One Risk Group Meets Growth Targets, Gears Up for Future

By Nicole Zaro Stahl, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

On track in meeting its growth targets, One Risk Group, LLC is facing a bright future. Since its founding in 2009, the commercial insurance brokerage has expanded its employee roster to 26. Last September it acquired more space with a move into almost 9,000 square feet of offices at 5976 W. Las Positas Boulevard, with an option to expand.

"We set goals for where we wanted to be at various stages of our growth, based on positioning within the regional marketplace," explains One Risk founder and CEO Jon Turner. "After our first year of operation we were #14 out of the top 25 East Bay insurance brokers, and in our third year we made it to the top 25 in the entire Bay Area, based upon the San Francisco Business Times rankings of Largest Insurance Brokerages."

Beyond the numbers, the rankings are a significant testimony to the firm's value proposition and hard work. "The message is that we are successful as a boutique specialty firm dealing with large customers, and we are achieving growth," Turner notes. "With most of the other firms on the Bay Area list being national public companies, it is notable that a regional, privately held company made it into that group."

The depth and breadth of services offered helped vault One Risk Group into that status. Its three divisions cover a wide gamut: commercial, which includes property and casualty, workers' compensation, executive liability coverage, and fleet insurance; employee benefits, from group health and disability to life insurance and financial management; and personal insurance.

In the commercial arena, One Risk has added executives with expertise in specific client industries, such as biotech and healthcare; distribution, especially petroleum products and convenience stores; and a generalist who works with large landscapers and in agriculture. "We're able to customize solutions to meet client needs because those individuals know how to structure the programs. Our specialists attend seminars on emerging industry trends and issues, and then transfer that knowledge to our clients to help their business."

The firm is also heavy on the support side, providing consultation and advocacy in claims management and safety services for loss control. A staff attorney advises clients with claims on reducing costs, while others help implement client safety programs. "We don't see a lot of other brokers providing the same resources at a high level," Turner comments.

The value of its advisory services is about to become even more critical with health care reform on the horizon, he notes. Companies that do not currently offer employee health insurance will have to weigh the costs of adding a benefit program against the penalties for not having one. The agency is bolstering its consulting division to deal with all the complexities, already sending out monthly communications that explain key provisions. As health insurers seek to pare their own expenses to limit medical costs, eliminating broker compensation is a real prospect. At the same time, it creates a new growth area as the brokerage establishes fee-based consulting services.

"Historically in the benefits arena, clients haven't had a lot of value-add at the brokerage level," Turner observes. "We think there will be a shift as the need for solid information increases."

For more information, visit www.oneriskgroup.com.

Photo: One Risk Group CEO Jon Turner is pleased with his company's growth since its 2009 founding.

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