TRUITT
NEWS
BLAST
July 2020
The Official Skinny From Truitt World HQ
Welcome to the latest issue of the sometimes entertaining, always self-promoting Truitt News Blast. 2020 is half-over (thank, God!). Quite a ride so far. Stay safe and please make sure to check in on your friends and family. That is really important these days with so much going on. While you are talking, you could tell them to let Truitt Insurance & Bonding handle all their insurance needs. I mean, it's just a thought but we are all for it.
Tony Truitt, President
Congrats To:
Michael Giardina on his new gig and 1st listing with ERA King Real Estate. He is going to do great.
Dr. Hunter Lett on his recent wedding to Ingram Melton. We wish them a lot good times ahead.
Rob'e Mans Automotive Service for being named BEST AUTO SERVICE in Homewood Life's 2020 Best of Homewood issue.
Mike Ross of CB&S Bank and David Nast of Progress Bank on being elected officers of the Alabama Bankers Association.
Our friends Joe Strauss, Jeff Sommer and Elliott Cook with Retail Specialists for their part in getting The Original Hot Dog Factory to enter the Alabama market.
David Fleming of Rev Birmingham on being named one of the Birmingham Business Journal's Power 60 List. I have known David for a long, long time and he is a super guy. Well deserved recognition.
Les Stuedeman, softball coaching legend at the University of Alabama-Huntsville (and VHHS alumni) on being named Gulf South Conference Coach of the Decade.
Our friend Katie Hannah at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama on the birth of her son Drew, who came to town on July 6th at 8lbs 10oz.
Cel-e-brate Good Times, C'mon!
We flipped the calendar again in June and are now celebrating 29 years in business. Hard to believe. Thanks to all the clients who we have trusted us over the years and the people who have actually spent time working with us on staff that have helped to keep us solvent. We are going strong and are looking forward to the future.
Rick Is Hanging It Up
Our Rick Gibb has decided to call it a career. Rick is simply a fantastic guy, one of those people it is impossible not to like. We have really enjoyed having him around after he merged Beacon Insurance Group in with us several years ago. We wish him nothing but good times ahead. We are also happy to report Rick's long-time assistant, Linda Lewis, continues on with us and we are thrilled we have not scared her off yet.
When You Need Home & Auto Insurance
DO IT WITH TRUITT!
Email Our Brandon Baird or Debbie Reinagel For A Quote in Birmingham,
Dolan Fannin if you are in the Tallassee/Wetumpka/Montgomery area, or
Connie Bengtson if you are in Baldwin/Mobile.
They Will Get You Set Up.
Who Knew This?
There are several versions of how exactly the game of craps became what it is today but they basically all revolve around the same loose facts from what I see. Here is the abridged version. The Europeans enjoyed playing a dice game they called Hazard, learned at some point during the Crusades. Some Frenchie eventually made his way to New Orleans in the early 19th century and introduced the game on our turf. As It turns out, a lot of people liked it here also, and the game eventually spread up and down the Mississippi River and beyond. Some rules have changed a little over the years from the original game but pretty much, there you have it. Now go roll some bones if you may be so inclined.
Can You Tell Me What Happened?
It is amazing what people include when reporting claims to insurance companies. Here are some great examples of what we mean:

"The pedestrian had no idea which way to run as I ran him over."

"The guy was all over the road.
I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him."

"I thought my window was down, but I found it
was up when I put my head through it."
Champs!!
Big shout-out to The Bowling Stones on recently winning the Premier Living Invitational Bowling League at Vestavia Bowl. Everyone got back to it after a few weeks break thanks to the virus. Well done, Stones!
Get Social With Us
Like our pages so you can stay current with all of the day-to-day Truitt awesomeness.
Paparazzi
Truitt's Frankie Wade was on the road as softball tournaments have started back up. Here he is with is daughter, Gia, when they were playing out in a big-time tournament in Oklahoma City last month. Gia is a member of the Hoover HotShots team.
We are happy to report we talked Jean Wilson into coming back to help us out a couple of mornings each week. Jean and I have worked together in some capacity for about 25 years. She was our long-time receptionist here at the office and people still ask about her all the time. She officially retired about a year and a half ago so it is great to have her back even if it is on a limited basis. She is a blast to be around.
Matt Denton out with the girls at the Alabama Associated General Contractor's parking lot movie showing of Trolls World Tour last week.
Community
We are proud to support Railroad Park in downtown Birmingham. We originally got involved back in 2012 and are recommitting to help in the coming years. This place was the original building block for a ton of the development that has occurred over the last 8 - 10 years and continues on today. If you can, please help out to keep the park clean, safe and home to the great events held there each year. Make a donation or find out more at www.railroadpark.org.
We recently renewed our sponsorship with Samford Athletics. Go Bulldogs! Hope they can get back to playing some games soon.
If You Need Help With Your Business Insurance Needs
DO IT WITH TRUITT!
Insurance News:
  • Reports are coming in and it seems car crashes have been much more lethal during the Coronavirus lock-downs than during the same period last year, even with much less traffic on the roads. It appears less traffic equaled much more reckless driving. US cities reporting data saw alarming increases in fatal accidents (292% in Chicago; 65% in Boston; 167% in New York) but this is true across the globe as well. Madrid seems to be the leader with an astounding 470% increase.

  • Word is in and 2019 saw another year of underwriting losses on commercial automobile coverage. Last year saw industry losses of $4B on this line of business, the worst loss during a wretched losing steak dating all the way back to 2010. Even with commercial auto premiums increasing, claims continue going through costlier litigation coupled with high frequency and severity issues.

  • Ransomware attacks skyrocketed by 131% during 2019 according to the latest Beazley Breach Briefcase. 3 out of 5 those attacks were on small and medium sized businesses.

  • The National Agricultural Tractor Safety Initiative reports that tractors cause about 130 deaths annually - or half of all farm worker fatalities.


  • Lloyd's of London estimates the coronavirus will cause the industry losses of $203,000,000,000 during the outbreak and could continue to rise if the virus is not contained.
They Said It Best

"My grandmother is over eighty and still doesn't need glasses. Drinks right out of the bottle."
~ Henny Youngman
Tidbits:


  • Rats are fighting each other out in the streets all over New York. This is a winner-take-all event with the loser apparently being eaten so it is high-stakes. The coronavirus shut-downs have severely limited the rodents common food sources typcially generated by area restaurant's garbage bins. I'm just asking, but with sports being limited at present, is there any way to televise this?
  • I recently read where the TSA collects about $1,000,000 each year from loose change people leave behind during security checks at airports across the country. They get to keep it.
Contact Us:
Birmingham Office
3004 7th Ave South
Birmingham, AL 35233
(205)254-3005
Daphne Office
25935 Friendship Road
Suite D
Daphne, AL 36526
(251)625-2600
Tallassee Office
319 Barnett Boulevard
Tallassee, AL 36078
(334)991-4688
What We Believe In:
Communication, Effort & Enthusiasm,
& Being Nice To People