It seems like every week the news is reporting another active shooter incident; these incidents have truly become an epidemic. In the past few years we’ve seen schools, universities; movie theaters, military bases, and businesses face threats, scares and shootings. There are two ways to approach these active shooting situations: 1) Prevention and 2) Damage Control.

As a law enforcement officer, I spent a lot of time focused on damage control. However, as a Risk Advisor I would say that although we absolutely have to be able to respond if an active shooting were to occur, we would be much better served if we were able to recognize and prevent the shooting before it happens.

Summer is right around the corner, and it’s time to put away the coats and bring out shorts and swim suits. Children all the way from pre-school to high school will soon be released from yet another school year, with a few months of freedom until the fall semester. The summer months are a great time to play sports, go the beach, or ride a bike around the neighborhood. Parents love to see their kids outside having a good time, but when it comes to playing outside…

“Just one more level!” or “My favorite show is on!”

Purchasing a boat is a substantial investment. In addition to the purchase price of the boat itself, most boat owners also pay for slip fees, fuel, various other costs associated with equipping and maintaining the boat, and insurance.

Today’s business climate requires that companies keep an especially close eye on expenses. One area where this monitoring sometimes escapes the attention of accountants, bookkeepers, and others who are responsible for corporate financials is workers’ compensation.

Workers’ compensation claims are ultimately a liability for an employer, whether the actual money paid to the injured worker is done through the state, through a private insurance company, or through the self-insured employer itself. But the direct costs of claims are not the only potential expense that employers can incur when it comes to workers’ compensation. Two very costly mistakes that often escape oversight but that can ultimately have a devastating effect on an employer's financial position include:

• Overestimating the amount of reserves needed to pay particular claims
• Failing to bring injured workers back to transitional duty

Benchmarking Makes You More Knowledgeable and Competitive in Today's Volatile Marketplace.

Gibson's 2014 annual Guide Point Benefits Survey continues to be a "must do" for HR professionals across the state of Indiana.

Publicly-traded, privately-held and not-for-profit organizations must continuously be on the look-out for ways to minimize or eliminate risk. Consequently, they purchase commercial insurance policies to pass on all types of risks associated with running day-to-day business operations. While the typical commercial general liability insurance policy offers important coverage for businesses, it does not provide sufficient protection for corporate executives from the personal liability they face from their capacity as business leaders.

In January 2014, there were 11 school shootings in 19 days. In addition, the number of threats and scares are on the rise. By implementing these 11 strategies, you will help deter and respond to an unwanted intruder.

Last week I had the privilege of attending our annual GESOP (Gibson’s ESOP) meeting. It was a great day (by my definition) spent with all our employee-owners.

We close down all four of our offices to give everyone a chance to attend. That’s a big deal for a firm in the client service business like Gibson. We only do this a few times each year, but it’s always great to see the folks I don’t get a chance to see that much, plus expose our new employees to the Gibson culture. I guess I’m a little old fashioned in feeling a paternalistic pride in what we’re building, our employees, and the lives we’re impacting in so many positive ways. But I digress…..

Many companies rely on transportation to make their business work. From trucking and recreational vehicle companies, to municipal governments, to food and beverage distributors, there are millions of businesses that manage vehicle fleets designed to move people and/or goods from place to place. For these organizations, a good fleet management program can minimize and, in some cases, eliminate the risks associated with vehicle investment, driver safety, transportation costs and more.