JM Associates/Burnham + Co.

We at JM Associates/Burnham + Co., a Division of HUB International Northeast, have been creating comprehensive insurance and risk management products for the elevator industry for more than 40 years. We started providing insurance to the elevator industry in 1972 as Burnham + Co. We soon discovered a void for insurance specialization for the elevator industry. JM Associates/Burnham + Co. became part of HUB International Northeast by way of acquisition in 2007 (JM Associates) and 2010 (Burnham + Co.). The National Elevator Insurance Program was established after the companies began operating as one entity.

Our program headquarters are based out of HUB’s Fort Lee, New Jersey, office, where our staff provides insurance solutions to the elevator industry countrywide. The team has more than 40 years of hands-on experience handling a wide variety of insurance needs, such as certificates of insurance, proposals, coverage reviews, risk prevention and claims handling. Corinne McGuire, Donna Destefano, Ellen Turner, Karen Rector and Lori Mangiafreno have been with the company since the 1980s. Denise Beardsley and Tina Hassan came on board when JM Associates opened its doors in the 1990s. We regularly attend elevator-industry educational seminars so we can better understand the changing needs of the industry and how to best protect our clients through insurance. We would risk becoming obsolete if we didn’t stay current on technology, code changes and the day-to-day issues facing elevator companies today.

We’ve found that, aside from the technical aspects of insurance, this is very much a relationship business. Many of our longstanding elevator clients have been doing business with us for more than 20 years, spanning two or three generations. In today’s age of social media and digital communication, it’s never been more important to retain personal relationships, including in-person meetings or, at a minimum, phone conversations.

A key aspect of our elevator program is our specialized claims-handling and defense team. Each member of our defense team, ranging from claims managers to adjustors, attorneys, investigators and specialists, has decades of experience in defending our customers from liability claims. It’s been apparent through our experience that elevator-industry expertise is a prerequisite to effectively defending an elevator company, especially in today’s litigious environment. This is critical, because, if improperly managed, a claim could negatively impact an elevator company for many years.

Our goal is to proactively manage our elevator customers’ risk exposures and provide them with comprehensive insurance protection. We take the trust our clients, elevator contractors, inspectors, consultants, distributors, manufacturers and mechanics, put in us very seriously.