Attitudes

Attitude – we all have one everyday; at work, at home, at school. The following is a good comment and perspective on attitude. The author is Charles Swindoll.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.

It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.

It will make or break a company…a church…a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for the day. We cannot change the past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only think we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

Think about your attitude and how you present yourself. Whether it is in speaking or writing letters or emails have a positive attitude.

Dave Nixon

President, Nixon Insurance Agency Inc.

Do Not Give Up

I am a big sports fan, I enjoying watching and attending events. I especially enjoy the “comeback” games.  Just in the past several weeks: Bradley men’s basketball team came back from 16 points down to defeat Illinois State in a big game in Peoria. How about the comeback of the Forty Niners against the Ravens? Although Sam Francisco came up short, it was a great game and we saw the resolve of the players.  And just last night Illinois came from behind at the last second, to beat Indiana ranked #1 in the country.

In life, just as in sports, we each have opportunities to not give up or to “comeback”.  Whether it relates to our family, work, friends, faith, or recreational activities, we should “keep the faith”, work hard to achieve our goals, and not give up. 

As long as we are alive, and free we have the choice to keep trying until we succeed.  We need to be realistic about our goals, take the time and effort to achieve them. There will be failures and short comings, but these should not keep us from putting forth a positive effort. The only time we fail is when we give up; always believe in your dreams. Make sure your family, friends, coworkers, or team members know your goals; they can be an inspiration and resource. Goals can be reached in increments and when we achieve or succeed we are making a difference in the world and in other people’s lives.  As we achieve goals we have satisfaction and we can inspire others to work to achieve their goals.

Be an inspiration – do not give up – make a difference in the world - reach for the stars.

Dave Nixon

Meet Our Staff

As the owner of a small business, I am blessed and fortunate to have a great staff of fellow employees.  In the Nixon Insurance mission statement we state

“Our primary objectives are:

• to be honest and fair in all of our dealings;
• to be interested in people and their problems; and
• to treat our client’s needs as if they were our own

We are committed to a high standard of excellence in all that we do, and to establishing a firm relationship of mutual trust and service with each of our clients”

The staff at Nixon Insurance works hard every day to accomplish the best insurance service for our customers.  Let me briefly introduce them.

Nancee Purdum has been with the agency since 1979. Prior to joining the agency, she worked for Auto-Owners Insurance Company. Nancee is a licensed agent and obtained her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation in 1984. She is responsible for the agency accounting, agency automation systems, and personal lines sales and service; she is also the agency manager.

Chad Kleine joined the agency in 1998. Chad is a former Bradley University basketball player and graduated with a BS degree in education. In his spare time Chad is the second voice with Dave Snell on Bradley Basketball radio broadcasts. Chad obtained his Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation in 2005. Chad specializes in personal lines sales and service.

Nick Gunn is the Claims Administrator and also involved in Commercial and Personal Lines sales for the agency. Nick has over 6 years experience in the Insurance industry.  He started his insurance career with Nixon Insurance Agency, Inc from 2006 to 2009, and then worked for another local agency until 2011. He is licensed and specializes in Personal and Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance.   Nick earned the Certified Insurance Counselor designation in January of 2012.

Debbie Rogy joined the agency in 2010. Debbie is a licensed agent and has multiple years of working in the insurance industry.  She has customer service experience in other industries. Her responsibilities are customer service for commercial lines insurance.

Nicole Emery joined the agency in 2012. Nicole is a graduate of Illinois State University with a Bachelor in Applied Science.  She has insurance and customer service experience. Nicole has obtained her Associates in Claims designation in 2009. Her responsibilities are customer service for personal lines insurance.

Brooke Neal, Brooke is a senior at Bradley University and is a business management major.  She is working as a full time intern during the summer of 2012 and will continue as a part time intern during the school year.

Jennifer Walker, Jenny is a senior at Bradley University and is business finance major.  She is working as a part time intern during her senior year 2012-2013 and she will graduate in May 2013.

These are wonderful people and hard workers. Take time to get to know them while they work for you.

Dave Nixon

Owner, Nixon Insurance Agency Inc

Independent Insurance Agent

As the owner of an independent insurance agency I want to share some comments about the independent agency system compared to other forms of insurance distribution.  An independent insurance agency is an insurance firm that represents multiple insurance companies.  A Captive insurance agency is one that primarily represents one company.  Some of the advantages of being an independent insurance agent are:

1.       Since we represent multiple insurance companies we are able to offer our clients competitive pricing and a choice of coverage’s and products that are right for the customer.

