Snowy Friday the 13th…

Last Friday January 13th, 2012 we all woke up to a snow storm. Our drive into our respective workplaces was snowy, icy and treacherous to some and to others not so bad who chose public transportation. Some just stayed home to work from their respective locales, reducing the chances of an auto accident and increasing work productivity by being virtually connected to their employers. A smart decision indeed and probably should be done more often than not…

One of our clients did get rear-ended on that snowy morning drive to work and chose the best approach to the incident by managing the situation calmly, gathering the necessary insurance information, contact phone numbers, address and so on as it was a minor accident and the vehicles were still drivable. Our client got an estimate for $1076 for the repairs and the responsible party paid for the bill. Everyone was happy and the insurance companies did not get involved and the situation was resolved amicably. This is a perfect scenario with rational minds and calm spirits that prevailed to a very cost effective solution.

However, some of our insuring public see this as an opportunity to take advantage of an already over stressed auto insurance system under attack by exaggerated claims and use these situations for their own personal gain. Take a look for yourself on the video below and visit our industry website at www.ibc.ca to educate yourself and be encouraged to seek more plausible means of minimizing these minor mishaps by working together to the common good for our brothers and sisters.

Being part of the solution saves us money and benefits us all.

Think smart and Drive safe!

Normand G. Haas, CIP
President & CEO

Well 2011 is in the bag and what a year it has been at IBMG. Our year began with negotiations to acquire the operations of Murtaugh Smith Insurance (MSI). We succeeded in closing that transaction on July 25th, 2011. The work then began to amalgamate the two companies into one and we closed the MSI office on the Danforth after a 28 year presence in the area. Our live date of the amalgamated companies was October 31st, 2011 facing challenges that any acquisition presents with technology, HR, architectural workflows and change management. Our re-injection of energy into our client services and our commitment to seek to exceed expectations have been met and we are currently well positioned to meet our daily service to our clientele.

So what does 2012 hold for IBMG on a go forward basis? Stay tuned to the introductions of a number of initiatives such as IBMG clothing apparel, client appreciation days at Mosport Racetrack with our friends at Engineered Automotive and our own special interest automobile car show! Of course our focus from a business perspective will continue to grow our brand by purchasing another insurance brokerage and hiring new producers that we can mentor and help in reaching their maximum potential.

We will continue to feed into our core values and beliefs of caring for our fellow man by encouraging and empowering our staff to greatness; fostering our total commitment to our clients for excellence in our service deliveries and old fashion hard work. As we continue to move forward in our respective journeys we want to express our sincere gratitude for the opportunities to be of service to you with an appreciation for your trust in our insurance advice.

In the meantime let us be mindful of the life that we are so fortunate to live in a land of peace and privileges that few around the world get to enjoy.

Have an outstanding year!

Normand G. Haas, CIP
President & CEO
“Designed for greatness, created for eternity”

We at IBMG Canada pride ourselves on fast, reliable service that you can trust. As we grow larger, it is that much more important to maintain our high-quality standards for our customers. For this reason, we have implemented a self-service quoting system within our website so you can get rapid results all on your own!

If you are looking for a quick quote, please feel free to direct your attention to the Self-Quote tab in the navigation bar. What would normally be stressful and sometimes inconvenient for people, has been revolutionized and made it simple and stress-free. So what are you waiting for? Get your quote today – It’s free!

It’s been a long journey, but we made it! IBMG Canada now has two beautifully furnished offices – Both open for your company! Located at 3219A Yonge Street, the doors are always open to you. Whether you have a few inquiries about your insurance or just want to have some coffee, give us a call and drop by!

If you don’t have the time in your busy schedule to see it in person, but would like a peek, we created a photo-tour for your viewing! Click here to check it out!

Truly exiting times in amalgamating our new clients and friends at Murtaugh Smith Insurance (MSI) into IBMG Canada. A simple task but challenging to execute with managing a change in culture, organizational structure, new office space, technology and re-engineering new processes and procedures to increase our speed of service deliveries to our customers.

Our first day is coming up where we will make true on the closing of the MSI office on the Danforth after a near 30 year presence in the area. We will be located at the Lawrence subway stop or one traffic light North of Lawrence on the East side above the UPS store. The address is 3219A Yonge Street in beautiful Lawrence Park North. Please feel free to drop by and see our new digs!

As originally shared in our communication with you; John Murtaugh has retired and doing what he loves best in traveling the world’s most exotic and interesting places. Brien Smith who was to stay with us on a one year employment contract has gone on long term disability because of his Parkinson’s condition and will not be joining us on the 31st. We again at IBMG want to extend our sincere gratitude to both John and Brien for entrusting us to care for MSI. Our number one priority is to make sure that the goodwill that they created continues forever.

We have ported the MSI phone number to IBMG and currently all phone calls are received at our new offices.

In the meantime, please feel free to give David Des Roches or myself a call with any questions that you have with this transition as we are totally committed to seek to exceed your customer experience with our office.

With gratitude

Normand G. Haas, CIP
President & CEO

Hello Dream Team!

Today looks to be one of our greatest production meetings ever! The production numbers produced this month out of our collective efforts looks to be earth shattering…so come prepared and please be early and prompt in order to respect the time of others and be here on time and ready to start at 10:30am sharp!

The attached Press Release of our recent acquisition will be in all financial publications related to our industry tomorrow as well for your viewing.

IBMG Press Release September 2011

This is a family reunion of sorts where the mail clerk ends up buying the company he started with…an interesting story indeed!

After 28 years since the establishment of Murtaugh Smith Insurance it is being acquired by Normand Haas of IBMG Canada Inc. Normand who started with us in 1989 as a young energetic producer, left us in 2006 to pursue his lifelong dream of building his own insurance brokerage firm.

John Murtaugh is retiring but will be available to assist in the transition, Brien Smith is staying on for a year term, and David Des Roches is staying on as co-owner and vice-president. The office will be re-located effective October 30th, 2011 to 3219A Yonge Street just one block North of Lawrence on the East side above the UPS store.

Our focus as we integrate the companies will be to ensure our service deliveries remain uninterrupted and that you will continue to have access to our expertise and customer service as your insurance broker of choice.

It has always been our pleasure and privilege to serve as your insurance broker. We remain totally committed to fulfilling your insurance needs.

We would like to draw your attention to the back of this announcement and take this opportunity to address the new auto reform changes that took effect in Ontario on September 1st, 2010. Please take a moment to review these important changes and feel free to give our office a call to discuss any changes you would like to make to your auto insurance policy.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask our team! Our contact information can be found to the right, as well as the Contact section.

Welcome to the new website! Please email us if you have any questions or concerns regarding navigating through this website! Enjoy