Celebrating Five Years One Policy at a Time

Today marks an important milestone in TDC Specialty Underwriters’ (TDCSU) short but exciting history. On May 12, 2016, we bound our very first account. Was the premium large? Not particularly. Is it an account we still have? It is. Do we still have a strong relationship with that broker? We do.

When TDCSU was established five years ago by The Doctors Company—to write non-physician healthcare exposures primarily on Excess & Surplus lines paper—TDCSU was very much a startup. The original group of determined employees working in an atypical office space with minimal equipment set out to make this startup work. And so far, it has.

Although The Doctors Company is a well-known medical malpractice insurer, as a subsidiary TDCSU had no name recognition in 2016. However, the nine employees who took a chance to join TDCSU at the onset shared the drive to create a unique and service-driven insurance organization, and an appreciation for the amount of work needed to be successful. One of those employees, Brian Linda, VP Long Term Care, had the unique opportunity to bind our first account. Today he shares his story.

In 2016 I was at a crossroads in my career when the opportunity to join TDCSU presented itself. I had worked with Paul (Romano, President of TDCSU) in the past at various companies, and one of those was a startup. I loved that atmosphere and the day-to-day excitement that came with working for an organization that wanted to establish its own footprint in the specialty lines insurance space where there were already several well-known companies.

There is something infectious about the nervousness and motivation that comes with a startup. Building something from the ground up is quite an adventure and an uncommon opportunity. When I had the chance to do it again in my career, and work with our small but really strong team, I knew it was the right move for me to make. It was also familiar to me as I had experienced working at a startup before and knew that we’d have to work hard to position ourselves as something special in a well-established market.

It was not just me who was taking a chance on TDCSU. The brokers who chose to work with us very early on were also taking a chance. Thankfully, we had the financial backing of The Doctors Company as well as our collective experience. We were able to leverage existing relationships to help establish trust that TDCSU was a viable market and a strong alternative for their healthcare accounts. When we bound that first account on May 12, 2016, it was pretty exciting. We had a small celebration, and then got back to work! We also sent the broker a plaque and a thank you note to mark the occasion—I do not think she was aware that hers was the first bound account until after she received that token of thanks. Once that trust was established, we began growing quickly but carefully, as sound underwriting is always a priority. And we continue to work hard to maintain that trust with our brokers.

Looking back now it’s hard to believe that five years have passed. Our staff has quickly grown—nearly 10 times what it was when I started. I am still very excited to come to work every day, as I’m surrounded by people who have a wealth of industry knowledge, who share the same values and are all working toward a common goal.

The last five years have been an exciting time of growth and opportunity at TDCSU. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to what the next five years will bring!