By Rebeca Trujillo, Editor/Vice President

Companies big and small need business insurance. More than an inane marketing phrase, this statement carries great weight because it reflects a harsh reality: Being in business exposes a commerical entity to a wide variety of risks. Comprehensive insurance coverage helps cover the costs assoc-iated with confronting those risks and the expensive damages and liabilities they may cause.

Depending on the nature and magnitude of the incident, the crisis could deal a financially devastating blow to the company, its management or ownership, employees, and even its clients. “This is something that company executives must take seriously,” says Joseph Garden, founding principal and partner at Gil Garden Avetrani Insurance Group (GGAIG). “Underestimating the risks and
the costs of recovering from a crisis is one of the major difficulties we deal with every day. People believe that having minimal coverage is enough because of the ‘“it-won’t-happen-to-me’ syndrome when in reality being underinsured can be as bad as conducting business without any insurance at all.”

And comprehensive insurance coverage, customized to meet the requirements of a specific industry, business activity and corporate environment, is precisely GGAIG’s forte. “Our agency provides a substantial array of general insurance products, from commercial and business
policies, personal and professional liability, property and vehicle insurance to workers compensation,” explains Joe Avetrani, also a principal and partner at GGAIG. “Yet we go a step further and counsel companies within South Florida’s most important trades, like Construction, Marine and Maritime,
International Trade and Tourism, Hospitality, Shipping and Transportation, Aircraft and Aviation, and others regarding industry-specific insurance products.”

“Our team members understand these trades thoroughly,” continues Mr. Garden. “They are dedicated, consummate professionals who work closely with clients to first appraise their distinctive risks and needs, and then apply this knowledge and experience to develop a policy or policies with the right level of protection.”

INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND CONSTRUCTION
For decades, South Florida —with Miami at its core— has positioned itself as one of the nation’s top four international trade centers, with an obvious hemispheric emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean. With world-class facilities like Miami International Airport and PortMiami, a diverse workforce, a well-established and ever-growing entrepreneurial class, a steady business environment, and a multimodal transportation network that is always expanding and improving, the area has continued to flourish despite the COVID-19 restrictions and their effect on the local, state, and national
economies.

Joseph Garden adds that GGAIG manages the insurance needs for a myriad international accounts — many in shipping, import-export, and other related commercial endeavors— including clients throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America via corresponding relationships with local brokers.

“This sector has been one of our agency’s strongest markets,” explains Joe Avetrani. “It presents unique challenges and requirements that our speci-alized team members are closely acquainted with and can therefore guide clients into selecting the level of coverage and protection their business activities require.”

“The South Florida construction industry, which has survived several economic downturns,” Joseph Garden affirms, “is another sector that never ceases to amaze for its resilience, its ability to bounce back with a vengeance after being struck down. After an exceedingly difficult 2020, this year residential construction starts, for example, have surged 36 percent in April, for example, in its year-over-year performance due to the increasing demand for housing in the area.”

Once again, GGAIG principals Avetrani and Garden and their team members are vastly experienced in this market, leading the agency to excel in its service to local builders and developers, contractors, and suppliers, each of whom have very distinct insurance needs.