Landscape Management, February 2011

EQUIPMENT THEFT RECESSION DRIVES THEFT HAS EQUIPMENT THEFT INCREASED IN YOUR BUSINESS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS 44 No Yes 56 HOW MANY INCIDENTS OF EQUIPMENT THEFT HAVE YOU HAD IN THE PAST THREE YEARS 9 10 4 More than 10 3 3 5 21 62 0 2 6 8 10 Whether the loss results from pre meditated actions or spur of the moment opportunity heed the advice of the people we interviewed for this article and implement their practical strategies to lessen the chance or severity of theft losses at your business On the rise Theres de nitely been a big jump in theft claims this year says insurance professional Greg Botson president of Avon OH based Botson Insurance Group who just before this interview received a call from a client who had a truck and snow plow stolen Weve had maybe 25 claims within the past year where a landscaper gets almost everything stolen Even though respondents to our recent survey indicate the most commonly pilfered items are handheld power equipment because it is easy to carry away and quickly sell for cash this winter season an unusually snowy one east of the Mississippi has seen an unusual number of snow plows and skid steers turn up missing as well This is according to a spokesperson at the National Equipment Register NER a 10 year old unit of Verisk Analytics that provides theft reporting and equipment identi cation services for equipment owners and insurers Its services help facilitate information sharing with insurers equipment owners and law enforcement to reduce theft and recover equipment Indeed that national database of stolen equipment estimates equipment losses which includes professional mowing units could be as much as 1 billion annually The NER maintains a database of more than 17 million equipment ownership records and 100000 theft records Those numbers continue to grow year to year as more owners take advantage of the service which is recommended by their insurance carriers and law enforcement NERs estimate doesnt address the loss of smaller production tools and materials most of which goes unreported Also not included are stolen service vehicles which is not as uncommon as you might think Adding to this tsunami of nancial losses is the soft but nevertheless real expenses attached to renting equipment to temporarily replace stolen units management time lost to ling claims and disrupted customer services But numbers alone dont tell the whole story The human toll is just as discouraging Helping Landscapers save money no matter what they drive No matter what kind of vehicle you use for your business you could save with Progressive Insurance To learn more about Progressive and see why we are the 1 Truck Insurer in America please visit ProgressiveCommercial com Call for a Free Quote 1 888 375 7908 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET FEBRUARY 2011 18 Find an Agent ProgressiveCommercial com United Financial Casualty Company and its affiliates Mayfield Village Ohio Available in most states No 1 truck from Highline Datas 2007 written premium data 09P00560 BA 12 09