Friday, November 22, 2013

'Tis the Season!

It's time for Holiday Parties, and we sure hope you don't miss ours!

On December 3 and 4th all of us at Americana Insurance are looking forward to seeing a lot of our favorite friends and clients at our OPEN HOUSE.

Come to say Hi, or come to attend one of our free workshops. These are always popular and they are going to fill up fast, so give us a call ahead of time if you plan to attend a workshop.


WORKSHOPS
December 3rd

11:00 -12:00: “Identify Theft – The Truth of the Matter” 
by Doug Kleinsmith, CITRMS
Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist

2:00 - 3:30 :Understanding the NEW Reverse Mortgage 
by Tom Evan,
Home Equity Retirement Specialist

December 4th 

8:30 - 12:30: 55 Alive Refresher Course
by Clayton Oehler,
AARP

2:00 - 4:00: “Land As Your Legacy” Farm Succession and Transition Planning 
by Jack Fries, MBA
Nationwide Financial Advanced Planning Consultant/Land As Your Legacy

And of course, we'll have some great prizes and some of the best Christmas goodies around!

Please Come!
The Americana Team


Monday, September 23, 2013

Fire extinguisher drive: Don't get burned



 
Don't get burned. Drop by the Americana Insurance Fire Extinguisher Drive in Albert Lea, MN

It’ll be time to set your clocks back soon, and that means it’s also time to change the batteries in your smoke alarms.

And while you’re thinking of fire safety, why don’t you come on down to Americana, bring your Fire Extinguishers with you and we’ll recharge them for you.  After all, you farmers will want to know you can depend on your extinguisher as you bring in the harvest…and all of us will be turning on the heat in our homes, soon, too.  Protection just makes sense.

We’ll have an expert technician at the office on Friday, September 27 who will be refilling extinguishers.  You can either stop by that Friday, or drop your extinguisher off any time between now and then, and then pick it up on Friday.(Make sure to bring it in a bag or box with your name and address on it.)

Americana Clients can recharge any size extinguisher for $20.00, and we’ll waive the
$7.50 service fee.

Non-clients can recharge any size extinguisher for $25.00 (And there is $7.50 service free for non-clients.) 

We’ll also have NEW fire Extinguishers for sale at reduced prices.

Call for more Details!

Phone: 507-377-2000

1450 W. Main St.

Albert Lea, MN 56007

Thanks!  Looking forward to seeing you.
 The Americana Team

Friday, August 30, 2013

Congratulations, Tom and Lori!

Tom and Lori of Americana
Congratulations to Lori and Tom!
     Americana Insurance is a local agency, and we’re really proud of that. Our Team lives and works right here in Albert Lea and the surrounding communities, and we think that makes us better at helping you cover all of the important people and things in your life. 
 
      At Americana, we go above and beyond what is expected to make sure that you get the best coverage and service possible. That’s why we are so proud of Agency Director Tom Sorenson and Customer Service/Claims Manager Lori Bagley; both have far exceeded level of training required for insurance professionals in Minnesota. At Americana we are proud that our agents seek out training opportunities that help them to provide the best possible coverage for our clients.

      Lori and Tom were recently awarded the designation of Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA), a professional designation conferred by the American Insurance Marketing and Sales Society (the AIMS Society). 

      They successfully completed three Insurance Success Seminars.  The CPIA designation stands for professionalism, commitment to sales training and results, and technical knowledge.  The designation requires a bi-annual continuing education update.

      The Insurance Success Seminars cover topics like identifying risks, developing the knowledge and skills needed to design a complete insurance program, and maintaining high legal and ethical standards of operation.

What does this mean for clients? It means that, more than ever that our team are experts on finding just the right amount of coverage, at just the right price,  and on helping our clients avoid the expensive pitfalls and gaps that sometimes occur with insurance. It means that our customers receive top-notch service from agents who are trained to identify every risk, design coverage for all risks, and who operate under a code of ethics designed to protect our clients.


Congratulations, Tom and Lori! The many hours spent in training mean that our friends and neighbors have the best client relationships, coverage, and claims service we can provide.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Another long, hot summer: Is your business prepared for drought?



A lot of Americana Insurance clients are farmers, and that forces us to pay close attention to the weather.  But it occurred to us that other business owners might not be thinking about summer weather yet.

The news in farm country last year was dominated by drought.  While a few farmers in unaffected areas were able to take advantage of high commodity prices, many more found themselves facing yields and revenues that were much lower than expected.

This year, it looks like the drought is back. According to forecasts from NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the 2013 growing season will not be much better than last year.  NOAA’s February through May forecast predicts that only the very eastern regions of Minnesota and Iowa can expect to see any relief.  Farmers in central and western Minnesota and Iowa can expect that drought conditions will be the same as last season.   (The forecast is here: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/seasonal_drought.html )

Under circumstances like these, most farmers understand that it is essential that they do some wise planning when it comes to their crop insurance.

But what if you’re not a farmer?  Have you planned on how your business might be impacted by a dry summer? 

If you own a lawn-care company, for example, how will dry weather hit you? Your clients may be asking you to mow only once a month rather than once a week.  Do you know how else you might generate revenue?  If you operate a golf course, are you ready for the possibility that you may face a water shortage that will interfere with your watering and maintenance plans?  Have you budgeted for the possibility that you may have to truck in water? Do you have plan in place? 

At Americana insurance, we’re known as “the insurance guys”, but insurance is a lot more than just a policy you buy.  It can also just mean planning ahead: knowing that you’ve taken the time to think through all the possibilities so you’re ready to deal with the challenges that crop up.

A prolonged drought will be a game changer for many business people, not just farmers. Of course, whenever circumstances change, it’s never a bad idea to sit down and have a talk with your insurance agent and explore insurance policy possibilities that you may have overlooked…but it’s even MORE  important that you set aside a little time for planning ahead, so that you know your bases are covered.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Burglars Breaking In



Albert Lea is a pretty nice place to live…full of great people…but we all know that no place under the sun, no matter HOW nice, is perfect.  In 2011, there were 50 Burglaries in our city.  On a per-person basis, that’s less than the national average. On the other hand, if you are one of the victims, it’s still pretty unpleasant.  It would be just as nice NOT to become a statistic.

With that in mind, here’s something to think about:

 9% of burglars get into your house through the garage. Did you know that?  It’s the third most popular entry point for crooks, right behind the front door and the downstairs windows. (You DO lock those, right?) A lot of people keep their remote garage doors closed, but don’t bother to close the deadbolt between the garage and the house- and a lot of times, that’s all the chance a slick thief needs.

Let’s face a fact:   Being burglarized just stinks.   Sure, you’ve got insurance. But no matter how good it is, your insurance can only compensate you for the value of what you lose; it can’t replace grandma’s wedding ring or the set of 1987 Twins baseball cards you gave to your son.  Plus, even in the best of situations, it takes time to return your life to normal.   

So, let’s just agree that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Keep your stuff.  Lock your garage door, okay?