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Snowfighters Institute PodcastAuthor: Phil Harwood
This is the Snowfighters Institute podcast, where you will hear directly from some of the most interesting people in the professional snow and ice management industry to learn about their successes, to hear about the challenges they faced along the way, and to have their perspective on critical issues facing our industry today. Hosted by Phil Harwood (Phil@GrowTheBench.com). Follow our social media feeds and check out upcoming events at SnowfightersInstitute.com. Language: en-us Genres: Business, Careers, Entrepreneurship Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Matt Delborrello - Insurance Insights for Snow Contractors: Coverage, Claims, and Choosing the Right Clients
Episode 57
Tuesday, 23 June, 2026
Upcoming Events Snowfighters Institute Webinars: Join us live for monthly webinars built to help snow pros run stronger, more profitable operations. All sessions run 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Pricing & Estimating Review | Tuesday, July 7, 2026 Are you pricing for profit or just hoping to break even? Finding & Managing Subcontractors | Tuesday, August 11, 2026 How do you find subcontractors who actually show up when it snows? Capacity Planning | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 How do you determine your true operational capacity? Recruiting | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 Why can't you find good people to hire, and what can you do about it? Incentive Compensation & Rewards | Tuesday, November 10, 2026 Are your bonuses and rewards actually driving the results you want? Client & Employee Appreciation | Tuesday, December 8, 2026 Are you truly appreciating your clients and employees, or just going through the motions? See the full webinar list → In-Person Event GROW! Snow | September 22 to 23, 2026 An in-person event built for snow leaders and their teams. Two days of snow-specific breakout sessions, a facility tour, and content designed to drive real change at your business. Details coming soon. Episode #57Matt Delborrello, Commercial Insurance Consultant with Alera Group and an Accredited Professional in Risk and Insurance, joins Phil to demystify the world of business insurance for snow and ice contractors. From understanding how umbrella liability provides broader protection than raising general liability limits, to why being rated on payroll instead of sales can dramatically lower your premiums, to navigating the excess and surplus marketplace, Matt shares why responsiveness and relationships drive his work, how site selection affects insurability, and what every contractor needs to know before the next slip and fall claim hits. Key Learnings Umbrella Liability Beats Raising General Liability Limits - Umbrella coverage isn't auditable like general liability, so it gives you broader protection over auto and employer's liability without driving up your audit exposure. Sales vs Payroll Rating Changes Everything - Being rated on snow payroll instead of total snow sales gives carriers a more accurate picture of your true exposure and can dramatically lower your premiums. Guaranteed Cost Contracts Distort Sales Numbers - When clients pay $500,000 whether it snows 2 inches or 200, sales doesn't reflect actual risk exposure, which is why the payroll rating shift matters so much. Choose Your Clients Wisely - You can run a flawless snow operation, but if your client list is heavy on gas stations and big box retail, insurance carriers may decline to write the account because of slip and fall frequency. Site Type Matters More Than Industry Label - A local bank and a Walmart are both retail, but they carry completely different risk profiles, so generic application categories without conversation create real problems. Camera Footage Defends Against Bogus Claims - Forward-facing, rear-facing, and driver-facing cameras give carriers the evidence they need to fight inflated or fraudulent claims rather than just settling them. You Can Be Involved... Chapters (00:00:20) - Welcome and Introductions(00:01:55) - Inside Alera Group(00:05:49) - Insurance 101 for Contractors(00:07:47) - Why Umbrella Beats Higher GL Limits(00:10:24) - A Day in the Life of an Agent(00:14:54) - Why Carriers Don't Get Snow(00:20:18) - The Sales vs Payroll Shift(00:24:24) - The Clients Carriers Hate(00:28:15) - The Bogus Slip and Fall Story(00:31:29) - Who Really Decides Your Claim(00:38:32) - The Excess and Surplus Trap(00:43:16) - One Entity or Two(00:45:01) - How to Reach Matt
