Colorado Casualty Opens Arizona Office

Colorado Casualty, a Liberty Mutual Agency Markets regional company, announced the opening of its newest regional office in Phoenix, Arizona, an expansion that will improve agent and policyholder services in the southwestern portion of its six state territory.

Colorado Casualty has a four-year lease on approximately 6,000 square feet at 2510 West Dunlap Avenue in Phoenix, which will accommodate approximately 30 employees. The company is in the process of hiring additional personnel and will base its commercial lines underwriting operations for Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico at this new location.

The company wrote $96 million in commercial lines premium and approximately $60 million in personal lines premium in these three states in 2007. In addition to the new Phoenix office, the company is adding territory managers to provide a greater local presence to its agent force in these states.

“As we grow in the southwest, we need to ensure that we preserve our formula for success,” said Ronald Casner, regional vice president, Colorado Casualty. “Establishing Phoenix as a home base with a deep bench and more field representation means we can build on our strong agent relationships, provide local presence and decision-making, and gain greater familiarity and brand loyalty in these markets.”

Colorado Casualty also announced territory managers for the following states:

• Arizona – Ron Roman and Matt Zollner;
• Nevada – Peter Connolly; and
• New Mexico – Jennifer Beck-Herrera.

Colorado Casualty will also add approximately 20 new employees to the company’s southwestern team, including commercial lines underwriters, field investigators, and customer service representatives.

Gotbaum Family Files Claim Against City of Phoenix

The family of Carol Anne Gotbaum, the New York woman who died in police custody at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in September, has filed a claim against the City of Phoenix, the first move in filing a wrongful-death lawsuit. The claim was immediately rejected by the city in a letter to lawyers for the family of Gotbaum, who died Sept. 28 in a police holding cell at the airport after being arrested for disorderly conduct. Gotbaum, the daughter-in-law of New York's public advocate, was on her way from New York to enter an alcohol treatment center in Tucson. The claim seeks $8 million for her husband, three children and her estate. Phoenix authorities have contended all along that they did not do anything wrong during Gotbaum's detention.