PORTLAND, Maine, June 13, 2008—At the company's Annual Meeting last week, MEMIC recognized 12 of its nearly 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:

• KBS Building Systems of South Paris, ME
• Hazelett Strip-Casting Corporation of Colchester, VT
• Tex-Tech Industries of North Monmouth, ME • Community Concepts of South Paris, ME
• Maine School Administrative District #48 of Newport, ME
• Safe Handling, Inc. of Auburn, ME 

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

• Amoskeag Beverages, Inc. of Manchester, NH
• Mount St. Joseph Corporation of Waterville, ME
• John F. Murphy Homes of Auburn, ME
• Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation of Houlton, ME
• Scott Dugas Trucking & Excavation, Inc. of Yarmouth, ME
• Creed Monarch of New Britain, CT 

"These employers are to be congratulated for their consistently high level of commitment to their employees,” said Leonard. “They are role models for their peers.”

About the Winners

Amoskeag Beverages, Inc.
“Amoskeag Beverages has shown that an open, communicative relationship with a preferred provider contains cost and expedites the return-to-work process,” said Karen Porter, MEMIC Claims Handler. “They work as a team with the injured worker, provider, claim handler, nurse and medical provider to provide expedited medical treatment.”

Mount St. Joseph Corporation
“Mount St. Joseph Corporation excels in getting employees back to work as quickly and safely as possible,” said MEMIC Claims Handler, Dawn Freeland. Dedicated staff make sure they are proactive about keeping MEMIC informed throughout the claim process, which helps to ensure successful claim resolution for both Mount Saint Joseph and its employees.” Mount St. Joseph Corporation is an assisted living facility for elderly residents in Waterville, Maine. They employ staff ranging from direct care workers and CNAs to facility workers in the kitchen, laundry, and maintenance departments.

John F. Murphy Homes
“As soon as an injured worker obtains a light duty work release from the doctor, John F. Murphy Homes will find a job position with the recommended limitations,” said MEMIC Underwriter Steve Prue. John F. Murphy Homes employs approximately 600 people who work in various physical locations such as residential homes.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation
Smith and Wesson manufactures products used for personal safety and law enforcement such as handguns and handcuffs. “They are proactive in workplace injury claims by utilizing the preferred provider programs, staying in communications with the adjuster, injured worker and medical provider,” said Susan Rice, MEMIC Claim Handler. Scott

Dugas Trucking & Excavation, Inc.
“They have not had any lost time claims thanks to consistent safety practices, injury awareness and a light duty return-to-work program,” said MEMIC Claims Handler, Fleda Pelletier. The family owned and operated company located in Yarmouth, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

Creed Monarch Established in 1953, Creed Monarch is a manufacturing company located in New Britain, CT. They specialize in building precision machined ferrous and non-ferrous alloy components. “Creed Monarch has a very positive attitude when addressing a light duty situation,” said MEMIC Claims Handler, Jane St. Jacques. “They know the importance of timely reporting and make it a point to see that injured workers are provided with prompt, appropriate medical attention.”

KBS Building Systems
KBS Building Systems is a modular home manufacturer based in South Paris with a new facility in Waterford, ME. The company produces both custom residential and commercial buildings throughout New England and as far south as North Carolina. “Near the end of 2004,” said MEMIC Safety Consultant Peter Koch, “KBS made a commitment to change the way they did business and make their workplace safe. Since then, KBS has seen their productivity increase by over 100 percent. In that same time, they have significantly reduced the number of lost-time injuries.”

Hazelett Strip-Casting Corporation
Hazelett Strip-Casting Corporation is located in an industrial developed area of Colchester, VT where they employ 150 people to produce strip casting machinery used in the production of sheet metal. Once the large casting machines are fabricated on-site, they are disassembled and crated for shipment to steel mills throughout the world. Safety initiatives that led to earning this award include the development of a safety policy statement, written medical management and return to work policies; back injury prevention training for the entire manufacturing workforce; industrial hygiene studies to monitor potential worker exposure; and regular internal site hazard evaluations.

Tex-Tech Industries
Tex-Tech Industries of North Monmouth, ME is known for its specialty needle and woven felt manufacturing. “Tex-Tech has implemented inspections, newsletters, safety incentive systems with daily objectives and many opportunities for employees to communicate safety suggestions and concerns,” said MEMIC Safety Consultant Hartley Webb. “As safety responsibility and accountability began to improve, fewer people got hurt.”

Community Concepts
Community Concepts offers a variety of social services that promote self-sufficiency among people in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties in Maine. These services include child and adult day care, transportation services, energy assistance programs, and family support services. “After a series of serious injuries in 2005, Community Concepts realized that significant changes were necessary,” said MEMIC Director of Safety Services, John Dodge. “Using tried and true goal setting and leadership principles, this team received support from their board to implement several safety initiatives. These efforts have steadily improved their culture to accept safety as part of doing business. And the results are significant. In their first full year of the program, injury frequency is down by more than a third.”

Maine School Administrative District #48
“I know of no other school district that puts as much effort in safety as MSAD #48,” said MEMIC Safety Consultant Tom Slattery. “In addition to in-house training, they have partnered with MEMIC to provide their maintenance and custodial employees with a 10-hour general industry outreach program. All safety efforts at MSAD #48 have resulted in keeping the employees safe and healthy while at work and also helps control workers’ comp insurance costs for the district.” This organization is unique among school administrative districts because it has two safety coordinators on staff who conduct safety training and do frequent inspections of all MSAD #48 facilities.

Safe Handling, Inc.
“Safe Handling has developed an outstanding safety program and have performed brilliantly in the last three years,” said MEMIC Safety Consultant Randy Klatt. “They have used MEMIC Safety Consultants to provide training for drivers on a regular basis.” Safe Handling has recently completed the Responsible Care Program through the American Chemical Council, which involves extensive safety, health, and environmental programs as well as audits and compliance requirements. In conjunction with this, the company has identified all potential hazards, the likelihood of occurrence, the possible severity of such an occurrence, the corrective action required, and a plan to implement those corrective actions.

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About MEMIC

Maine Employers' Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC), based in Portland, Maine, is Maine's largest and leading workers' compensation insurer, providing coverage nearly 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 42 states. It is rated “A-” (Excellent) by A.M. Best.