Monthly Archives: February 2015

Feb 17
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Tips for Keeping your Home Warm, Protected in Subzero Temperatures

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Temperatures throughout the Tennessee Valley are expected to turn colder over the next few days, and overnight temperatures will dip below zero.

“Heating our homes and doing it safely will be extremely important over the next several days,” said Bill Arowood, president of Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. “There are a number of things we can all do to keep our homes warm and plan for safety at the same time.”

Arowood offers the following tips from the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) to keep your home and your family safe during an outage.

Family Safety

  • Include power outages in your family disaster plan, identifying alternate means of transportation and routes to home, school or work.
  • Keep extra cash on hand since an extended power outage may prevent you from withdrawing money from automatic teller machines or banks.
  • Keep your car fuel tank at least half-full, gas stations rely on electricity to power their pumps
  • During a power outage, resist the temptation to call 9-1-1 for information–that’s what your battery-powered radio is for.
  • Turn off all lights but one, to alert you when power resumes.
  • Check on elderly neighbors, friends or relatives who may need assistance if weather is severe during the outage.
  • Keep a supply of flashlights, batteries and a battery-powered radio on hand. Do not use candles as they pose a fire hazard.

Keeping Warm

  • Put on layers of warm clothing.
  • Never burn charcoal for heating or cooking indoors.
  • If you are using a gas heater or fireplace to stay warm, be sure the area is properly ventilated.
  • Go to a designated public shelter if your home loses power or heat during periods of extreme cold. Text SHELTER + your ZIP code to 43362 (4FEMA) to find the nearest shelter in your area (example: shelter 12345)

Food

  • Keep a supply of non-perishable foods, medicine, baby supplies, and pet food as appropriate on hand. Be sure to have at least one gallon of water per person per day on hand.
  • Avoid opening the fridge or freezer. Food should be safe as long as the outage lasts no more than four hours.
  • Have one or more coolers for cold food storage in case power outage is prolonged. Perishable foods should not be stored for more than two hours above 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • If you eat food that was refrigerated or frozen, check it carefully for signs of spoilage.

Generators

  • Do not run a generator inside a home or garage. Use gas-powered generators only in well-ventilated areas.
  • Connect only individual appliances to portable generators.
  • Don’t plug emergency generators into electric outlets or hook them directly to your home’s electrical system – as they can feed electricity back into the power lines, putting you and line workers in danger.

When Power Returns

  • When power comes back on, it may come back with momentary “surges” or “spikes” that can damage equipment such as computers and motors in appliances like the air conditioner, refrigerator, washer or furnace.
  • When power is restored, wait a few minutes before turning on major appliances to help eliminate further problems caused by a sharp increase in demand.

For more information on protecting your home from extreme cold conditions, visit www.flash.org. For more information about Appalachian Underwriters, Inc., visit www.appund.org.

Feb 16
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Protect Your Home and Business From the Aftermath of Winter Storm Octavia

By | Appalachian Underwriters, Bill Arowood | No Comments

The Appalachian region is bracing for winter storm Octavia, which is bringing with it a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow. Many homeowners may feel powerless against the wrath of Mother Nature, but Bill Arowood, president of Appalachian Underwriters, Inc., says there are things homeowners can do after the storm passes to protect their homes from damage.

“First, everyone needs to know that standard homeowners or business insurance policies cover a wide range of winter-related disasters such as burst pipes, ice dams, wind damage, leaky roofs, and building collapse caused by the weight of ice or snow,” Arowood said. He adds that coverage for backup of sewers and drains also is available. Flood damage is excluded from most standard policies.

Arowood recommends homeowners do the following to prevent damage from the melting snow and from future storms:

  • Keep your home warm. The temperature in the home should be at least 65 degrees to prevent pipes from freezing.
  • Watch for snow accumulation on the leeward (downwind) side of a higher-level roof, where blowing snow will collect. For safe removal that won’t damage your roof, consult a roofing contractor for a referral.
  • Snow or rain that freezes in gutters can cause an “ice dam,” damaging ceilings as melting ice spreads under roof shingles. Keep gutters clean of leaves and debris to prevent this condition.
  • Remove branches that become heavy with snow and icicles hanging from gutters and over walkways.
  • As snow melts, water can back-up sewers and drains resulting in flooding. Local government officials should be notified if street drains are clogged.
  • Stock up on fuel in case of a power outage, such as firewood or propane if you have a back up heat source.

For more information about Appalachian Underwriters, Inc., please visit www.appund.com.

Feb 15
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INVO PEO Helps Meet Business and Personal Insurance Needs

By | Bill Arowood, INVO PEO | No Comments

INVO PEO partners with a retail insurance agency, Madison Insurance Group (MIG), to provide our clients with all their business needs. MIG can also provide personal lines of insurance for the business owners and its employees.

“Under the umbrella of our INVO PEO flagship, MIG is our retail operation that offers policies ranging from Personal Auto to Professional Liability,” said Bill Arowood, president of INVO PEO.

