Views (September 01, 2007)

The Hounourable Order of the Blue Goose, Ontario Pond recently held their annual Blue Goose Volleyball Classic with proceeds going to the 2008 Grand Nest Convention Fund. According to Blue Goose Ontario’s social director Dora Coemtzis, “Overlooking the Toronto harbour and skyline, more than eleven teams competed in the beach volleyball tournament held at The Docks Niteclub and Event Centre”. Assessment Rehabilitation Services finished first with MasterClean coming-in a close second place.

The Canadian PGA and Simmlands Insurance Brokers held a Pro-Am in aid of WICC (Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade) on July 30th, one day prior to the start of the Canadian PGA Women’s Championship. The Pro-Am took place at the prestigious Ladies’ Golf Club of Toronto located in Thornhill, ON. The Canadian PGA Women’s Championship, celebrating its 20th Anniversary, spotlighted the top Canadian club and touring professionals as well as providing a stage for top Canadian amateurs to compete amongst the pros. “We can all win! Events such as this prove that you can compete, have some fun and at the same time support worthwhile causes such as WICC!” said Ashley Chinner, Sales & Marketing for Simmlands Insurance & Pro-Am Chair. “The Canadian PGA is thrilled to welcome the Simmlands Insurance Pro-Am in support of WICC to the Canadian PGA Women’s Championship,” stated Warren Crosbie, President of the Canadian PGA. “This is a great celebration of Canadian PGA Women’s golf and to be able to help raise funds for a great cause is something we are proud to be a part of.” John Simmonds, president of Simmlands Insurance, told the crowd that, “We have looked for a suitable tournament or pro-am opportunity to add to our existing sponsorship activities in supporting the CPGA and worthwhile charitable causes, this event proved to be the perfect match.” The Pro-Am event was a great success, with Ladies’ Golf Club’s own head professional Mary-Jane Hall crowning the day with a hole-in-one on the 18th. In honor of Hall’s hole-in-one, Simmonds announced that Simmlands would contribute an additional $500 to the WICC cause.

www.canadianunderwriter.ca* September 2007

Over 350 people congregated in Niagara Falls, Ontario for the 10th annual CARSTAR Industry Conference, August 15-17. CARSTAR franchisees and their families, corporate employees, and insurance and vendor partners participated in the conference, themed “Strength and Endurance” to represent CARSTAR’s journey over the last thirteen years. A popular feature of the conference is the annual ‘OSCAR Awards Ceremony’. The ceremony acknowledges the franchise owners who demonstrate distinguished service and outstanding leadership. The President’s Club award recipients were Weese CARSTAR Collision in Trenton, Ontario; Glacier CARSTAR Collision in Edmonton; Lawrence CARSTAR Collision in London; and Summit CARSTAR Collision in Scarborough and North York. The CARSTAR Pride award was presented to Bob Edwards, from CARSTAR in Thunder Bay. Conference delegates participated in sessions on marketing, succession planning, the global marketplace, industry and insurance trends, and lean business principles. Special guests included: Bill Johnson, former chairman and CEO of McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada; David Lingham, IBIS (International Bodyshop Industry Symposium) moderator since 2003; George Cooke, president & CEO of The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company; Glenn Gibson, CEO, The Americas, Crawford and Company; Mauro Convertini, VP of procurement for Aviva Canada; Troy Treleaven of Dale Carnegie; Richard Kunst of Art of Solutions and Jay Perry of Automotive Business Consultants Inc.. Participants of the Insurance Panel session included Vic Pasnyk, Allstate; Paul Hicks, Aviva Canada; Brian Duffy, TD Meloche Monnex Inc.; Ken Boulton, The Dominion; and Keith Hudd, The Economical.