2.       Because an independent agent represents more than one company a customer does not have to change agents or representatives, if the customer wants to change insurance companies because of pricing, coverage, or service.

3.       An independent agent offers one stop shopping for all coverage’s, auto, home, business, life, and health insurance and acts as a consultant to offer the customer a choice of insurance plans and programs.

4.       Independent insurance agents own their own business, are active in the community, and strive to provide the best customer service.

5.       Independent insurance agents assist customers when there is a claim.

What is the current state of the insurance business?  According to Market Scout, personal lines insurance rates which are automobile and home insurance are increasing on average of 4.0%.  We are seeing some home rate increases in the 10.0% range and even higher if there is past claim history. For business insurance, Market Scout indicates that pricing is increasing 5.0%.

Due to rate changes and coverage changes, now is the best time for customers to associate with an independent insurance agent.  At Nixon Insurance Agency Inc we can shop multiple markets and offer various premium and coverage options.  Presently Nixon Insurance Agency Inc is using the following insurance companies: Auto Owners Insurance Company; AAA Member Select; Blue Cross Blue Shield; Employers Preferred; General Casualty Insurance Company; Grinnell Mutual Insurance Company; Hanover Insurance Company; Humana Insurance Company; Progressive Insurance; RLI Surety; Society Insurance Company; Travelers Insurance; and West Bend Mutual.  We also have access to multiple other insurance companies through the wholesale insurance market.

If you are a current customer of Nixon Insurance Agency Inc, thank you for your business.  If you are a prospective customer, we would be glad to review your current insurance and offer some options.

Thank you!

Dave Nixon, Owner

Nixon Insurance Agency Inc

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy will rate as one of the costliest U S Hurricanes ever.  Here in the Midwest we watched the photos from the media and are fortunate to not incur damage in the central states region.  Here are some insurance facts about the damage. 

According to initial estimates Sandy will be one of the five costliest hurricanes to date putting insured losses between $10 billion and $20 billion. These figures would make sandy the third costliest storm. Katrina in 2005 was $46.6 billion and Andres in 1992 was $22.9 billion.  According to an insurance industry source, total economic damage will range $30 to $50 billion.

What are the implications and initial conclusions that we can learn from a storm such as Sandy?

·         Make sure you review your present insurance.

·         Take photos and make inventory lists of your home or business before losses occur. These will help you to establish claims.

·         Flood insurance is not included in property insurance but is available.  Even in areas that are not generally considered as flood zones, coverage is available. For example flood insurance can be important in heavy rain storms.

·         Review your insurance for sewer and sump pump failure.  Water damage that backs up in sewers or floor drains; or from sump pumps that fail or overflow are not covered unless you have additional coverage.

·         Business interruption for businesses is a coverage that is not well understood. Review your coverage to make sure you have adequate limits. In the event of a catastrophic storm such as Sandy, the time to rebuild can be much longer than estimated. 

If you have questions about your specific coverage, please feel free to contact any of the staff at Nixon Insurance Agency Inc.  We are here to serve you

Dave Nixon

Owner, Nixon Insurance Agency Inc.

Yes Deer

October through early December is the time of the year when automobile and deer collisions increase dramatically.   Illinois does not have the highest incident rate in the country but according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, in 2011 there were 18,037 deer crashes which account for 6.4% of all accidents.  Over 70% of the deer crashes occur at night. 

Here are some tips to avoid or reduce a deer collision:

Be aware of posted deer crossing signs as they are placed in active deer crossings.

Use high beam headlamps as much as possible to illuminate the areas surrounding roadways.

Keep in mind that generally deer travel in herds, if you see one there is a strong possibility there are others nearby.

If a deer collision is inevitable, do not swerve as you could lose control of your car or move into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

Slow down and wear your seat belts.

If you do have a deer accident, the damage to your vehicle is covered under the comprehensive coverage of the automobile policy and as a result, many times has a lower deductible than your collision coverage has.  Check your policy to make sure you have coverage for rental of a replacement vehicle while you vehicle is being repaired.

David H Nixon CIC

President, Nixon Insurance Agency Inc