Categoría: Influencers

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Surety One, Inc. has entered into an agreement with the Madison Energy Group, LLC to provide commercial crime insurance products to Madison’s national network of technicians and installers. The program is a deployment of Surety One, Inc.’s specialty third party fidelity bond coverage.

There is often exclusionary language in commercial crime coverage forms that leave an insured exposed to «on client’s premises» risks unless specifically endorsed. A third-party fidelity bond addresses the on-premises peril inherent in certain business activities. Madison’s technicians install, configure and adjust proprietary energy products on clients’ business premises. Initial and follow-up visits to fine-tune equipment create repeat exposures to Madison which are addressed by the fidelity bond.

Says Constantin Poindexter, CEO of Surety One, Inc., «Madison’s President, William Geist approached me with his concerns about protecting his clients and his enterprise’s reputation given the exposures created by independent on-site technicians. I created this program to address a gaping hole that he had in his current insurance suite. I am pleased to enter into a strategic relationship with a guy that is on the forefront of cleaner, more efficient energy delivery. Mr. Geist is also deeply involved in charitable causes that I also support. Our friendship and business relationship are valuable to me so supporting his efforts are a big win for the Surety One, Inc. Team and I.»

The Madison Energy Group, LLC is a national leader in the energy sector. Says Geist, «Madison was founded and built with a focus on affordable, effective technology that carries the best value in the industry. Our objective is to provide clients with a sound energy investment that will help them achieve efficiency and profitability while also contributing to the well-being of the environment. Due to our significant growth we’ve expanded our network of techs and installers and thus need to increase the protections that we provide clients.»

Surety One, Inc. is an international insurance intermediary domiciled in Puerto Rico, distributing surety and fidelity bond products nationally, in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada. The firm delivers on a broad geographic footprint with a local feel.  For more information on the third party fidelity bond program or any surety bond need visit https://SuretyOne.com. For more information call (800) 373-2804.

 

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SOURCE Surety One, Inc.

BOSTON, Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts («Blue Cross») today announced a set of bold initiatives to address health inequities and racial injustice.

The multipart plan features new charitable investments, including a grant program to support not-for-profits led by Black, Indigenous and other people of color, a first-to-market approach to collecting race and ethnicity data to address inequities in the care members receive, expanding marketing efforts to better reach a more diverse audience with critical messages focused on addressing gaps in care and improving overall health, and new investments and support for minority-owned businesses.

«As a community and a country, we are facing twin pandemics of both coronavirus and racism. Those of us in health care have a responsibility to address both. And just as we acted swiftly to respond to COVID-19, we are deepening our commitment to racial justice and to addressing long-standing inequities in health care,» said Andrew Dreyfus, president and CEO. «We will continue to be a leader in creating a more equitable health care system.»

The comprehensive plan announced today builds on decades of work by Blue Cross and its Foundation to address inequities in care and to advance racial and social justice.

Charitable investments

The new $350,000 Racial Equity and Justice Grants announced today will support BIPOC-led not-for-profit organizations focused on addressing racial injustice in Massachusetts communities. Blue Cross has  awarded six organizations with a two-year grant, providing $25,000 in general operating support per year, and two organizations with a one-year, $25,000 grant. Grantees also will have the opportunity to receive in pro-bono support.

The program builds on Blue Cross’ existing investments, such as a recent $1 million contribution to the New Commonwealth Fund for Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund created last year by local Black and Brown executives, including Blue Cross Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Stephanie Lovell and Blue Cross Board members Quincy Miller, president of Eastern Bank, and Corey Thomas, CEO of Rapid7.

The company will continue to provide additional direct financial support via charitable investments to a wide range of organizations working to advance racial equity and social justice.

Addressing inequities in health care

Decades of research have shown people of color, in particular Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous Americans, have less access to high-quality treatment and experience poorer outcomes for a wide range of medical conditions – including COVID-19.

Blue Cross’ work to address these inequities includes convening an advisory council of leading local and national experts in health inequities to help guide and shape Blue Cross’ strategy from a broad range of perspectives.

Additionally, Blue Cross is:

• Collecting comprehensive, member-level race and ethnicity data that can be used to collaborate with the community and clinical partners to reduce racial and ethnic inequities.
  Blue Cross is the first health plan in the region to undertake this comprehensive effort.
• Creating metrics and programs to address racial inequities in health care access and quality, including measures of service provided by Blue Cross directly to our members
• Educating employees on the impact of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic factors on Blue Cross members, and effectively using this information in day-to-day interactions both internally and externally.
• Reviewing existing contracts with vendors to assess their programs for detecting and addressing health inequities (e.g., in their algorithms and care management services) and incorporating such questions in future vendor assessment and RFPs.
• Evolving the company’s current Diversity, Equity & Inclusion governance structure to include health equity issues, and publishing – company-wide – an enhanced scorecard that measures progress against other best-in-class companies to ensure accountability and transparency.

Standing for equity in our communities

The company is also:

• Partnering with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Pacesetters Program to support a collaborative initiative to promote minority-owned businesses.
• Becoming the first company to make a public pledge to support the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council’s new campaign for minority supplier development.
• Asking BCBSMA vendors to maintain a percentage of their business with diverse suppliers and to share related data.

