MMG Insurance named one of best places to work

By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
    PRESQUE ISLE – MMG Insurance Co. continues to prove its dominance in the business world by once again being named one of the best places to work in the state.
    At a ceremony held Oct. 13 at the Ramada Conference Center in Lewiston, MMG was named one of the 2009 Best Places to Work in Maine. Of the 24 small/medium companies – with anywhere from 15 to 249 employees – MMG was ranked number nine.
    Headquartered in Presque Isle, MMG Insurance Co. is a progressive, regional property/casualty insurance company with 131 employees.
    The 2009 Best Places to Work in Maine program, sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, recognizes companies that have established and consistently fostered outstanding workplace environments. Partners endorsing the program include the Best Companies Group, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, Employment Times and Mainebiz.
    The assessment process, administered by the Best Companies Group, evaluated each company’s employee policies and procedures, as well as responses from the company’s employees. The program marks the most recent step in a long-term initiative to encourage growth and excellence throughout all Maine companies.
    The program also helps companies that want to improve their score. The Best Companies Group Employee Feedback Report is presented to each participating company, even if they did not make the list. The report includes the summarized employee engagement and satisfaction data, the Maine Benchmark Report, and the transcript of employee written comments. The report is used by many organizations to make significant improvements in their workplace culture.
    “We’re very excited to once again be named one of the Best Places to Work in Maine,” said Larry Shaw, president and chief executive officer of MMG. “It is a predominantly employee-driven survey award; 75 percent of our score is derived from an extensive survey of our employees so it really shows what they think of our environment.
    “It’s great recognition because we strive to have an employee-friendly environment. We work hard on that and we’re big believers that if you take that kind of environment and you provide opportunities for your employees, it will provide us with a major competitive advantage in our marketplace,” he said. “If our people feel positively about their work environment and professional opportunities, this shows through in how they deal with our policyholders and agents.”
    Examples of fostering a supportive workplace environment are that parents are encouraged to go to a child’s soccer game or school function during the day, or even do volunteer work in the community.
    “The principle is that we care about our employees,” Shaw said. “We want to make our environment as conducive as possible for them to do their work efficiently, but also want to be flexible with their schedules and the kinds of things they want to do outside of work. It’s a combination of caring about each of their individual situations and trying to be adaptable to their needs.”
    This is the third time MMG has won the Best Places to Work award. The company placed second in 2006 and first in 2007 in the mid-sized category (25 to 249 employees).
    “Though somewhat lower than we’ve placed in the past,” said Shaw, “it reflects the fact that the small company and the medium company categories were combined this year.”
    According to Matt McHatten, senior vice president of external operations at MMG, the company opted not to apply for the award last year.
    “The survey results produce this incredible look at your workplace culture overall,” he said, “and we wanted to have some time to let those results sink in and try to improve in certain areas.”
    Other top companies honored included UNUM, Pierce Atwood and Camden National Bank.
    In addition to the Best Places to Work honors, MMG has received two other awards recently – the Professional Insurance Agents of New Hampshire’s Company Award for overall excellence and the 2009 Interface Partner Award from insurance technology company Applied Systems.
    The Professional Insurance Agents of New Hampshire is a state chapter of a national independent agent trade group, said Shaw.
    The PIANH Company Awards are presented to those insurers that consistently demonstrate outstanding performance in the eyes of the agents that represent them. Winning companies received high scores on the PIANH Company Performance Survey, which gauges insurance producers’ views of their carriers and gives agents the opportunity to share opinions on their companies’ handling of claims, products and pricing, technology, underwriting and more.
    “MMG Insurance ranked among New Hampshire’s top carriers in several categories including competitive pricing, clear, honest communication with its agents and clients; responsiveness, accuracy in service and processing claims, as well as for its customer service,” said Stanley Pollack, CIC, PIANH president. “We are pleased to recognize MMG as a strong partner in providing insureds throughout our state with coverage they can have confidence in.”
    MMG has had a presence in New Hampshire since 1984.