The Dominion team quickly became believers in Summit.

After three years of collaboration, saying great things about Summit comes naturally to the team of producers at Dominion Risk Advisors (DRA) and President Duke Baldridge. Duke’s Roanoke, Virginia, agency now has a few dozen clients with Summit, all resulting from a relationship that began after a difficult challenge was solved in 2022.

Originally, Baldridge received a referral to Summit from a former colleague at another insurance agency, but he was cautious about entering into a new carrier relationship. After meeting with Summit Senior Business Developer Phil Harrison, Baldridge says, “My mind went quickly from ‘no’ to ‘let’s get this going.’”

DRA had a client that needed a higher level of underwriting finesse and a proactive approach from safety and claims. “Summit quickly dove into this account that had challenges and agreed that the underlying story made sense,” says Baldridge. “There’s usually a disconnect between a carrier’s marketing pitch and what underwriting is actually willing to deliver. But Summit isn’t afraid to take calculated risks if they believe they can solve a problem.”

In addition to accepting what was perceived by other carriers to be a challenging account, Summit found a way to reduce the premium by about $60,000 per year! This naturally led the DRA team to move much of its workers’ comp business to Summit over a period of three years.

“It was a springboard for Summit to take on more of our accounts in different industries and with varying degrees of hazards,” says Baldridge. “We’ve grown in our relationship because of the quality of Summit’s people. They listen and respond quickly with expertise we can trust.”

Toye Oshoniyi, risk advisor for DRA, is also a fan of the Summit team. “Phil is a fantastic representative. He does everything he can to help us build our workers’ comp business. And I can’t think of a time when it’s not been a team effort with underwriting to get a client over the finish line. It always feels like underwriting is on our side. Now, anytime new workers’ comp business comes in, every producer asks, ‘Did you send it to Summit?’ and usually the answer is ‘yes.’”

• Excavation, site development, demolition company
• Roanoke, Virginia
• 50 employees
• Client since 2017 with Dominion Risk Advisors
• Policyholder with Summit since 2022

This construction-related client was struggling with a series of fall-related claims. The claims history was driving up the MOD and making it unattractive for prospective workers’ comp carriers to objectively analyze the business. The family-based company needed a comp expert that understood construction, could critically evaluate areas for safety improvement, and would proactively manage claims.

The DRA and client teams both knew there were safety challenges, but also felt that several past claims involving questionable circumstances had been mishandled, including some that should have been denied with proper incident analysis.

Summit offered to help if the employer would address the root causes of the safety incidents. Thomas Moore, senior loss prevention consultant with Summit, evaluated the client’s operations and determined that a positive shift in safety culture was needed. Baldridge says Moore’s expertise had a positive impact. “Summit helped the client make safety management adjustments, improving the way they communicate about safety. Employee behavior has changed drastically, and their comp costs have gone down significantly.”

The potential improvements in workplace safety are a big factor in the underwriting analysis, says Summit Underwriter Lee Ann Hanna, “We may evaluate a business and discover that injuries have resulted from negligence. But sometimes a strong business making a true safety effort can experience a series of misfortunes—and we know our team can make a difference.” Baldridge adds that “Summit challenges policyholders in a thoughtful, caring way by identifying actions to improve and reminding them what they need to work on to lower costs.

Christina Linn is DRA’s internal claims advocate. She says Summit manages claims quickly and smoothly, and she hasn’t had to get involved, which is “a testament to how comfortable and trusting our client is with Summit’s team.”

Baldridge also credits the claims department and Summit claims Agency Liaison Lawrence Bray for turning things around. “Summit’s adjusters deliver value for the agent and policyholder. They drive the claims process so efficiently that we can simply jump on for the ride. Whereas, with other carriers we often have to be diligent about following up on claims and hoping we get the updates we need.”

The admiration is a two-way street says the Summit team of Baldridge. A great collaborator and communicator, Baldridge is engaged in claims and underwriting discussions, so he knows what’s happening with his clients. “Duke is the most hands-on agency owner I’ve ever worked with,” says Lee Ann. “He knows details about every policyholder.” Lawrence adds that for larger accounts, Summit holds quarterly claims meetings with the policyholder and agent. “Duke is always on those calls,” says Lawrence.