iStorm Group

Shingle Granule Function - Is Displacement Damage? We have all heard it from insurance carriers all too many times: "granules are cosmetic only" Yuck. Literally every shingle manufacturer will tell you, and provide technical bulletins stating the contrary. Who better to provide this expert information than the people who design and manufacture shingles? (The answer is no one, especially an engineer hired by the insurance carrier). Simply, granules block ultraviolet (UV) light from reaching the asphalt in the shingle. UV rays, if allowed to reach unprotected asphalt, will age the asphalt prematurely, and degrade the life of the shingle. Hail displaces shingles; we have read hundreds of engineers reports acknowledging this, but trying to write it off as "nonfunctional damage" is preposterous. Let's consider first that this phrase is not in the dictionary. The verb nonfunctional is however, and it states "not functional: such as: having no function : serving or performing no useful purpose". If you would like copies of some of these bulletins, email your request to our COO Elizabeth Bashore, [email protected].  Cheers to all the professionals who protect insured against unfair insurance company practices in the catastrophic storm restoration industry! 

Integrity - Are Carriers Playing Fair? NO It's sad. In all walks facets of life we should have a personal moral code to simply live up to our word commitment. When society people fail to do that it is not only disappointing, but indicative of the erosion of human character. The illustration in this post is not only disconcerting, but also a stark reminder that the "good old days" when a handshake meant something are gone. The solution is to be proactive, and challenge any all information regarding a loss you may have incurred. As always, the devil is in the details, and if you don't dig in, more often than not it WILL bite you. We can help. If you are involved in a claim that just "tastes or smells" funny, your intuition is likely correct; call us: we can unscramble the egg. https://lnkd.in/errkTbUu

Perseverance - Press On One of our favorite quotes is from Calvin Coolidge. It is the very essence of continuing on in the face of adversity, without complaining or blaming or throwing a pity party. Champions are forged in the fires of adversity and you will rise stronger. Our CEO's youngest son Simon, a Senior Captain on the Archbishop Alter HS football team, is going through that right now. His team lost 3 starting Captains and 3 returning starters to injury, and are facing a tough higher division schedule than any year in Alter history. In spite of this, they have managed a 2-2 record while filling in the missing pieces, and the leaders stepping up rising to the challenge. This is a life lesson that applies to everything. Go Simon, Go Knights, Go Everyone; don't let anyone or thing take you down! 

Thankful Thursday - Freedom Entrepreneur's know something about freedom; and sacrifice, and perseverance and vision. As risk takers, they understand the rewards; the greatest of which is TIME. Time to enjoy the bigger things than financial or business success; like family, down time to be creative, catching your children's athletic games, an afternoon round of golf with friends, a long weekend retreat with your spouse, and so on. Our team is comprised of professionals across the country who aspire to this entrepreneurial spirit. We get to:  * Create jobs and contribute to the economy in a meaningful way * Work virtually from anywhere (efficiency) * Meet all kinds of awesome people and create long term relationships with clients and strategic partners * Financial freedom losing the stress of debilitating debt  * Enjoy personal pleasures of life  * Give back to the communities we serve via some sort of philanthropic cause All of this is possible by creating the ability to take TIME so as not to let life pass us by. This is why we work.  This is why we thrive.  THIS IS FREEDOM. To everyone out there who was not afraid to take a risk, THANK YOU! ISG is Thankful for each of you!

Passion - Rhyme or Reason Passion is the driving force behind our team here @ ISG. You can't fake it, and if you do people will see right through it. Being positive and optimistic is contagious. We consider ourselves lucky that we can earn comfortable livings while doing something we absolutely love. Sure there are trying times and challenges to overcome, however all walks of life and work have them. Our CEO recalls his oldest son Ethan and him making an official visit to Miami University in Oxford 7 years ago, and the President of the University stated to the potential students "No matter your major or selected field, I guarantee you one thing; you will come away from Miami with superior critical thinking and problem solving skills". Wow. So true. And he did by the way. Some people are stuck in jobs they don't love, or even like, for the sake of earning a living. What a blessing to provide for yourself and your family while doing something you are passionate about. Bring on the challenges, we will find a way; it is one of our cornerstones that allows us to follow through on our Vision: "Creating Peace of Mind Amidst Chaos".

NIBW - Not If But When Tagline, Yes. Meaningful, Absolutely. The big question, as always, is "Are You Prepared", and more importantly along which fronts, how prepared? Many of the insurance companies are changing. Subsequently, policies are being written in such a way that certain exclusions and endorsements are only being discovered after the shoe has dropped and you have sustained catastrophic damage, only to find out that some exclusion negates the ability to file a claim and be properly indemnified. Furthermore, insurance companies are using "moving goal post" tactics as well. Which is to say, that they are changing their internal rules and definitions of "damage" to cater to their benefit of denying a legitimate claim. Understanding these exclusions, identifying the "moving Goal post" tactics, and putting actions in place to combat them BEFORE damage occurs is key to being successful in a legitimate claim settlement.   This is war. As Sun Tzu wrote, "Every battle is won before it is fought.” And believe me when we tell you, this is a battle, and Sun Tzu could not be more accurate.

This was 2015 and I remember the look on the State Farm supervisors' faces like it was yesterday! 😂 (That pic was taken @ 5:15pm in Cleveland in September BTW)

Have You Ever... ...had an insurance claim where you felt you weren't properly fairly indemnified by your insurance company and it didn't turn out the way you thought it should? When our CEO does his Risk Management presentations across the country he starts every one with that very question and asks for a show of hands; it's like a Beatle's concert. Then, the audience speaks out and tells their stories of woe and deception by a carrier. The good news; if you are embroiled in battle with a carrier and they call the matter "closed"; it is not. You always retain the right to re-open the loss and provide additional evidence to support your case. First, if this is you currently, we can help. Second, if you would like to obtain your best defense PRIOR to damage occurring, Not If But When, we can keep you out of future hot messes. The great news; the price of admission is Free! Contact Seth Deddens @ 937-677-8688 or [email protected] for assistance with either scenario.

Texas Dark -  The Value Of Attention To Detail Proper Documentation We have seen an awful lot in the past 13 years of settling losses, and have heard some of the most outlandish (sometimes funny) things from carriers when attempting to deny a legitimate claim. Our CEO was on an adjustment in NE Ohio with the carrier, the adjuster you see in this picture, two of his supervisors and one of our PAs out of Texas. There was debate about whether there was hail on one of the garages. Mark had met with the adjuster on a prior inspection and took this picture of him marking hail in a square on the exact same building. Everyone was put on this building on purpose. In front of his supervisors, who didn't want to pay by the way, the adjuster stated he did not see any hail. Mark pulled up this time date stamped photo and showed it to our PA, who in turn showed it the two carrier supervisors and the adjuster. The adjuster's reply was "It was dark". Our PA's reply was "Forgive me I'm a little slow being from Texas and all, but is there a difference between Ohio dark and Texas dark?" The adjuster didn't speak for the entire balance of the re-inspection, and the carrier ultimately ended up paying the claim to the tune of over $900,000.00.

PC? 🤣 Enjoy the Holiday!