Jim Walton (Director of New Sales at Regence BlueCross BlueShield) gave an insightful presentation on Healthcare Reform.  Click on the following link to view his presentation:

Healthcare Reform Presentation

Dan Ordyna (CEO of Willamette Valley Medical Center) also gave a presentation on the costs of healthcare going forward.  Click on the following link to view his presentation:

Healthcare Costs Presentation

The three John brothers have reunited at Hagan Hamilton Insurance Services in McMinnville.

Jim John, a 1981 McMinnville High School graduate and youngest of the siblings, recently moved back to McMinnville after 27 years of working outside the area. He is serving as chief operating officer.

He joins Rick, the oldest brother, who serves as company chief executive officer, and Tony, the middle brother, who works out of the Sheridan office.

Jim served a stint in the U.S. Air Force, then attended Walla Walla University in Walla Walla, Wash., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business management. Afterward, he spent 20 years managing operations for national companies.

“Professionally, I’m looking forward to his expertise and insight that he brings from managing national companies,” Rick said. “Personally, it’s great to have him and his family back in town.”

“Jim knows what we need to keep the bar set high and he’s going to be applying his considerable skills in operations to ensure our customer service continues to come first, even as we grow.”

Hagan Hamilton recently completed a restructuring of its executive team. Joining the brothers are Gary Eastlund, chief sales officer, and Craig McClain, executive vice president.

“Our newly formed executive team combines more than 100 years of successful industry expertise and creative drive to exceed our clients’ service expectations for years to come,” Rick said.

Although the economy appears to be in a downturn, Hagan Hamilton has continued to expand. In the last 10 years, it has grown from 33 to 45 employees and added offices in Sheridan and Newberg.

Its most recent acquisition came May 1, when it purchased the Newberg agency Insurance Exchange. “We built our business on outstanding customer service and we are not willing to sacrifice quality for growth,” Rick said.

Rick started with the company in 1981 and purchased it in 1991. He has served as CEO since 2000.

A key to growth, he said, is employee training.

“We are locally owned and represent a variety of insurance companies, so we can customize insurance plans to fit the individual needs of our clients. And it’s our employees who make that happen,” he said.

Hagan Hamilton employees are some of the best trained in the industry, according to the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.

“We encourage professional growth, and we have a well-educated and well-trained team because we do,” Rick said. “They are the experts in their field, and that’s important to our clients.”

Hagan Hamilton was recently named one of the 100 best companies to work for in Oregon by Oregon Business Magazine. The results, based on confidential employee surveys, rank businesses based on salary and benefits, retention and accountability, rewards and incentives, career development and training, diversity, community service, policies and procedures, organizational pride, teamwork, and other qualities.

Hagan Hamilton was the only locally based company to make this year’s list. It also was honored in 2005.

“When you acquire six agencies in 10 years, it’s important to continually assess your internal systems and processes, and that’s what I do,” Jim said. “Rick has done a tremendous job with Hagan Hamilton and I’m honored to be able to work together with him to continue offering the highest level of service.”

Jim’s wife, Darla, is a school teacher. They have a 10-year-old son and 18-year-old twin daughters.

“On a personal note, it’s great to come home to McMinnville,” he said. “I’ve always felt at home here.”

“My grandparents were here in the 1930s and, as kids, we would often visit for the holidays. It’s really a dream come true.”

McMinnville’s Companies Makes the 100 Best Companies to Work For List (2008)

Portland, OR-Oregon Business magazine released the 2008 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon list at a special event on February 26^th at the Oregon Convention Center. Close to a thousand business leaders from around the state attended the event, which featured a keynote address by Ray Davis, President and CEO of Umpqua Bank – a 12-time 100 Best Company winner.

The 100 Best Companies list recognizes 50 large companies, defined as those with more than 250 employees and 50 small companies, defined as those with less than 250 employees, for excellence the following areas: benefits and compensation, work environment; decision-making and trust; performance management; and career development and learning. The top five companies in each category received recognition from their peers at the event on February 26^th. The complete 100 Best Companies list is published in the March 2008 issue of Oregon Business magazine.

The top large company on this year’s list for the third year in a row, is U.S. Cellular, of Medford, Ore. The other large companies recognized at the event are, in order of rank, Edge Wireless LLC, GVA Kidder Mathews, Grant Thornton LLP, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The leading small company in 2008 is Staff Finders Technical of Oregon of Beaverton, Ore., followed in order of rank, by United Risk Solutions, EdgeLink LLC, Rose City Mortgage Specialists and Grady Britton.

