In part one of this two-part series, you were introduced to Gencon Insurance Company of Vermont (GICV). Today, I want to share with you a more about Adventist Risk Management, Inc. (ARM), a wholly-owned organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. ARM provides many services such as underwriting, brokerage, claims, benefits administration, risk management, and education in safety practices. I suspect these services mean something to many of you, but what do they provide overall for the Seventh-day Adventist Church?
“Hi, my name is Leander. I am a licensed insurance producer and work as an account executive at the ARM California office. My responsibilities include assisting my assigned clients with questions, giving presentations on various topics for pastors, teachers, volunteers, and assisting conferences in the purchase of insurance. The process of identifying assets and how to manage risk is critical to my work. I do this by working with conference leadership to identify churches owned by the conference and ensure they are insured correctly. We also identify ministries within the conference and make sure they are run safely and are properly insured, when appropriate. A large part of this process is done by working with the conference to complete an annual insurance application. When this is application is complete, I hand it off to our insurance services team.”
“Hi, my name is Sophia. I am originally from Kenya, but today I work as an insurance underwriter for ARM in the Maryland office. I hold numerous insurance designations, including an Associate in Commercial Underwriting designation. After Leander sends me an insurance application, I follow the ARM underwriting process to analyze the risk. Then I compare it against industry statistics, rate it, and review policy language to identify what can be transferred to an insurance policy. I have access to multiple insurance companies, one being GICV, but through our brokerage, I can get quotes from other insurance companies. Once I find the requested insurance coverage, I provide a quote to Leander, which he presents to the client. Because this is commercial insurance, and we are serving large organizations, there are often many policy documents and changes needed throughout the year. That’s where another important team member comes in.”
“Hi, my name is Lilla. I work as a customer service representative for ARM in our United Kingdom office. My primary responsibilities are to work with clients and support the account executives. My day is often filled with producing certificates of insurance, which allow clients to show vendors and business partners that they have insurance coverage. I also work with clients to add/delete/change the value of assets on the policy. This might be deleting a vehicle the conference sold, adding a new school building, or assisting with travel insurance for a mission trip. Each day I assist clients in finding the resources they need by directing them to our website, www.adventistrisk.org, which is tailored to our churches’ ministries. If they need additional resources, I can contact our Risk Control or Communication and Resources teams.”
“Hi, my name is Gideon. I am originally from India and work as a risk control consultant for ARM. I have a mechanical engineering degree as well as an Associate in Risk Management designation. My primary responsibilities are to provide onsite safety inspections of summer camps and boarding schools, and to research and provide safety resources and training. Sometimes I am asked to help answer a technical question or write a resource that provides guidance for a new risk or hazard. Once I draft a new resource, I will work with the Communication and Resources team to turn it into the final product that can be shared with our clients.”
“Hi, my name is Carina. I am originally from Brazil and work in our Silver Spring office as a marketing analyst on our Communication and Resources team. I have a degree in Social Communication as well as an Associate in Risk Management designation. One of my responsibilities is to study loss trends the church is experiencing, which allows ARM to provide appropriate resources for clients. Sometimes I identify an issue that Gideon can provide some guidance on. After he writes the resource, I help coordinate how that resource is shared through info-sheets, webinars, or videos. One resource you can access on our website is "How to File a Claim". When an accident or loss does happen, my team members in our Claims and Legal Services departments are there to assist.”
“Hi, my name is Joseph. I am a licensed attorney, and I work in our Maryland office as a Claims Counsel in the Legal Services Department. Some of my responsibilities include adjudicating complex insurance claims and representing, advocating, and defending our clients when lawsuits are filed against them. I also provide legal research and advice to ARM officers on how to best manage risk for the Adventist church. At any given time, ARM’s attorneys and claims examiners are managing more than 600 complex claims. As representatives for the church, the Legal Services team analyzes the potential risk and coordinates the church’s research and defense strategy with a qualified team of investigators, local attorneys, and expert witnesses.”
“Hi, my name is Natasha, and I am originally from Trinidad and Tobago. I am a licensed Claims Adjuster, and an insurance producer for property and casualty and life and health. As a claims examiner in our Claims Services department, my primary responsibilities are to work with clients on property and casualty claims. Other claims examiners work with travel, auto, and other claims. Often ARM is managing 500 or more of these claims at one time. The claims services team holds itself to a high standard, and we understand that when a client files a claim, it is because their ministry has been disrupted. Getting our clients back to wholeness, per the insurance policy, is important to our church’s overall ministry.”
I hope this peek into a “day at ARM,” and the roles of these seven ARM team members offers better insight into the ministry and services the ARM team provides for the Adventist Church. Of course, ARM has team members who provide services in finance, information technology, benefits management, human resources, and more.
Daily, I feel blessed to lead and work with this team of professionals committed to excellence in business and achieving our mission–“to protect the ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist world church. We do not view what we do as just a business. Our ministry is to protect your ministry.”
Thank you for partnering with the ARM team.
