Our Story:  AP Ground Water Solutions

Every successful person and every worthwhile endeavor comes from humble beginnings.  Ours began in 1999 when we insured our first water well driller.  Then quite naturally, another led to another.  Quickly this increased curiosity to learning many technical aspects surrounding the greater ground water and drilling industry.  We learned much about geology, water wells, rigs, equipment, and the people who make and use them.  In doing so, we gained appreciation for the many surrounding issues confronting the industry and the stewardship of this precious resource.  Year by year we gained respect of hundreds of water well and ground water business owners and cultivated our insurance team with insurance resources for the ground water industry.  Many prominent business owners recognized the value we add and became customers, including past NGWA presidents, state association presidents and board members.

From our vantage point of insurance, and by protecting what really matters one company at a time, we gained a very unique perspective. We gained an understanding of what really goes on and what really can go wrong. AssuredPartners has identified patterns of failures and developed a recipe for insurance success to protect all those companies directly in, or only partially connected to, all segments of the ground water industry, including geologists, scientists, engineers, contractors, drillers, plumbers, pump installers and even equipment manufacturers, system operators, suppliers, and technology companies. We create solutions!

Bad days come in all shapes and sizes and are unique to you and your company.  Some are right there in your face.  Some you’ll never forget, even though you wish you could.  Others you might take in stride or not know ever happened but can damage your bottom line just the same.  The very worst bad days (no matter what happens) are those in which insurance falls short. AssuredPartners insurance specialists have become experts in identifying and insuring people for Bad Days within the ground water industry.  Bad days in the ground water and drilling industry are unique.  Why?  Because the industry is based largely on things and circumstances underground.  And more so because it centers around a vital resource to health, industry, and daily living.  Our perspective is that it’s also because what you do is largely misunderstood by most insurance agents, companies, and claims adjusters.  Even those with specific water well branded products generally lack the specialized knowledge that we've gained from experience.  Nothing replaces experience.

Because circumstances and ground water situations can be unique, it takes an insurance professional with a unique perspective. Our unique perspective based on experience and sound knowledge of drilling and ground water companies helps us to foresee those Bad Days—and design worthwhile insurance protection accordingly.   More so, it allows us to advocate for your best interest and outcome regardless of what happens. And to us, that is a job well done.

We've cracked the code for ground water insurance. Our combination of insurance skills, personal service, learning/knowing the industry, and our hands-on experience has made a difference for hundreds of ground water businesses. We succeeded where others couldn’t and while former NGWA insurance programs floundered, got replaced and floundered again. Because of our commitment, our performance, and our integrity we gained a heart for what you do. Your success became our success, and our highest priority.

In 2015 Steve Smith's agency and partners (formerly Front Range Insurance & VolkBell P&C) were recognized for our successes, and in 2016 we became part of AssuredPartners - the 5th largest property & casualty insurance agency in the U.S. Central to our acquisition was our dream and desire of AssuredPartners continued growth and to make a meaningful difference in the ground water industry. This can only be done by harnessing AP’s vast insurance resources, relationships and technology with our ground water team’s unique understanding and position in the ground water industry.

2017 brought new leadership to NGWA as Terry Morse was elected as CEO. Terry’s many skills and successful leadership experiences include an insurance background which uniquely qualified him to champion NGWA’s new priority of becoming “Better Together”. Terry’s familiarity with AssuredPartners gave him the perspective to recognize AP’s abilities and strength, both because of AP's size (5th largest agency in the country) and also the strength in character of those within AP’s corporate leadership. This set the foundation for his introduction to Steve Smith and later developing the new Water Well Shield Insurance program for NGWA.

Terry Morse and Steve Smith collaborated for over a year to create elements of the new Water Well Shield Insurance program to leverage every aspect of insurance for the greater good of the industry. They took time to understand the common interests of NGWA, its membership, and AssuredPartners and the need for Water Well Shield to have a commitment to the industry and the people and values. In short, to embody and execute NGWA’s new vision of becoming “Better Together”.

Formerly, NGWA had Water Well Shield Insurance as a “directed program” through AssuredPartners and select agents, not an “open program” through just anyone. Previous attempts at NGWA-sponsored insurance was backed by a single insurer and accessible, or “open” to any licensed agent. Although this was intended to make them widely available, the reality is that doing so guaranteed failure. No single insurer has the appetite to handle the diversity of the NGWA membership and many NGWA members were just not eligible. Perhaps most of all, agents not well versed in ground water and its many related industries sealed its failure. AssuredPartners brings a diversity of insurance companies and strong corporate relationships with the very best insurers and coverages available to each NGWA member through only select AssuredPartners ground water agents. This is our recipe for reliable, predictable and sustainable insurance for today and tomorrow.

Businesses connected to the ground water industry are as diverse as the geology under our feet. Your business, your employees and your customers are unique to you, and so are the risks that you face. Whether it’s mittens, mousetraps, or mobile drills, one-size-fits-all has distinct limitations. In the case of insurance, it is a short road to disappointment and failure. AssuredPartners and the insurance companies we represent will serve each NGWA member personally and individually—and we have the financial size, strength relationships, and power of agent ground water knowledge to do it right.