Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation Announces "2002 County Mutual Performance Award" Winners

The Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation (County Mutual) announced today the "2002 County Mutual Performance Award" winners for those counties with a sharp eye on safety and a dedication to risk prevention.

• This year's winners include:
• Overall Best Loss Ratio: Iowa County
• Overall Best Loss Prevention: Pierce County
• County Sheriff's Department Best Loss Ratios: Bayfield, Buffalo, Forest, Green, Iowa, Iron, Jackson, Lafayette, Marquette, Pepin, Price, Richland, Vernon and Washburn Counties.
• County Highway Department Best Loss Ratio: Green Lake County
• County Highway Department Honorable Mentions: Ashland, Douglas, Iowa, Oconto and Richland Counties.

"This year's award winners embody the partnership between member counties and the County Mutual," said Jon H. Hochkammer, Director of Insurance Operations for the Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA), the corporate manager of the County Mutual. "These counties have worked hand-in-hand with us to make risk prevention a number-one priority and we are proud to recognize these efforts."

In addition to providing comprehensive liability insurance, the County Mutual offers a wide array of services to member counties and municipalities. Some of these services include loss control incentive programs, video loss prevention services, safety newsletters and educational seminars on topics such as excavation and trenching safety.

"What makes the County Mutual unique among other insurance companies is our unwavering dedication to loss control and risk management," said John Dirkse, Executive Vice President of Aegis Corporation, which administers the County Mutual. "Putting 'safety first' has enabled member counties to keep its employees and the citizens safe, while ultimately saving taxpayer dollars. These award winners are to be commended for all their efforts."

The Wisconsin Counties Association, along with county officials from around the state, created the Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Corporation in 1987 to provide quality liability insurance substantially at cost to its members. Three-quarters of the 72 counties in the state are covered by the County Mutual. 

The County Mutual is a unique non-profit insurance company because it is member owned and is able to pay dividends to counties in low loss years. Of the 54 member counties, all 54 will receive dividend checks in 2003, totaling $1.5 million.