USI Insurance Services is tackling the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic head-on as CEO Mike Sicard created STEER — Steer Through Epidemic and Economic Recovery — for clients. “We started publishing FAQs, pandemic checklists and claim-reporting guidelines the first week in March. We’ve been ready, providing actionable resources to help them through this crisis,” says Diane Dusseau, President/Property & Casualty practice leader in Sacramento.

“STEER is more than a task force and more than a program — it’s a strategy.” - Stephen Elkins, President Employee Benefits Practice Leader Sacramento | USI Insurance Services

A national insurance brokerage, USI has 7,500 employees nationwide and more than 150 in the Sacramento area. The firm’s service areas are property and casualty, employee benefits, retirement consulting, and personal-risk services.

“As Mike Sicard, our CEO, frequently says, ‘USI was built for a time like this.’” – Diane Dusseau, President Property & Casualty Practice Leader Sacramento | USI Insurance Services

“STEER is more than a task force and more than a program — it’s a strategy,” says Stephen Elkins, President/Employee Benefits practice leader in Sacramento. “STEER helps clients prepare and respond to public-health emergencies through our expertise and experience in risk- management strategies and solutions.”

USI’s experts have been providing webcasts for multiple industries such as real estate, health care, construction and manufacturing, to help navigate the crisis. Sicard hosts USI Executive Series webcasts, including COVID-19 and CARES Act.

Through STEER, clients also have increased access to external resources. “For example, clients looking for small-business loans had trouble finding information, so we quickly arranged a webinar in which they could interact with experts and bankers who helped them navigate the new regulations,” says Elkins.

Another component of STEER is a public website offering response and
risk mitigation with documents such as Preparing and Documenting a Business Interruption claim, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Workers’ Compensation and OSHA Advisory, and COVID-19 Cost Impact Estimation Tool.

USI doesn’t simply post white papers and copies of publications, it provides clients with documents and other actionable items they can utilize to financially help their businesses. “As Mike Sicard, our CEO frequently says, ‘USI was built for a time like this.’ We are here to help you through this crisis,” says Dusseau.