MIG operates nationally, but acts locally by offering personalized services designed specifically for the individual client. Some of our industry specific programs offered through MIG include Staffing, Trucking, and General Contractors.

Commercial Lines
Professional Liability
Property
Business Owner’s Package
Commercial Auto
Commercial Umbrella
Inland Marine / Builder’s Risk
Liquor Liability
General Liability
Bonds

Personal Lines
Renter’s Insurance
Auto
Home
Life
Liability
Boat & RV
Umbrella

To learn more about INVO PEO, visit www.invopeo.com

Feb 13
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ETCH Donation Drive Already Successful

By | Appalachian Underwriters, Bill Arowood | No Comments

The team at Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. (AUI) is hard at work collecting items for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital this month. AUI chose the hospital as their Valentine and is holding donation drive through Friday, February 27.

“The generosity of these employees is amazing and humbling,” said Bill Arowood, president of AUI. “It’s obvious to me that this donation drive has touched our hearts.”

Items being collected include: Short- and long-sleeved onesies for ages 0-3 months and 3-6 months; new or used clean clothing from birth to 3T, especially sweatpants, shorts and T-shirts; coloring books and crayons; and DVDs rates PG or PG-13 for teens and older children.

To learn more about Appalachian Underwriters, Inc., visit www.appund.com.

Feb 04
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AUI Chooses Children’s Hospital to Be Their Valentine

By | Appalachian Underwriters, Bill Arowood | No Comments

For the month of February, Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. (AUI) has chosen East Tennessee Children’s Hospital as their Valentine.

All month long, AUI will hold a donation drive for the hospital through Friday, February 27, and collection bins will be located in Building A on all floors.

“All of us who have children in our lives have been touched by the incredible work of East Tennessee Children’s Hospital,” said Bill Arowood, president of AUI. “Our donation drive is a small way we can help meet the needs of the children served by the hospital.

Items being collected include: Short- and long-sleeved onesies for ages 0-3 months and 3-6 months; new or used clean clothing from birth to 3T, especially sweatpants, shorts and T-shirts; coloring books and crayons; and DVDs rates PG or PG-13 for teens and older children.

To learn more about Appalachian Underwriters, Inc., visit www.appund.com.

Feb 02
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Bill Arowood: Appalachian Underwriters, Inc. Announces New Hires for January 2015

By | Appalachian Underwriters, INVO PEO | No Comments

Appalachian Underwriters, Inc., (AUI) the fifth largest Managing General Agent in the nation with premiums in excess of $500 million, welcomed five new employees to the company during the month of January.

“We are pleased to have these employees join the various organizations of our enterprise,” said Bill Arowood, president of AUI. “Our successes are built around the quality employees throughout our organization who are collectively committed to excellence in customer service.”

The new employees are:

Shannon Bryant is the new accounts receivable analyst and comes to AUI with eight years of experience in collections. She worked at GMAC for three and a half years collecting car payments. She then worked at Frost-Arnett for four years, becoming the assistant manager. Shannon is married and has three children named Braydon, Ashley and Bentley.

Jason Herrman is an operations analyst for INVO PEO. He worked for Brinks Armored Car for 18 years, starting in 1996 as a supervisor for the production facility. In 2000 he became a route coordinator and in 2006 was promoted to Cash Logistics Manager. During this time he was responsible for the inventories and commercial deposits for 50 banks and the supervision of 100 employees. Jason has been enrolled part-time, online, at Fort Hays State in Fort Hays, Kansas for the last few years and hopes to graduate this summer with his associates in Business Management.

Christina Miller is a new payroll processor for INVO PEO. She has over seven years of payroll experience, more than half of that being spent at a PEO in Florida. Christina has been a stay at home mom for the past 10 years but has continued to involve herself in the payroll world through various work from home jobs. Christina and her family moved to Tennessee from Florida in September. She is looking forward to putting down roots in Tennessee, as well as INVO PEO.

Timothy Parker is the new Director of Data Services for Information Technology Partners in Columbia, South Carolina. Tim has been in management and technical leadership positions within the property and casualty insurance industry for the past eight years. He has served as the manager of the Data Warehouse Team and Data Architect at Seibels Insurance Technology and Services, Analytics Technical Consultant for Innovation Group, and Data Architect at EagleEye Analytics. Tim received his Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems for Liberty University, and a Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute. Timothy also enjoys performing the guitar with the 246th Army Band in the South Carolina Army National Guard and at local churches and community events around Columbia.

Jennifer Weathers is the new collections specialist at AUI. She has worked in collections for nine years, six-and-a-half years of that being with Revenue Recovery Corp. She continued working in collections after leaving Revenue Recovery Corp, focusing mainly in medial bill collections. Jennifer was raised in Union County and continues to live there with her 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter.

For more information about Appalachian Underwriters, Inc., visit www.appund.com.

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