly the treatment that they deserve. To date, this team has recovered over $7 million on behalf of our clients on claims that were either denied or under-paid.”
Not only does PayneWest get involved on the back end, but they bring pro-active resources to bear for clients as well. “We advocate regular visits for our clients from our in-house loss control specialists. These professionals, which cost our clients nothing extra, are well-credentialed health and safety experts that are not the watchdog of the insurance carriers; they are partners in reducing risk to both health and property,” explains Vic Martinez commercial sales executive
at PayneWest.
PayneWest is driven by a commitment to serve. Their definition of service extends beyond their clients and into their communities at large. In each community (and that’s over thirty offices in the Northwest) PayneWest colleagues are encouraged and even given paid time off to serve in their communities. Locally you will find PayneWest giving back on several boards including the American Red Cross, Bend Chamber of Commerce, Opportunity Knocks, Redmond Executive Association and Kiwanis to name just a few.
“To serve our community isn’t a corporate mandate as much as it’s a way of life for us. We recruit and hire colleagues that share that larger vision for their work. We know that our clients don’t only have issues from nine to five and we want them to know that we’re there for them when they need us…even if that’s a call for help to pick up hay at 8pm when their trailer overturned in an accident,” reports Martti Rahi, personal insurance sales executive at PayneWest.
PayneWest Insurance states that their mission is to be the premier provider of unique insurance solutions and service for insurance, surety and employee benefits; to be an employer of choice in every community they serve and to be a meaningful, community-building partner in those communities. It is a lofty mission, but one that is welcomed in Bend and Central Oregon.
PayneWest Insurance
541 306-2080
400 SW Bluff Dr., Ste. 250, Bend, OR 97702
www.PayneWest.com/Bend
