ASU Announces Two New Members to Board

The ASU Group announced two new members to the Board of Directors effective December 12, 2013. David Hop, Senior Vice President of Van Wyk Risk and Financial Management in Grand Rapids and Richard Current, former Vice President and CFO of Neogen Corporation in Lansing.

“We are excited to welcome David and Richard to our Board of Directors and are confident that their impressive insurance and financial experience will be a significant contribution to our Board. We look forward to working with them both as ASU continues to grow and service its’ clients in the insurance services industry,” said Debra Claeys, CEO and President of the ASU Group.

David Hop is a company shareholder at Van Wyk providing leadership and strategic direction to the ownership team. As Senior Vice President, he also is team leader for commercial clients locally, regionally and worldwide. His career in risk management and insurance has spanned nearly two decades. Previously, he was with State Farm Insurance,1991-1994 and Marsh & McLennan 1994-2005.

Richard R. Current served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Neogen Corporation (NASDAQ: NEOG) of Lansing, Michigan, an international food and animal safety company, until his retirement in 2011. Prior to joining Neogen, he held senior management positions with two other Michigan companies and for 24 years was associated with the public accounting firm of Ernst & Young. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Spartan Motors, Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR) of Charlotte Michigan and on the boards of two privately held companies in Lansing.

The ASU Group is a customer focused provider of insurance related products and services since 1952. The employee-owned company provides independent claims adjusting, national catastrophe adjusting, case management, medical bill review and third party administration to insurance companies, self-insured property and casualty organizations throughout Michigan and several Midwest states.

ASU Board of Directors Election Results 2014

The ASU Group, an employee owned corporation that provides services to the insurance industry and self-insured organizations, held its annual meeting on December 12, 2013 at their corporate office in Okemos, Michigan. It is pleased to announce their election results.

The 2014 Board of Directors is as follows:

• Tara O’Connor LaRose – former President of ASU from 2003 to 2011 and Chairman since 2011.
• Kim Pavlik – board member since 2000. Pavlik is a founding member and partner of the firm Andrews Hooper Pavlik.(AHP -CPA’s and Advisors)
• Debra Claeys – President and CEO since 2011. Joined ASU in 1999 and has served in various management positions within the organization.
• David Hop – newly appointed to three year term; Senior Vice President at Van Wyk Risk and Financial Management in Grand Rapids, MI
• Richard Current – newly appointed to two year term; served as Vice President and CFO for Neogen Corp of Lansing, MI. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Spartan Motors, of Charlotte, MI and on the boards of two privately held companies in Lansing, MI.

The following individuals were elected as officers of the corporation for 2014:
• Debra Claeys, President
• Sarah Hartman, Treasurer/Secretary
• Tara O’Connor LaRose, Chairman
• Kim Pavlik, Vice Chairman

The Board appointed the following to the ESOP Fiduciary Committee:
• Debra Claeys – Chair
• Audrey Pike
• Chad Johnson

The Board elected the following as ESOP Trustees: Sarah Hartman and Michael C. Brown

The following individuals were appointed to the ESOP Advisory Committee: Theresa Cooper- Chair, Julie Somes and and Kristine Spangler.

Claims & Catastrophe Management Tool

The ASU Group announces its’ latest technology tool for claims and catastrophe management. This application gives insurers, adjusters and quality control a more effective means of managing their claims by giving them the real time data they need. Clients are able to see the status and stage of each claim, retrieve reports or documents related to the claim, and communicate with ASU and its adjusters. It also allows them to compile custom reports in a format they can easily download.

This application allows ASU Adjusters to manage claims more effectively and timely by sending a text message alerting them when a new claim is received or if a claim needs to be revisited.

Numerous other functions have been incorporated into the system which makes processing claims quick, accurate, and convenient. Ongoing refinement and improvements continue.

“By continuing to listen to what our clients want and need, and building on our experience, we’ve been able to provide an innovative and useful tool for our clients.” said Debra Claeys, ASU President and CEO.

“Thanks for the great job that you did handling our Sandy claims. Your claims system is awesome and I was able to download reports with all of the data I needed instantly, ” said James Tippett, VP Property Claims of Tower Group Companies of New York.

The ASU Group, established in 1952 and employee-owned since 1982, provides independent claims and Catastrophe adjusting, case management, medical bill review and third party administration to insurance companies and self-insured property and casualty organizations.