Messages from Brenda Rocklin
Small and medium-sized businesses thrive in Oregon, creating a majority of the new jobs.
Spring 2008
Lessons from the road
As some of you know, each year I get to spend several weeks traveling around Oregon, visiting SAIF's nine regional offices and meeting with policyholders.
One of the most rewarding aspects of that tour is seeing how SAIF helps employers and injured workers out in the "real world." But even more rewarding is learning how employers help their employees and their communities.
A few years ago, Tomco Electric in Bend committed to making job safety a top priority. The company worked closely with Associated General Contractors (AGC) to develop a risk management program that was specific to its needs. Tomco's success in protecting its employees has helped it to reduce its insurance costs. 
In December, I was pleased to be able to present Tomco with an award for their outstanding contribution to worker safety.
Frequent and severe injuries at McFarland Door, a custom door manufacturer in Lakeview, once jeopardized its ability to expand. Injuries dropped significantly after working with SAIF on hiring, screening, safety training, policy development, and establishing a safety culture. I visited McFarland's brand new facility in September to see first hand how safety is incorporated throughout its design and engineering process. That's good news for the people filling all of the new jobs the expansion created.
These kinds of stories resonate with all of us at SAIF because helping Oregonians has been part of our mission for over 90 years. But it's more than that: If we succeed in helping to make workplaces safer, our customers will succeed, too.
You will read a lot more about Oregonians helping each other in the following pages. If you have a success story that you would like to share with us, please let me know.
Brenda JP Rocklin
President and CEO
Fall 2007
Small business means big business to Oregon's economy
As Oregonians, we like to think we're different. We live in one of the most unique places in the world—and we're proud of it.
Our economy is different, too. There is only one Fortune 500 company headquartered in Oregon. Instead, small and medium-sized businesses thrive in our economic climate—from 1989-2004, businesses with 100 employees or fewer accounted for 55 percent of new jobs, as opposed to 45 percent nationwide.
These companies reflect the great diversity of our economy and represent every con¬ceivable industry in every part of the state. Small businesses are very important to SAIF Corporation as well, and are becoming a larger part of our customer base every year.
We established our Service Center more than 10 years ago specifically to serve small businesses with their unique needs.
The Service Center has allowed us to be more responsive to the needs of our small business customers, and we're honored that so many small businesses—more than 40,000—have chosen to trust SAIF Corporation for their workers' compensation insurance needs.
I invite you to read more about the Service Center's operations on page 13 and to join us in celebrating the Service Center's 10 years of service to Oregon's smallest businesses.
Brenda JP Rocklin
President and CEO
June 2007
Why my job rocksGood executives know that a company's most valuable resource is its employees. They also know that the key to fostering innovation and productivity is creating an environment where employees feel respected and fulfilled.
In turn, talented people want to work for companies that create that kind of environment. Those are the companies that usually end up on the Oregon Business "100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon" list.
This year's list is out, and I am especially proud to see so many SAIF policyholders on it. A total of 42 businesses—14 of the best large companies and 28 of the best small companies—are SAIF customers, and they represent diverse industries and areas of the state.
The employers on the list have demonstrated that they can create a desirable work environment and provide excellent benefits while being fiscally prudent. These employers demonstrate wise decision-making by executives and quality work by human resources departments.
I am also pleased to report that SAIF Corporation once again ranked among the top 100 companies to work for. We are thrilled to be chosen—the competition was very tough, and this year SAIF was up against corporate giants like Microsoft, Nike, T-Mobile, and Wells Fargo.
But for me the biggest thrill is seeing so many of our customers on the list with us. Congratulations to all 100 companies on the list, and to every company in Oregon that treats its employees right. You make Oregon a place where we all want to work and live.
Brenda JP Rocklin
President and CEO
March 2007
On the road with Brenda RocklinThere's no substitute for hitting the road to understand the issues faced by our customers. Last summer and fall, I spent several weeks on the road visiting SAIF's nine regional offices and a total of 79 customers and agents. It was an opportunity to travel throughout the state and to learn what SAIF is doing well, and what our customers would like to see us do better.
Those discussions were invaluable, and we've already begun putting some suggestions into place. Here are just a few of the key lessons I learned along the way:
- Employers care about safety and getting injured workers back to work. SAIF's vision is to make Oregon the safest place to work in the nation, and it was very reassuring to meet so many customers who share that vision.
- Our policyholders represent an astonishing spectrum of Oregon businesses. From Gold Beach to Halfway, from Hood River to Klamath Falls, from police officers to potato chips, from "mom and pop" to multinational, my site visits introduced me to the diversity of SAIF's customers.
- Price matters. Customer service matters more. This is true in every region of the state, and for every type of business. It's also a vital part of our company mission.
- Real people depend on us every day. Workers depend on SAIF to help make workplaces safe and to help them recover and return to work if they are injured on the job, and employers depend on SAIF to make workers' comp insurance affordable and available.
Brenda JP Rocklin
President and CEO