An inclusive company culture

The most successful companies are the most diverse, inclusive, and innovative. Blue Cross regards diversity and inclusion at Blue Cross as central to the culture and values at the company. At Blue Cross, diversity isn’t just about representation of people from different backgrounds, although that’s critically important; it’s also about ensuring the entire workforce feels respected, included, and empowered to contribute. 72% of Blue Cross employees are women, and more than 50% of the board of directors are people of color or women.

New initiatives include:

• Further educating Blue Cross leaders about their responsibilities in building an inclusive organization, understanding and eliminating bias in hiring decisions, and best management practices; these initiatives will be incorporated into internal performance metrics.
• Cultivating diverse candidate pools and increasing the development, promotion, and retention of people of color in leadership and at other levels
• Broadening cultural competency education for all employees to enhance awareness of unconscious bias and micro-aggressions
• Adding Juneteenth to the corporate holiday calendar beginning in 2021

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation also is making racial inequities in health care one of its three focus areas, along with access to care and mental health. The Foundation will work with its partners to identify policies that present barriers to equitable access to health care and coverage for people of color, and to diversify the workforce and leadership of health care organizations. In addition, the Foundation has launched seven focus groups across the Commonwealth to discuss with BIPOC-led organizations what they see as the solutions to structural racism and racial inequities in health care.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.org) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. We are committed to the relentless pursuit of quality, affordable health care with an unparalleled consumer experience. Consistent with our promise to always put our members first, we are rated among the nation’s best health plans for member satisfaction and quality. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn. BlueLinks for Employers

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SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PSMT) today announced that it plans to begin the construction of its ninth warehouse club in Colombia, which is anticipated to open in the fall of 2021. With the addition of this new Colombia club and previously announced new clubs in Guatemala City, Guatemala and Portmore, Jamaica, the Company expects to have 50 clubs in operation by spring 2022.

In October 2019, the Company acquired nearly 210,000 square feet of land in Colombia upon which the Company plans to construct a smaller format club located in the Floridablanca Municipality, south of Bucaramanga, Colombia.

«The commitment to another warehouse club in Colombia reflects our continuing belief that Colombia represents a significant growth market for the Company. The club will be built as a smaller format in this secondary city market, which is located approximately 250 miles from our «Las Américas» club in Medellín, Colombia. The decision to proceed with the «Bucaramanga» club is also driven by our experience with our other small formats, the potential we see in secondary markets, and the opportunity to expand our reach with the support of our newly developed online and last-mile capabilities.

«We now have three new clubs under construction. We expect this club and our previously announced Guatemala City, Guatemala club to open in the fall of 2021 and our Portmore, Jamaica club to open in the spring of 2022. With the completion of these three clubs we will have reached the 50-club milestone, but continue to believe that we still have significant growth opportunities ahead. In addition to future club growth, we also continue to focus on driving comparable net merchandise sales in our existing locations and through our omni-channel shopping alternatives. This would not have been possible without the dedication of our team across all aspects of the business,» commented Sherry S. Bahrambeygui, CEO of PriceSmart, Inc.

About PriceSmart
PriceSmart, headquartered in San Diego, owns and operates U.S.-style membership shopping warehouse clubs in Latin America and the Caribbean, selling high quality merchandise and services at low prices to PriceSmart Members. PriceSmart operates 47 warehouse clubs in 12 countries and one U.S. territory (eight in Costa Rica and Colombia; seven in Panama; five in the Dominican Republic, four in Trinidad and Guatemala; three in Honduras; two each in El Salvador and Nicaragua; and one each in Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica and the United States Virgin Islands). The Company also plans to open new warehouse clubs in Guatemala City, Guatemala and Bucaramanga, Colombia around the fall of 2021 and in Portmore, Jamaica around the spring of 2022. Once these three new clubs are open, the Company will operate 50 warehouse clubs. 

This press release may contain forward-looking statements concerning the Company’s anticipated future revenues and earnings, adequacy of future cash flows, omni-channel initiatives, proposed warehouse club openings, the Company’s performance relative to competitors, the outcome of tax proceedings and related matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements containing the words «expect,» «believe,» «will,» «may,» «should,» «project,» «estimate,» «anticipated,» «scheduled,» and like expressions, and the negative thereof. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially including, but not limited to: adverse changes in economic conditions in the Company’s markets, natural disasters, compliance risks, volatility in currency exchange rates, competition, consumer and small business spending patterns, political instability, increased costs associated with the integration of online commerce with our traditional business, whether the Company can successfully execute strategic initiatives, cybersecurity breaches that could cause disruptions in our systems or jeopardize the security of member or business information, cost increases from product and service providers, interruption of supply chains, COVID-19 related factors and challenges, including among others, the duration of the pandemic, the unknown long-term economic impact, the impact of government policies and restrictions that have limited access for our Members, and shifts in demand away from discretionary or higher priced products to lower priced products, exposure to product liability claims and product recalls, recoverability of moneys owed to PriceSmart from governments, and other important factors discussed in the Risk Factors section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other factors discussed from time to time in other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, including Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date that they are made, and the Company does not undertake to update them, except as required by law.

For further information, please contact Michael L. McCleary, EVP, Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer (858) 404-8826 or send an email to ir@pricesmart.com.

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SOURCE PriceSmart, Inc.