Assurance Screening's newsletter discusses their successful Thanksgiving food drive that collected 990 pounds of food for the North Texas Food Bank. It introduces their new Director of Customer Service, Cassie Ponce. It also provides an update from the president on the company's goals for 2012, which include better serving clients and the community. Finally, it summarizes recent changes to Texas insurance law and some industry news stories about unlicensed contractors and registered sex offenders working with children.

1. News from Assurance Screening, LLC
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The Assurance Screening,
LLC Newsletter
Greetings Colleagues and Friends!
In This Issue February 2012
Best wishes for success and prosperity in the new year!
Survey Results
We have exciting new features and additions, to the Assurance Screening
From the President
process, rolling out in 2012. Stay tuned for updates. Our goal is to make
Assurance Gives Back
2012 our best year to date and it would not be possible without the support
of our business partners, clients and friends. Thank you for helping us
In Loving Memory
continuously grow and improve our services. We look forward to another
Insurance Laws
amazing year.
Industry News
Welcome to the Team
Social Media
From the President
Contact
Happy New Year! Yes, I'm saying it now, even though it is
Karen Herrera-Adamson
February already. I don't know about you, but every year, I
Information
am always surprised at how fast January passes by.
15400 Knoll Trail, Suite
220
2011 was definitely a year of learning, both personally and
Dallas, TX 75248
professionally. However, at least for me, I feel that way
Phone:
about each passing year. For Assurance Screening, we have not only
214-988-5429
learned great deal of information on our business, and the type of services
Fax: 214-988-5424
our clients are requesting, but we have also learned how much people are
willing to give back, even in these times of economic uncertainty.
Join Our List
What you have seen in this edition of our newsletter is how one person,
who believed in a cause close to her heart, rallied her friends, family and
business associates to make a difference in the fight against Alzheimer's
disease. We have also seen how, even a little company can take an idea of
Construction Industry
"the more the merrier" and instead of getting one box for just our company
Risk Management
to help make a difference with all those in need to rely on the North Texas
Survey Results
1. Who is responsible for
Food Bank for food over the past holiday season, we decided that with the
the vetting of your
help of many, we could accomplish a lot.
subcontractors?
What will 2012 bring? Seeing as no matter how many times I have put
fortune-telling on my wish list and have yet to receive that "Jedi-like" skill,
guess we will all just have to wait and see. However I do know one thing:
Estimator-32%
Project Manager-26%
Assurance Screening will one way or another, continue to not only better
Administrator-9%
service our clients, but we will keep finding ways to better service our
CFO-6%
community. I know that for sure.
Risk Manager-9%
Other-17%
2. Is it exclusively their job
or a part of their job?
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2. News from Assurance Screening, LLC
Assurance Gives Back
Exclusively their job-8% Thanksgiving Food Drive was a
Part of their job-92% huge success!
3. Do you have a We want to give a huge thanks to our
centralized location to clients and colleagues who participated
house your subcontractor in our food drive for the North Texas
data? Food Bank! In total, we collected 990
pounds of food! With your donations,
Yes -89%
more North Texas families were
provided with good, nutritious food
this holiday season. Families, children and seniors will have access to the
No-8%
North Texas Food Bank food pantry, year round and will no longer go
Not sure-3%
4. At any time, could pull
up and up-to-date report hungry. We truly appreciate your generosity and look forward to our food
on a subcontractor? drive next year, where we hope to collect even more!
Yes - 74%
No -26%
A special thanks to the following companies who participated
Charter Builders, Satterfield & Pontikes, Pogue Construction,
in the 2011 Food Drive:
5. If an incident occurred,
could you prove you did Hill & Willkinson, MYCON General Contractors, KWA Construction,
proper due diligence on EMJ Corporation, Hotel Intercontinental Dallas and TNS Partners.
every subcontractor?
Yes -65%
With heartfelt gratitude, we thank you for your support.
No -15%
Not Sure - 21%
The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a nonprofit social benefit organization that
About the North Texas Food Bank:
distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of 300 Member
If you would like to
Agencies and 1,000 feeding and education programs in 13 North Texas counties. NTFB
participate in the survey,
supports the nutritional needs of children, families and seniors through research,
please click here. education, advocacy and strategic partnerships. In FY 2011, NTFB provided access to nearly
33 million nutritious meals. Founded in 1982, NTFB is a member of Feeding America.
www.ntfb.org
Construction Risk
Management Practices
We are interested in
Survey
learning about how
Business Development Director Raises $7,000 for the
companies are currently
Alzheimer's Association in Memory of her Grandmother
handling prequalification
"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the
and risk mitigation, so that
things you never want to lose."
