Guides
The broker of record letter, explained
Moving brokers and moving insurers are two different actions. Here is how a broker of record letter works.
Greater Edmonton
Commercial Insurance Broker in Spruce Grove
Construction is the biggest employer in the Tri-Region, so most of what we write here is a trades program in some form. This page covers how those get built.
Trades work is unforgiving of a policy nobody thought about. A crew spends the week on property belonging to other people, most claims come from damage done there, and a good share arrive months after the job finished. Add the oversized and heavy-load transport niche running the Yellowhead corridor and you have two quite different specialist problems in one town. Neither is well served by a package chosen from a list. Velocity keeps a small enough book to ask the awkward questions before binding rather than after a claim.
Why Owners Move
What we hear fromSpruce Grove business owners.
01
I found out at claim time that it was not covered
Completed operations is the coverage trades owners most often assume they have. A fitting that leaks two months after handover is a claim against work already finished, and a policy without that extension will decline it.
02
I had to chase them for a certificate and nearly lost the job
General contractors will not let a crew start without proof of insurance, and a slow certificate costs you the week. It only moves quickly when the additional insured wording was arranged at the outset.
03
Nobody has ever asked what we do on site
Framing, mechanical work and heavy haul carry different exposures and different exclusions. A broker who never asked what the crew does all day has sold you wording written for somebody else’s trade.
04
My renewal just turns up as a bill
Trades businesses change shape constantly, taking on a van, a couple of employees or a bigger contract. A renewal that reprints last year’s numbers leaves all of that uninsured and nobody mentions it.
Why We Stand Out
What you get insteadas our client in Spruce Grove.
- Proudly independent, with fourteen insurance partners behind you
- No insurer owns a share of us or sets a quota, so a trades file goes where it is genuinely wanted. Contractor appetite swings hard between markets from year to year, and having fourteen is what lets us follow it.
- Relationships, not transactions
- One broker for the whole relationship, reachable when a general contractor is standing at the gate wanting paperwork. There is no call centre, no ticket and no explaining the trade again each spring.
- Deep commercial expertise
- Over twenty years across underwriting, complex placements, hard-market renewals and claims advocacy. Completed operations, care custody and control, and the wording differences between contractor forms are daily work rather than a research task.
- Built around how you really operate
- We ask what the crew does, where the furthest job is and what you haul before recommending anything. Heavy and oversized transport in particular needs questions asked at binding, because the answers change which market will write it.
- Explained in plain language
- What the liability policy will pay for and what it will refuse, particularly the difference between damage you cause and work you have to redo. That distinction costs trades businesses more money than any other misunderstanding.
- Superior service, backed by advanced technology
- We wrote our own software instead of renting somebody else’s, so the parts that usually slow a brokerage down happen without you ever seeing them. Your coverage, your certificates and your billing sit in a client portal, current, whenever you want to look. Human centred design is the whole point, because a system nobody enjoys using does not get used.
Your Broker
Mandy Stierman · Founder & Principal Broker
Licensed Alberta broker · 20 years in insurance
Velocity Insurance Inc. is a proudly independent, female-led commercial brokerage founded and owned in Alberta. Mandy was formerly an Account Executive with Spruceland Insurance and is a member of the Insurance Brokers Association of Alberta.
What clients sayabout working with us.
★★★★★
“She took the time to explain everything clearly in a way that actually made sense… her rates were more than competitive, and the level of service she provided was truly exceptional. It’s so refreshing to work with a woman entrepreneur who is not only amazing at what she does, but also genuinely cares about her clients.”
TJ Aneca · a month ago · Google
Reviews come from clients across Alberta, Spruce Grove included. Read them on Google
Common Questions
Choosing a brokerin Spruce Grove.
Do you write contractor insurance in Spruce Grove?
Yes, and it is the largest thing we do in the Tri-Region. A typical program pairs commercial general liability including completed operations with contractors equipment for the tools and commercial auto for the truck.
Who will be handling my account?
Mandy Stierman, the owner, who quotes it, places it and services it herself. She is also the person who issues the certificate when a general contractor is waiting on one.
What sets Velocity apart from a bigger brokerage?
Trades files look simple and are not, which is exactly why they get standardised at a volume office. A small book means somebody asks what you do on site instead of picking the nearest category.
You are independent. How do I know the price is competitive?
Contractor appetite moves between insurers every year, and with fourteen insurance partners we can follow it. You see the alternatives beside our recommendation. A single-company broker can only offer whatever their appetite happens to be.
What happens at my renewal?
We ask what changed first, because trades businesses change constantly. New vehicles, new staff, bigger contracts and new equipment all go back into the numbers before we decide whether to test the market.
How quickly do you respond?
Same business day for questions, and certificates as fast as we can once cover is bound. Say if a site start depends on one and it goes straight to the front.
What does it cost to use a broker?
Nothing extra. The commission is inside the premium the insurer charges you either way, so going direct does not save it. It only removes the person negotiating on your behalf.
How easy is it to switch insurance brokers?
One broker of record letter and it is done, with the same insurer, the same wording and the same premium. Nothing is cancelled, there is no gap, and any certificates you have already issued stay valid.
Could you review my current insurance program?
Yes, free and with no obligation. Send us the policy and Mandy will check the things trades owners get caught by, particularly completed operations, equipment limits and the exclusions nobody read out.
The Next Step
Talk to the brokerwho would handle your file.
Send us what you have and we will tell you what we would do with it. If we are not the right brokerage for your business we will say so on the first call.
Talk to a Spruce Grove broker
How do you prefer to work through your insurance?
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