Mainstay Insurance Group is an insurance program administrator and specialty wholesale broker dedicated to supporting the insurance and risk management needs of the real estate industry. Serving retail brokers nationwide, Mainstay builds and manages niche and association-based products for commercial and habitational real estate owners and managers.

Since launching the company in 2008, Mainstay has quickly achieved a significant presence in an otherwise crowded marketplace. According to Eric Arthur, Mainstay’s executive vice president, “We knew we would be competing in a soft marketplace full of aggressive and sophisticated competitors. If we were going to grow the company, we would have to come up with something new and unique to offer our clients. Wherever possible, we would have to differentiate our products and approach—both in terms of product offering and distribution. That is exactly what we have done.”

Nearing the completion of its second full year in business, Mainstay now has three separate proprietary programs up and running. “Our programs take a monoline approach,” says Arthur. “We’ve found over the years that certain program carriers are better at property versus casualty and vice versa. We set out to identify the very best program carriers for our target segments, and then leverage their particular strengths by line of business. The result has been a general liability program, a property program, and an umbrella program. All of them serve various segments within the real estate industry. The beauty of this approach is we can custom tailor our product offering to include all lines, or only those lines needed by the retail broker on any given deal.”

In addition to the company’s traditional insurance programs, Mainstay has upped the ante by pairing its product with membership in a cutting-edge nonprofit association geared around the green movement. These days, real estate owners and managers are under increasing pressure to have some involvement in the green movement.

“The Association of Green Property Owners and Managers (AGPOM) was launched in tandem with Mainstay to help relieve that pressure and to differentiate our product base,” says Arthur. “Through AGPOM, our clients enjoy a host of benefits unparalleled throughout the insurance industry. Examples include lower utility costs, public image enhancement, and discounts on various products and services. While the insurance market has introduced green coverage options, AGPOM brings much more to the table than coverage. We are actually teaching our customers how to get started, what they need to be aware of, and how they can take the most financial advantage from the green movement.”

Specific association tools and services include:

• sustainability planning and recognition

• reference library access

• news and regulatory updates

• resource center

• association insurance program

• green consulting and legal services

From a distribution perspective, Mainstay recently introduced the concept of Charter Retail Agent Membership in AGPOM. “Early on,” says Arthur, “we found that certain retail agents were starting to embrace AGPOM as a valuable tool for their clients. They came to the realization that the green movement was a powerful way to differentiate their own product offering. And through Mainstay, not only could they access a competitive insurance product, but they could also bring some additional consultative value to their client.” As a result, Mainstay created a distinct category of appointed agents called AGPOM Charter Agents. Qualifying agents represent an elite, semi-exclusive class of Mainstay appointments.

Once Charter Agents are approved, they enjoy the following benefits:

• visibility on the AGPOM Web site as a charter member

• BOR protection from other noncharter member brokers and agents

• access to new business leads in the form of AGPOM primary members

• priority service from Mainstay Insurance Group

• differentiation in the market

“We’re currently in discussions with new charter members and are looking for more in under-represented parts of the country,” said Arthur. Current territory representation can be found at http://agpom.org/charterretailbrokers.

The partners at Mainstay have a long history in program management and product development. After two years in a very challenging market, Mainstay continues to grow and innovate new programs. Agents and brokers can learn more about Mainstay and AGPOM by calling Eric Arthur at (425) 646-6425 or e-mailing at earthur@mainstayins.com.