McMinnville’s Hagan Hamilton Insurance Services ranked 36^th in this year’s 100 Best Companies list.

A record number of companies and employees participated in the 2008 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon survey, with over 25,000 employees at 312 companies filling out confidential surveys this year to help determine the final rankings.

“Getting on the 100 Best List is not easy, those that do make this list are great examples of workplaces that truly stand out.” says Oregon Business Editor Robin Doussard.

The Oregon Business 100 Best Companies to Work For survey

Oregon Business has conducted the annual study of best practices for the last 15 years. The survey has two parts — a satisfaction survey completed by employees and a benefits survey submitted by company management. Rankings are derived from scores of both parts of the survey, with the employee survey counting for ⁵/₆ of the total score, and the benefit survey counting for the remaining ¹/₆ of the total score.

About Oregon Business Magazine

Oregon Business is the only magazine covering businesses and the people who run them throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. Founded in 1981, Oregon Business focuses on the key issues facing companies of all sizes and sectors throughout the region.

About the Sponsors of the 100 Best Companies Event

SAIF Corporation is Oregon’s state-chartered, not-for-profit workers’ compensation insurance company. SAIF makes workers’ compensation insurance and services available to the employers of Oregon and helps strengthen the economy by keeping costs affordable and workplaces safe.

Kaiser Permanente is the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system comprised of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and Permanente Medical Groups. Kaiser has approximately 8.2 million members and over 150,000 employees and physicians. Kaiser’s mission is to provide affordable, high-quality health care services and improve the health of their members and the communities they serve.

OregonLive.com is the No. 1 local website in Oregon for news and information with an audience of more than 979,000 unique visitors per month. Their large, diverse audience and Best Local Jobs section make OregonLive.com a top recruiting resource.

HR Answers, Inc. is a free-standing HR Department for hire. Partnering with organizations of all types and sizes to address critical people issues ranging from what to pay employees to compliance with a myriad of regulations/laws to teaching supervisors all the things that they need to know to minimize employment risk. The hallmarks of HR Answers are practical ideas, skilled knowledgeable advisors, and the ability to assist with implementation so that positive business results are achieved.

The WorkSource Oregon Employment Department serves businesses by recruiting and referring the best qualified applicants to jobs, and providing resources to job seekers in support of their employment needs. The department also supports economic stability for Oregonians and communities during times of unemployment through the payment of unemployment benefits.

Hagan Hamilton makes ‘best’ employers list (2005)

Reprinted with permission from an article published
in the March 5, 2005 edition of the News-Register

Hagan Hamilton Insurance has been named to the Oregon Business annual list of the state’s 100 best employers.

The magazine annually cites 50 companies with more than 250 employees and 50 with fewer than 250 employees. It attempts to measure for excellence in five categories: attraction, retention and rewards; work environment; decision-making and trust; performance management; and career development and learning.

The magazine ranked Hagan Hamilton No. 48 among small businesses. The complete list appears in the magazine’s March issue.

“With an even broader cross-section of companies participating, this year’s 100 best companies survey has given us new insights into how Oregon companies are working to foster workplace excellence,” said Editor Mitchell Hartman.

Founded in 1981, the magazine is published monthly by Mediamerica Inc., a Portland-based company that also publishes the Portland and the Pacific Northwest and the Oregon Home titles.

Hagan Hamilton Insurance Services was recognized by Liberty Northwest Insurance Company of Portland for achieving top sales. This places them among the top five percent of agencies in Oregon, according to Sharon Cook, senior marketing representative for Liberty Northwest.

In recognizing Hagan Hamilton as a “notable performer,” Cook said the announcement last month coincided with a milestone – the 50th anniversary of when Hagan Hamilton and Liberty Northwest began their business relationship.

“Although our companies have changed names, we’ve been working with Hagan Hamilton since 1954,” said Cook. “The employees of Hagan Hamilton were instrumental in achieving such a high level of performance,” she added.

“Both companies are committed to providing outstanding service to Oregon residents, and that is what makes this long-term relationship such a success,” said Rick John, president of Hagan Hamilton.

Hagan Hamilton is an independent, full-service insurance agency that offers a wide selection of insurance products from a variety of companies to meet diverse needs. Locally owned, Hagan Hamilton has offices in McMinnville, Newberg and Sheridan. For your personal insurance review on your life, auto, home, health, business or long-term care insurance, contact an agent.