Message from the Managing Director, Edward G. Schreiber

TRUST. VALUE. ADVOCACY.

Why have so many people insured their personal possessions and business future with GEM? Is it the high level of trust that our clients understand we are looking out for their best interests? Is it the value proposition of helping our customers understand what they are buying and which risks they need to self insure? Is it the advocacy our customers receive both in the marketing effort of their particular risk and the claim help that GEM provides?

Trust

GEM has always felt the relationship between our staff and our customers is crucial. A stable, well trained staff provides the expertise and confidence that our customers have come to expect. Dick Marks and Bob Epstein, two of the original founders of GEM, both believed that an educated staff was a "difference maker" in the marketplace. Both Dick and Bob were strong proponents of education and were in the original founding group of the Certified Insurance Council Society (CIC) and instructors for the organization. Today the vast majority of GEM employees have insurance certifications ranging from CIC to CPCU to ARM and ACSR designations. This continued education helps our staff understand the insurance issues that our clients face.

Our customers also trust that we will be here for them in their time of emergency. That is why GEM has installed a sophisticated automation platform that actually has the GEM servers stored in an offsite bunker with backup emergency power. Our customers' data can be accessed 24/7 by GEM staff anywhere in the world. During Hurricane Ike when so much of Houston was without power, our emergency bunker was operating and GEM customers were being helped.

Value

We know our customers cannot insure everything. Insurance is a large cost in people's budget and we help them decide where to spend their insurance dollars to get the most "bang for the buck". Whether it's through higher deductibles, better risk transfer mechanisms to mitigate a possible loss, or getting credits for alarms and other protective equipment, our goal is to help you spend your insurance dollar wisely. We also review loss runs to make sure you are not being charged improperly for losses and that subrogation opportunities are pursued.

Advocacy

We advocate for our customers on many levels. In the marketing of your insurance account, we work to present your situation in the most favorable light in order to get the best terms and conditions on your insurance. Every insurance company has a different appetite, and a big part of our job is choosing the right insurance company to insure your program and convincing that company that you are the right customer for them. Our advocacy also comes into play when you have a claim. GEM has had a full time claim coordinator on staff for over twenty years. Their job is to help interface between our clients and the insurance carriers whose responsibilities it is to adjust the claim. When we disagree with the insurance carriers interpretation of the policy, it is our job to help advocate on behalf of our client to reach a fair claim settlement.

We are proud to have so many wonderful customers who have been with us for decades.