Cline Wood Agency and ICA join to improve agribusiness insurance services

Cline Wood Agency and ICA Agency, Inc., announce the merger of their two companies effective June 1.

The company will operate under the Cline Wood Agency name and will be among the top providers of agribusiness risk management services in the country. The two agencies bring name-brand markets and a strong reputation with major insurance carriers to their customers, along with decades of experience in the field of agribusiness insurance.

“The servicing power of the two agencies is strengthened by this merger, and all of our customers will benefit,” said Mike Wood, president of Cline Wood. “Together, we can offer better service and more options to our customers than either company could provide on its own.”

The combined agency offers risk management services to the agribusiness sector, including the livestock industry (feedlots, auction markets, dairies and hog confinements), the feed and grain industry, and more recently, ethanol plants.

“We are joining together two of the most respected agribusiness insurance agencies in the Midwest,” said Mike Young, president of ICA.

ICA staff will move into the Cline Wood Agency office in Leawood, Kan. Current customers of either organization may call the number to which they are accustomed for service.

Headquartered just outside of Kansas City, Mo., Cline Wood is an $85 million commercial property and casualty insurance agency specializing in the transportation and agribusiness industries. Cline Wood serves clients nationwide with sales and service offices in Warrensburg, Mo.; Arlington, Texas; and Asheboro, N.C.

 

Groendyke Transport Vice President Honored with National Safety Award

Leawood, Kansas, October 2006 - Cline Wood Agency celebrates the safety success of its client, Steve Niswander, Vice-President of Safety Policy and Regulatory Regulations at Groendyke Transport, Inc., based in Enid, Oklahoma. Niswander was honored as the American Trucking Association's (ATA) Safety Professional of the Year at a banquet on September 29th.

The Safety Director of the Year Award is presented annually to the motor carrier safety executive whose professional qualifications, safety programs and achivements are deemed most outstanding among his or her peers. The winner must demonstrate an ability to manage successful safety programs and exhibit a devotion to a highway safety career.

“Steve is one of the premiere safety directors in the industry,” says David Debolt, Vice President – Risk Services, at Cline Wood. “I’ve known Steve since 1989, and he has always exemplified everything a safety professional should be. He’s innovative in the new programs he creates and implements. He is recognized by his peers in the ATA and the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC). He has received the NTTC Safety Director of the Year honor four times and guided Groendyke to receive the Outstanding Performance safety trophy four times.”

With the support of Cline Wood’s full-time safety team, several Cline Wood clients have been recognized for their safety records including:
• Steve Page, Vice President – Safety/Driver Relations for Transport Distribution Company, was honored as the national Truckload Carriers Association 2005 Clare C. Casey Safety Professional of the Year and the 2004 Missouri Safety Director of the Year.
• Lori Borgan, Safety Director for Convoy Systems, L.L.C., was named the Kansas Motor Carriers 2005 Safety Director of the Year.
• James Smith, Driver for Midwest Express Corporation, was recognized as the Kansas Motor Carriers 2005 Driver of the Year.
• Robert Lewis, Director of Safety for Tiona Truck Line, earned the 2004 Missouri Motor Carrier Association Safety Professional of the Year award.

Headquartered in Leawood, Kan., Cline Wood Agency is a $74 million commercial property and casualty insurance agency specializing in the transportation and agribusiness industries. Cline Wood serves clients nationwide with sales and service offices in Warrensburg, Mo.; Arlington, Texas; North Augusta, S.C.; and Ashboro, N.C.

Cline Wood Associates Join Highway Watch® Team

In the trucking industry, safety is everyone’s business. That’s why every member of the Cline Wood Agency transportation insurance division has joined with truckers to become members of the Highway Watch® team.

Highway Watch® is a nationally organized, state-run homeland security program. Administered by the American Trucking Association under an agreement with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, Highway Watch® is focused on training participants to recognize and report security and terrorist threats with a secondary emphasis on safety issues such as road conditions, stranded vehicles and accidents.

“While the program was designed primarily for law enforcement agents and members of the transportation industry, we felt it was important for our associates to participate,” said David DeBolt, Safety Director at Cline Wood. “Cline Wood associates spend a substantial amount of time on the highways, and we believe we have a responsibility to become aware of the signs of potential trouble on the road.”

Cline Wood is the first transportation insurance agency to have 100 percent of its staff participate in the comprehensive Highway Watch® training program. “The primary focus of the program is to have another set of eyes and ears on the road for the security of our nation,” said Debolt. “Truckers serve in this vital role, and we want to support them.”

Cline Wood Agency is a $60 million commercial property and casualty insurance agency specializing in the transportation and agribusiness industries. Cline Wood operates in a multi-state area with primary emphasis on the midsection of the United States.