Kai Vaughn

Eastern Alliance Insurance Group (EAIG) has announced it will open an office in Grandville, Michigan, as part of the company’s geographic expansion plan. The Grandville office, located at 3980 Chicago Drive, is the company’s first office in the state of Michigan. “I am pleased to announce the opening of our new Grandville, Michigan office,” said Michael Boguski, President of EAIG. “Through this newly established office, we will service businesses in Michigan with a fresh outlook and customized approach to their workers’ compensation insurance programs.”

The Grandville, Michigan site is a satellite location of EAIG’s Carmel, Indiana Midwest regional office, and will be staffed with underwriting, marketing, claims and risk management professionals. The company has appointed 14 agency partners in Michigan since entering the state in 2011. EAIG offers an innovative line of workers’ compensation products and services, as well as exclusive brands and programs including: ParallelPay® “pay-as-you-go” premium payment plan, unite individualized underwriting and services for small business, Inova® alternative market insurance, and ecovery Return to Wellness. Billboards, announcing the arrival of Eastern Alliance Insurance Group with “fresh outlooks, better outcomes,” will begin appearing throughout the Grand Rapids region in July.

Founded in 1997, EAIG is a specialty underwriter of workers’ compensation products and services for businesses and organizations in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest and Gulf South regions of the United States. EAIG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the publicly-held ProAssurance Corporation, and has offices in Lancaster and Wexford, Pennsylvania, Charlotte, North Carolina, Carmel, Indiana, Franklin, Tennessee, Richmond, Virginia, and Madison, Mississippi.

Companies, organizations, and government have come a long way implementing safety programs to help keep workers safe from both minor and serious injuries. However, evidence shows while minor accidents have declined, the more serious ones haven’t, and are even on the rise in some industries. In many cases, the worker, although trained, does not take the proper precautions to keep themselves safe. In the few seconds before an accident occurs, the worker sometimes makes a risky decision thinking it’s okay to proceed.

That’s where Eastern Alliance’s N3L3 philosophy comes in – our approach to helping workers avoid fatal and life-changing injuries by alerting their instincts so they always pause and “think safety” before moving forward. This re-teaches workers to consciously and subconsciously take a few seconds to rethink the present situation: “Hey! I could really get hurt here! I’d better take a few seconds to check this out, just in case.” That’s what Eastern’s N3L3 is all about.

At Eastern, we’ve carefully studied circumstances in which serious accidents occur and determined the three seconds before a task is performed can impact the last three seconds. The chances of avoiding a serious accident are greatly improved when a worker is conditioned to stop and think about how to do the job safely. Implementing a N3L3 way of thinking creates a safety culture that instinctively changes the way a worker thinks and avoids the possibility that the “Next Three Seconds could be your Last Three Seconds".

Eastern employees have a strong work ethic and have established a reputation for providing excellent customer service and exceeding expectations. Our energetic team environment is best suited for an individual who is motivated, goal oriented and looking for a company that offers a positive, challenging environment where he or she can grow both personally and professionally. To attract and retain such individuals, Eastern offers competitive wages, an attractive benefits program.

A well-rounded education not only enhances the individual employees skill and knowledge base, but knowledge gained by employees through the educational process can also be shared with co-workers and add value to the organization. Eastern starts by recruiting dedicated, enthusiastic individuals who complete a comprehensive training program designed to provide an overview of Eastern departments functions. During each employee’s annual performance review, plans are outlined for his/her continued growth and development. Tuition reimbursement, job training and goal-setting are offered, along with access to an educational resource library, and paid time off rewards for employees earning advanced certifications. Eastern offers regular departmental training sessions that include guest speakers and sponsors several off-site training programs for employees. Employees enjoy many career opportunities present in a company with a history of growth and a commitment to professional and career development.

There are three components to Eastern's claim management services: early intervention, proactive disability management and Return-to-Work support. Eastern offers both toll-free Teleclaim and online claim reporting. As soon as a claim is reported, we confidently manage that claim toward a cost-effective and fair conclusion. We use industry-leading medical cost management programs and strategic partnerships to control claim costs and provide excellent service to employers and their injured employees.

In addition, Eastern strongly encourages our clients to adopt "Return-to-Work" or "RTW" programs. These programs are proven to benefit injured workers and employers. We offer a wealth of resources and support for clients looking to establish an RTW program.

Eastern provides an online Risk Management Resource Center, featuring a document library and access to Safety.BLR.com. BLR is a safety training and compliance resource site where you can find downloadable and customizable safety and risk management templates, presentations, and training materials, as well as updated safety regulations and news.

Eastern's traditional market insurance products include:

• Guaranteed Cost Program – coverage at a predictable, fixed cost

• Loss-Sensitive Dividend Plans – a program where you have the potential to earn a dividend based on favorable loss experience throughout the policy period

• Large Deductible Plans – a program where you pay a lower premium up front in exchange for paying for losses up to the deductible amount

• Retrospective Rating Plans – a plan which calculates your premium based on your actual losses during the policy term

• Learn about ParallelPay, EAIG's premium payroll deduction program