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.

“I can’t do this. I really can’t. I’m done,” I somewhat coherently muttered to myself. The temperatures were soaring. I had run out of water and energy bars a few hours before. I was bent over with my hands clutching my dusty knees, swaying back and forth as I couldn’t seem to find balance. I noticed my shirt was almost dry and I had stopped sweating. At that moment, with less than a mile to go, I would have paid any cost and dealt with the ridicule sure to follow if I could have quit. But I hadn’t seen any pack animals for quite some time. And there was no way a helicopter would come for me this close to the top of the South Rim.

I would have to continue. But I couldn’t. At that moment, a friend of mine named Jim Holder who had joined us on the hike, was coming up the trail and offered me his water and a Cliff Bar. “Just rest for a few minutes,” he said. “It’s not like we can leave without you.” Maybe he was right I thought. So I took some of his water and ate a little; although nothing tasted very good at the moment.

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…..

One of our Core Values is: Integrity Matters - Always Do the Right Thing. It seems elementary to ask why integrity matters. The answers are all too obvious, right? Yet all too often there are examples of integrity issues in our world, in business and in our personal affairs.

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.

You may drive around in your town
In a brand new shiny car
Your face in the wind, your haircut's in
And your friends think you're bizarre
You may find a cushy job and I hope that you go far
But if you really want to taste some cool success
You better learn to play guitar                                                           

~ John Mellencamp, “Play Guitar"

The reason I left the Indiana State Police to become a Risk Advisor at Gibson was in large part due to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. As a tribute to the lives lost, I’d like to share a few of the lessons learned. Included are the highlights from an article featured in Campus Safety Newsletter, 7 Lessons Learned from Sandy Hook. The article is very well-written and provides important insights based on the summary report of the incident.

I’ll give a brief warning that some of the content of this post is hard to read given the tragedy of the situation. However, I urge you to push past the discomfort in order to understand how to provide impact should you be confronted by an active shooter situation.

1. Actions by school personnel saved lives