Productive RISKWORLD RIMS Conference Concludes

My first RIMS Conference is in the bag. What an impressive production the Risk Management Society had. Indeed it felt like “the center of the Risk Management universe” as they say. The experience has further fueled my desire to make VCIA’s August 8th-11th annual conference the best yet!

From a Vermont captive perspective, our trip to San Francisco was very successful. There was a steady stream of captive owners on day one with potential new captives and service providers visiting us. Our travel-sized maple syrup swag and the ice cream rolling in at 10:30 may lured in some hungry prospects, because surely nothing beats ice cream with maple syrup drizzled on top.

Vermont representing strong at RIMS 2022

Even on the final day three the volume of traffic may have slowed, but the quality interactions continued. I still work as a captive student, absorbing as much information as I can about the industry and regulatory processes. I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed building out my professional network with so many interesting people. All in all Team Vermont held many solid and productive meetings which generated innovative ideas on how we can help captives thrive in the Green Mountain State.

Shoutout to the State of Vermont’s Captive Insurance Economic Development Director Brittany Nevins who does a terrific job of demonstrating why Vermont’s captive insurance industry is the gold standard for an onshore captive insurance domicile. 

All in all Team Vermont held many solid and productive meetings which generated innovative ideas on how we can help captives thrive in the Green Mountain State.

One interesting aspect was the interest from Latin America – A good harbinger for our planned 2023 Roadshow in Mexico City. Stay tuned for more interesting programs as we continue to develop them!

City of Brotherly Love… at booth #1817

RIMS-2017

Just a quick blog too say I am heading down to Philadelphia this weekend for the annual RIMS conference.  Although RIMS is “yuge” (over 10,000 attendees they say), Vermont still is able to attract a good crowd to the Vermont booth every year.

We get a number of folks from Vermont’s captive community who go down to RIMS and represent the Vermont captive industry at the booth. This year Ian Davis is taking the reins with DFR staff, Dave Provost, Sandy Bigglestone, Dan Petterson, Jonathan Spencer, Stacy Alden, Lance Tourville and Christine Brown. Also there will be KeyBankers, Jordan Mosher and Mat Robitaille, Steve Killoran from Maple Capital, Bill Riley from Paul Frank + Collins, and Mitch Cantor from ICCIE. Oh, yeah, and I will be there as well!

So if you are going to be at RIMS this year, come by booth #1817 and say hi!
Thank you all very much, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Rich Smith
VCIA President

Welcome, Ian

IanDavis_VTCaptive_Headshot_300

Ian Davis, Director of Financial Services, State of Vermont

I hope you will all join me in welcoming Ian Davis as the next Director of Financial Services for the State of Vermont! The position is responsible for the marketing and business development for the State’s Captive Insurance Industry.  Ian has replaced Dan Towle, who moved on to become the new President of CICA recently.

Our staff and I have already been working with Ian over the past few weeks, and I can tell you he will be terrific! He’s bright, energetic, and a quick learner – already tackling a number of projects for the benefit of Vermont’s captive industry. We are all looking forward to working with Ian for many years to come – and all of us will be down in Philadelphia the week after next for the monster that is known as RIMS. For those of you that are going to be there come on by the Vermont booth and say “hi” and welcome Ian to the family!

Thank you all very much, and I look forward to hearing from you.

RIMS in NoLa

Print

I am heading to New Orleans this weekend for the RIMS annual conference where 10,000 risk industry professionals descend on a city and effectively take it over! Now, if you want to ever have the feeling of virtual insignificance, try attending RIMS as a captive insurance professional to get some perspective. Funny thing is, even with more than 90% of Fortune 1000 companies and more than half of all property and casualty premiums written through captives, it can be overwhelming to see a whole city, buses, buildings and lampposts festooned with the logos from the huge international insurers, brokers and reinsurers.

Walking through the exhibit hall, the Vermont booth is a small oasis of captive insurance surrounded by an ocean of insurance giants – and it’s at this oasis that the fellow risk professionals congregate to meet and talk about Vermont and the captive industry. Dave Provost and Dan Towle from the State of Vermont, along with a slew of other Vermonters stake out our space. And though we may be small, we are mighty.

So for those that will be at RIMS next week please come on by and hi!

Thank you all very much, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Rich Smith
VCIA President