we can continuously
-The Wonder Years
improve our services to
better serve our client's
needs. I never had an opportunity to know my grandmother. She was diagnosed
with early on-set Alzheimer's disease a year before I was born, at the young
age of 58. She passed away when I was only 13 from this disease, but my
family really lost her long before that. Currently more than five million
Americans have Alzheimer's disease and that number is expected to grow as
large as 16 million by 2050. It was more than just the alarming statistics
about this disease, that made me want to get involved with the Alzheimer's
Association. My personal connection to Alzheimer's disease and the loss of
my grandmother, inspired me to fund raise, spread awareness and join the
cause. I decided to participate in the Dallas Walk to End Alzheimer's with
my close friends and mother. Within a month, through diligent fundraising
and hosting a purple themed party benefiting ALZ, my team raised more
than $7,000 for the Alzheimer's Association. I know that the money we
raised will go to research, patient care and providing resources and
education for caregivers. The entire experience was one of the most
rewarding moments of my life. I know that my grandmother would be
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3. proud of what we accomplished. I am eternally grateful to all those who
News from Assurance Screening, LLC
donated and supported me in this. It truly means the world to me and
together we are moving one step closer to a world with Alzheimer's.
- Amy Reese, Marketing & Business Development Director
Amy and her mother were featured on WFAA Daybreak to discuss their
participation in the Dallas Walk to End Alzheimer's. To see the video, click
here.
Texas Insurance Law Changes for 2012
Senate Bill 425 was passed this past legislative term, adding a new chapter
to the Texas Insurance Code. The new law requires the Texas Department of
Insurance to approve certificates of insurance provided in connection with
casualty and property policies. This new bill went into effect on September
1, 2011, and applies to certificates of insurance issued on or after January 1,
2012.
The new law codifies this idea by: (1) prohibiting a certificate from
conveying a contractual right; (2) providing that a certificate does not
amend, extend, or alter the coverage afforded under a policy; and (3) stating
that a certificate does not confer new or additional rights beyond the policy.
Tex. Ins. Code §§ 1811.051(b); 1811.152; 1811.153.
To view the full legislation, please click the following link. Senate Bill 425
Industry News Stories
Craigslist Contractor Suspected of Theft Turns Out
"Caledonia man hires a contractor he found on
To Be Sex Offender
Craigslist to put in a patio, but the contractor turned
out to have a warrant out for his arrest because he's a
sex offender whose probation was revoked in
Kenosha County."
"According to court records, Ellis was convicted of criminal sexual assault
Registered Sex Offender Allowed to Work at West Loop Day Care
for repeatedly sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in 2000 and 2001. He
served 4.5 years in prison and was placed on the sex offender registry. He is
prohibited from working around children.
Ellis said both the temp service and the daycare center knew about his
background. He even said he told them himself.The managers of the day
care, who seemed stunned to hear of Ellis' criminal history, said that's not
true.
One Little Green Tree House manager said they use a temp agency when
their food prep is sick. She said the company they use does the background
checks on all the employees.When asked if she was satisfied with the check
they did on Ellis, she responded in the negative."
"An unlicensed contractor who duped a company into hiring him will serve
Unlicensed South Bay contractor gets 3 months in jail
three months in jail and must pay $68,000 after pleading guilty to fraud
charges in Santa Clara County court, authorities said Friday."
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4.
News from Assurance Screening, LLC
"He said most of the subcontractors they work with regularly use E-Verify,
Knoxville contractor joins ICE enforcement program
an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee's I-
9 to data from government records to confirm employment eligibility."
Our website is continuously updated with current news stories in our
industry. Be sure to check out our homepage for the latest stories in
between newsletters!
Welcome to Team Assurance!
Cassie Ponce joins the Assurance Screening team as the new
Director of Customer Service.
cassie@assurancescreening.com
214-988-5429 ext. 2
Follow Assurance Screening on Twitter!
Social Media
Like us on Facebook!
*NEW* Join our group on Linkedin!
Stay educated on information and news regarding managing risk associated with
Subcontractor/Vendor Risk Management
your company utilizing subcontractors and vendors.
There is an inherit risk associated with doing business in general. However, there
are some risks that you can manage as a company. Through active due diligence
and education on current risk management principles and methods, you can
ensure your company is a well oiled machine with no leaks.
Whether your company decides to manage your subcontractor/vendor risk or
you all decide that an outside company would be a more effective choice,
comprehensive knowledge is the first step. In this group, we hope to provide
ongoing knowledge and news on the subject of subcontractor/vendor risk
management and be a place where members can come to ask questions and find
answers.
We would love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact us through our
website.
The Assurance Screening Team
Sincerely,
Assurance Screening, LLC
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