LIPCA was founded in Louisiana in 1985 in response to the insurance crisis for the pest and lawn industries. Three insurance companies – which insured over 75% of the industry nationwide – shut down within 90 days, driving the remaining insurance rates up. Louisiana was particularly affected, with at least half of the pest control companies teetering on the verge of going out of business. LIPCA kept their rates low, saving the industry in Louisiana before expanding nationwide and offering both general liability and licensed bonds.
There are only 5-6 carriers/programs that write pest and lawn, only two of which are fully owned by leadership and stockholders who are industry professionals. Of these, LIPCA is the only one that will write any size and the only one to offer customer service. If an insured calls LIPCA, an insurance professional will always call back — whether or not the question was related to insurance.
“We always look after our people first,” said LIPCA’s CEO Andy McGinty. “Our program, our policies, our rates — they are all geared for everyone’s success.”
To accomplish this, LIPCA is involved with hands-on claims handling to protect their business and partners while personalizing the experience for the insured.
“We aim to protect everyone involved, including looking out for the consumer and making sure our insureds are being treated fairly,” Andy added.
LIPCA joined as an Accelerant Member a year and a half ago, just as they experienced a quick uptick in business and needed partners who could help make the process more manageable without overstepping.
Accelerant excels at tailoring their involvement based on Members’ needs. While many Members lean on Accelerant’s close partnership and input, Andy equally appreciates the independence Accelerant grants LIPCA.
“It’s important to us that Accelerant trusts our team and grants us agency to make the right decisions. Nobody knows this industry like we do,” he said, describing the way Accelerant lets them handle the areas they’re experts in and opens themselves to learning about their process, so they can be helpful when the opportunity arises.
When a problem comes up, Accelerant simply asks, “What do you need?” If the issue isn’t regulatory, they trust LIPCA to run with it.
As LIPCA prepares for future initiatives, they’ve been aligning with Accelerant on priorities.
“We’ve needed to focus on our bread and butter before adding more ingredients,” reflected Andy. He explained that LIPCA doesn’t plan to overstretch itself in order to keep the reins steady on its business, but now, they are beginning to explore the possibility of expanding into other coverage areas and markets. As they do so, the team wants to be prepared with the right software and personnel to handle the projects they choose to pursue.
“At the end of the day, we want to continue benefiting everyone we do business with, make a profit, and do things the right way,” Andy shared. “Ultimately, we choose what we take on.”
Andy recommends other Members understand both their own goals and Accelerant’s capabilities to find the bridge between the two. Onboarding was a learning process for Andy, who wishes he delved into more topics – like policy language and rates — with Accelerant when LIPCA first joined.
“Identify what you need and how you want it done – it’s important to communicate with clarity right away how Accelerant can support your business.”