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President's Message
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(From left to right) Trustee- Lori Cardoza, Clerk- Earl Mann, President- Brent Calvin, Former President- Ken Nunes, Trustee- Greg Sherman, Vice President- John Zumwalt |
Congratulations to Brent Calvin, who was named president of College of the Sequoias this week. The Board of Trustees were presented with several solid candidates to replace Stan Carrizosa, who is retiring, and selected the candidate with the "home field advantage."
Brent grew up in this community and understands the dynamics of the area that College of the Sequoias serves. He knows how to navigate the landscape of the partners in education that will assist the college into the next generation.
I was recently able to hear Victor Davis Hanson speak at a luncheon. Hanson is a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford and professor emeritus at Fresno State where he teaches classical studies.
Hanson noted that 57 percent of the current freshman class at Fresno State were admitted to the university under "special admittance." This means the student has been admitted, but has not actually satisfied the academic requirements for entrance to the California State University system - specific number of years of mathematics, foreign language, science, etc.
Education is vital to youth everywhere, but perhaps nowhere more so than here in the Central Valley. The advancement of our people, our culture and our communities depends on it, but the education business in the Central Valley is a difficult one; the challenges are great.
College of the Sequoias is a vital partner to our existing K-12 system for the future of educating the people of Tulare County. Brent Calvin will continue the work of Stan Carrizosa in leading a system that will be a bridge for students to become college ready by meeting academic requirements. That same system provides an opportunity for all to acquire the job skills to become a valuable commodity to businesses in the Central Valley.
I applaud the Trustees on their decision to hire Brent Calvin. He understands the needs of our people because he is one of us. The job will not be an easy one, Brent, but know that our office and others throughout this community are here to help.
Brent Swanson
President / Chief Operating Officer
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 BMI News & Updates
We love to support our community! Below are some events BMI has sponsored in March:
- March 3-4, 2018- The South San Joaquin Holstein Association- Western Classic Dairy Show
- March 17, 2018 - Soroptimist International of Visalia Annual Spring Fling
- March 22, 2018- Leadership Visalia Golf Tournament
Our office will be closing at noon on:
- Good Friday- March 30, 2018
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Property & Casualty Trends
Umbrella Insurance for Your Business and Peace of Mind
In a culture where litigation is commonplace, business owners have many more worries than making profits and retaining top employees. If your product injures a consumer, your organization could face a devastating lawsuit, exponential damages and a tainted reputation in the marketplace. To assist with the financial burden of a claim, many business owners purchase commercial umbrella insurance on top of their standard commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policies.
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Life & Health Insurance Updates
New Medicare Cards
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to remove Social Security numbers (SSNs) from all Medicare cards by April 2019. A new Medicare beneficiary identifier (MBI) will replace the SSN-based health insurance claim number (HICN) on the new cards.
CMS states that beginning April 2018; it'll start mailing new Medicare cards to Medicare recipients in phases by geographic location.
Why are the new cards important?
According to CMS, the new cards will help fight medical identity theft for people with Medicare.[...]
IRS Reduces HSA Limit for Family Coverage for 2018
OVERVIEW
On March 5, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released Revenue Procedure 2018-18 to announce changes to certain tax limits for 2018, including a reduced contribution limit for health savings accounts (HSAs).[...]
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Human Resource News
New Phishing Scam During the Tax Season
By Gail Cecchettini Whaley
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently warned payroll and human resources professionals of a dangerous Form W-2 phishing scam that victimized hundreds of organizations and thousands of employees during the last two tax seasons-and this season is no different.[...]
Please
click here to continue reading the article.
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Loss Control Bulletin
Workplace Violence: Stages & Triggers
Triggers for workplace violence come from seemingly endless reasons; however, review of incidents reveals signs were present all along. Pay attention to behavior and situational signs that may trigger or motivate workplace violence: everyone has his/her own normal behavior patterns, and abrupt deviations can be observed and may signal a problem. Violence can be triggered by a number of experienced or perceived events in a workplace setting that result from personal interaction with others, disputes with workplace policies, or abusive relationships outside of work. Examples include layoffs or terminations, counseling or disciplinary actions, stress or unfair working conditions, not knowing work expectations, and poor management styles.
Workplace violence comes in stages. The sooner the stage is recognized and addressed, the more we protect ourselves. [...]
Please click here to continue reading the article.
Visit www.borettinc.com for more helpful information.
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A Word from the Worker's Comp Department
EMPLOYEES: DISCIPLINING VS COUNSELING
Come discuss the law and the pros and cons to differing styles of discipline vs conseling and how we train Supervisors to apply these skills and techniques in the workplace. [...]
Date/Time: April 18, 2018 from 9A.M. to 11A.M.
Location: Buckman-Mitchell, Inc. 500 N. Santa Fe Visalia, CA 93292
If you have any questions, please email the Workers' Compensation Team at WCTeam@bminc.com.
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Claims Department Article
This Simple Water Heater Check can Prevent Unexpected Leaks and Water Damage
By John A. Weber
It takes only a few minutes but most homeowners don't know to do it. A brief inspection of your water heater pipes can reveal an obvious trouble-sign and possibly a significant problem. A quick look will show if there is corrosion on the pipes connected to the top of your water heater.
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Personal Lines Note
Auto Premiums are Increasing!
I'm sure it is not a surprise that auto insurance premiums are going up, underwriting of auto insurance is getting tighter and claim payments are getting larger. Some of the main reasons are distracted drivers, increased medical care costs, increased cost to repair autos. We are all aware of the laws regarding distracted driving and cell phone use, but still we all see drivers (if we are not guilty ourselves) of texting while driving, checking e-mails while driving, and talking on hand held cell phones.
Driving takes and deserves our 100% attention at all times. Be careful out there!
See the link below for an article by Travelers Insurance Co. regarding distracted driving.
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March's Spotlight is on Janet Wilson
Department and position:
Crop Department, Account Coordinator
When did you join the BMI team? 20 years ago
What is the best part about working at Buckman Mitchell, Inc.? The people
What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
Enjoy the outdoors
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