2021 Title Sponsor: Oswald Companies

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Founded in 1893, and employee-owned, Oswald is one of the nation’s largest independent insurance brokerage and risk management firms. As a proud Partner of Assurex Global, the world’s largest association of privately held insurance brokers, our risk management professionals service and support the needs of our clients locally and worldwide.

Our Architects and Engineers Professional Liability Practice is part of the Design | Construction vertical within Oswald. With the ever-changing landscape in project delivery methods, we saw it as an opportunity to combine both practices into one department to better serve the needs of our clients. 

An Advocate for Design

At Oswald we are advocates for the design industry, with an average tenure of 15 years in the business, our team not only keeps a pulse on the insurance market but also the legislative and trade issues. Currently the Ohio state legislature is reviewing some key initiatives that would have a positive effect on the design industry:

  • OFCC State Contract Review ACEC/AIA task force, full document review relative to insurability

  • ACEC Ohio Indemnification Bill- Public Contract Indemnification- Senate Bill 56 would regulate the use of indemnity provisions in contracts related to public improvements. The A/E professions have been confronted with having to sign contracts with public bodies that included uninsurable “broad form” indemnification and/or defense requirements.

  • Payment Assurance Legislation- Senate Bill 49 would establish a payment assurance program (i.e. lien rights) for registered design professionals (architects, landscape architects, engineers, and surveyors).

  • Ohio Revised Code section 9.239179D Internal Revenue Code Tax Deduction – Energy Efficient Commercial Building Deduction addresses the tax deduction that the state of Ohio is to allocate to design firms

Other state laws that apply to design professionals:

  • New Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Continuing Education. New law was passed in the beginning of 2020 that requires sexual harassment prevention training for all persons who hold a professional license issued by the Division of Professional Regulation (DPR) for professionals that require CE to renew. The law requires licensees to complete a one-hour CE course in sexual harassment prevention training and is effective for all renewals on or after January 1, 2020. This law currently applies to Illinois. Contact us for links to Illinois-approved providers.

  • Anti-Harassment Training. There are now 11 states that require anti-harassment training for both managers and employees who work in those states. Each state also has specific requirements that the training must discuss. The 11 states with these laws are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington D.C., Illinois, Maryland, Maine, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont. Contact us for information on software available to provide and track this training for your managers and employees.

We are also dedicated to providing education opportunities to the industry because a sound risk management plan starts with education. 

Upcoming Learning and Risk Management Opportunities

Oswald’s All Ohio Convocation– Columbus, OH- Thursday September 9th, 2021- will be live and in person

AXA XL & PLAN/Oswald Sponsored Webinars

  • Managing Your Risk and the Duty to Defend– Thursday July 8th, 2021

  • Ethics– Thursday August 26th, 2021; 1:00-2:00 PM EST

  • Watch Out for That Project/Project Risk Analysis– Wednesday September 1st, 2021

  • Resilient Design and the Evolving Standard of Care– Wednesday November 3rd, 2021

Registration

For registration information on these programs, contact Brian C. Baumgardner, CIC, CRIS, ARM, Associate Client Executive, Design | Construction, Oswald.

Through our approach and our collaborative business units—property and casualty, employee benefits, personal client management, retirement plan services, and life insurance—we help individuals and businesses identify, reduce, and manage their risks.

We are grateful for the opportunity to serve this industry and look forward to a continued partnership. Thank you for your support.

Oswald is an AIA Cincinnati 2021 Title Sponsor. Learn more at oswaldcompanies.com.

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