The mission of BB&T Insurance Services of California is to provide excellent service, including risk management and employee benefit advice delivered by experienced, local account teams.

BB&T is part of the fifth-largest insurance brokerage in the nation. The Tri-Valley focus of its Northern California office ensures service informed by a local perspective, while the firm's national scope covers all types of business insurance anywhere on the globe.

"Sophisticated insurance brokers are now risk consultants," says John Cranston, Area President. "That's been a fundamental shift in the business."

BB&T partners with its clients to help them identify business risks and then delivers a "holistic, enterprise-wide risk-management strategy" to address those risks. Sound risk management often requires a mix of approaches, according to Cranston. Those may include loss-control measures, training programs, or other risk-mitigation measures. If there are risk factors outside the control of a business, such as reliance on a key supplier, "those are the things we will look to the insurance market to address via risk-transfer."

Our world and the risks within it are changing rapidly. It is critical that organizations have current and relevant risk management strategies in place. "We come across companies that are doing the exact same things that they were doing 10 years ago, and yet things have changed," says Cranston. "They aren't addressing their reliance on technology, for example. We help retool things, often at significant savings."

Insurance is not always interesting until you need it, says Cranston. "Who your broker and carrier partners are makes all the difference resolving claims." The computer system of one BB&T client was hit by a malicious virus and forced to shut down entirely. Consultants working with the company's insurance provider had backup systems in place within hours. The corporate system was back online within 24 hours, giving the company back its connection to customers and its supply chain.

Unexpected risks may pop up at any time, notes Cranston. Employment practices liability products are getting more attention, for example, as some companies have gone bankrupt or been significantly damaged as a result of inappropriate behavior by high-level executives.

BB&T helps its clients do more than manage risk. It also helps clients attract, retain, and enhance skilled employees by consulting on employee benefit programs. Such programs are playing an increasingly significant role in talent recruitment, retention, and productivity in the highly competitive Bay Area economy, says Cranston. BB&T helps managers analyze the kind of benefit package that will attract employees in their particular market.

The firm prides itself on the work its staff of 60 does at its Northern California office, which has been in Hacienda since 2001 thanks to its "fantastic" central location, with access to all parts of the Bay Area.

"The account managers, service team, paperwork-it is all is done right here in this office. We don't outsource any part to someone in another office or country," notes Cranston. "We offer specialized and personalized service. We think being here in the middle of it, with all of our people living in this community, is much different than having someone look at a computer in New York and tell you what you should do."

Being located in the Tri-Valley offers a different perspective even when compared to San Francisco. "I think if you go to the city there's a blind spot about how many people are moving East into the Tri-Valley," says Cranston. "From where we sit, that is a long-term trend that is going to continue. That is a huge upside for this area."

BB&T supports a number of local charities and organizations. Its most recent office event was helping Open Heart Kitchen pack lunches for area school children in need.

For more information about BB&T, please visit insurance.bbt.com.