PORTLAND, Maine, June 20, 2007—At the company's Annual Meeting last week, MEMIC and MEMIC Indemnity Company recognized 12 of its more than 20,000 policyholders for outstanding performance in their workers' compensation programs.

At the Portland Museum of Art, MEMIC President and CEO John T. Leonard paid tribute to the following employers for their efforts in workplace safety:

• Aroostook Mental Health Services – Caribou, ME
• Delta Ambulance – Waterville, ME 
• Jotul North America – Gorham, ME
• Marshall’s Arts, Inc. – Bath, ME
• Penta Corp. – Moultonborough, NH
• R & C Home Care, Inc. – Millinocket, ME 

Also honored were companies who exceptionally manage the claim process, helping to get an injured worker well and back to work again:

• Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc. – Portland, ME
• Cabot Hosiery Mills, Inc. – Northfield, VT
• Continuum, Inc. – Auburn, ME
• Dead River Company – Bangor, ME
• K & K Excavation, Inc. & Rampart Bituminous, LLC – Turner, ME
• Lynco Inc. & Lynch Logistics – Bangor, ME

"These employers are to be congratulated for their consistently high level of commitment to their employees,” said Leonard. “They are role models for the business community in workers’ compensation programs.”

Delta Ambulance
“Each and every ambulance call demands the lifting of patients, often under difficult conditions when time is of the essence,” said Randy Klatt, MEMIC Safety Management Specialist. “Despite this obvious risk, Delta has managed to reduce injuries to employees through improvements in patient handling equipment and procedures, personal protective equipment, employee training, and through the efforts of an effective safety team.” In addition to their fleet of 10 emergency vehicles that operate from bases in Waterville and Augusta, Delta also operates lift equipped vans for nonambulatory persons confined to wheelchairs.

PENTA Corp.
“PENTA Corp. has a relentless focus on workplace safety,” said MEMIC Director of Construction Safety, Rod Stanley. Results from this focus include a full-time safety manager in Charles Kane, a business owner in Sonny Keyser who’s actively involved in day to day operations, weekly safety toolbox talks, and a managing of higher risk activities through subcontractors. PENTA Corp. specializes in wastewater, sewage treatment, and water pump stations across Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. They employ 50 to 60 full-time equipment operators, mechanics, and laborers.

Aroostook Mental Health Services
“Although AMHS operates under what could be considered as one of the most challenging work environments, working with mentally challenged adults and children, they operate 15 locations, employing over 200 employees, with a very successful safety process,” said MEMIC Safety Consultant Dan Clark Clark said AMHS has created a culture where safety is incorporated throughout the organization at every level. “They routinely communicate safety with all employees, both in the workplace and for everyday activities away from work.”

Jotul North America
John Dodge, MEMIC Director of Loss Control, said, “Over the past three years, Jotul has evolved its safety program remarkably through strong management commitment, employee input, and the hard work of its safety and HR coordinators. Along with having direct management involvement, team leaders are designated in each department to oversee safety inspections and serve as a liaison to the safety coordinator.” Dodge said safety is discussed regularly at morning meetings and that Jotul Safety Coordinator, Andre Souliere, has developed communications tools which highlight wellness and safety information for both the workplace and home.

R & C Home Care, Inc.
“R&C Home Care has done an excellent job of managing this [challenging business] by hiring the right people, performing home assessments, providing numerous trainings to employees and maintaining an open door policy to discuss any and all concerns,” said Donna Clendenning, MEMIC Healthcare Safety Management Specialist. Owner Rick McLaughlin has worked steadily to attempt to control an environment where unexpected difficulties can arise each day as workers enter clients private homes. “Rick has maintained the safety record, philosophy, excellent employee pool, culture and services all while growing his business,” stated Clendenning.

Marshall’s Arts, Inc.
“Marshall’s Arts is a great example of the CCP program, which is designed to help small contractors do business better,” said Peter Chart, MEMIC Safety Management Specialist. “They have dedicated time and resources – two things that are sometimes hard to carve out in a small, family owned business - to the safety of their team. They have purchased safety equipment to prevent injuries and have made sure to meet all the OSHA standards that apply to their line of work.” “It’s our family up there [on the roof], so we’re interested in keeping them as safe as possible,” said Jason Marshall, one of three brothers who works for the company.

Continuum, Inc.
“Continuum is a perfect example of an employer who is committed to developing a workers’ compensation culture within their organization that promotes compassion, fairness, and prevention,” said MEMIC Claim Handler Eric Kane. “They consistently demonstrate their desire to be actively involved in the claims process. They report their injuries in a timely manner, express any concerns that they may have openly, but remain objective and open to input from all parties involved, whether it be the adjuster, disability management consultant, treating physician, or the injured worker.”

Lynco Inc. & Lynch Logistics
"Lynco deserves this award because of their dedication to restructure their safety program as well as to fully examine injuries when they occur,” said Jared Payton, Unit Manager in the MEMIC Claim Department. “They manage their claims efficiently, using a fantastic return-to-work program that allows injured workers to perform office work within the safety department or serve as trainers for newer employees until they can return to their normal duties."

Dead River Company
MEMIC Claim Handler Gary Lavoie said the company practices “a consistent philosophy of safety, claims management, and in general doing what is right for injured workers.” Paul Hoyt, Dead River’s Manager of Human Resources, has put forth the effort to make sure all claims are investigated thoroughly and that light duty is offered to injured workers the moment a release to return to work is given. Leslie Anderson, the company’s Director of Risk Management and Environmental Compliance, is another key person to Dead River’s success. Among many other safety measures implemented, Anderson has been a part of a program to improve the safety training process/materials and developed safety training pamphlets.

Blethen Maine Newspapers, Inc.
The company was nominated by MEMIC Claims Handler Brian Gilles for their success at working with injured employees for their return to work. “Blethen deserved to win the claims management award due to their excellent return to work program and the emphasis they place on early prevention of work injuries,” said Gilles. “They have taken the necessary steps to help prevent work injuries and have also been pro-active accommodating light duty work for their employees.”

K & K Excavation & Rampart Bituminous
“This customer is a prime example of a well-oiled machine,” said MEMIC Claims Handler Fleda Pelletier. “All the parts are working in motion to anticipate, prevent, and manage work related injuries.” While, the company has few lost-time injuries, K & K Excavation, Inc. Safety Director Ron Harris stresses the importance of returning to work program on a light-duty basis, where they are able to stay connected to the company during the healing process. “For the most part, I can find [light-duty] work for anyone,” said Harris.

Cabot Hosiery Mills, Inc.
“Injured workers at Cabot have come to know they will receive prompt and quality medical treatment,” said Mary Chmieleski, the MEMIC Claims Handler who works with Cabot. “Claims are filed early on allowing for the medical treatment needed before something small mushrooms into a larger problem. [Cabot] has made it clear that they value their employees and want to make sure if someone is injured, the process works the way it should.”

Maine Employers' Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC), based in Portland, Maine, is Maine's largest and leading workers' compensation insurer, providing coverage to more than 20,000 Maine employers and their estimated 170,000 employees. The company is rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best. More information can be found at www.memic.com. MEMIC Indemnity Company, based in Manchester, NH, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MEMIC. It is licensed to write workers' compensation policies in more than 35 states. It is rated “A-” (Excellent) by A.M. Best.