Associates Insurance Group

Commercial insurance, especially workers’ compensation, is often treated like a commodity. It is seen as a static, rate-driven product similar to health insurance, where basic variables seem to determine the outcome. Workers’ compensation, however, works differently. It is shaped by how a business operates, how it manages safety, classifies payroll, handles claims, selects deductibles, and navigates state-specific regulations. When these variables are understood and optimized, workers’ compensation becomes far more than a cost of doing business. It becomes a strategic financial tool.

According to Mark Sheedy, Owner and President of Associates Insurance Group, the key lies in education. This philosophy has fundamentally reshaped Associates Insurance Group’s identity from a traditional brokerage to a strategic advisory firm. Instead of simply quoting policies, the firm focuses on equipping business owners with the insight needed to make informed decisions.

“Business owners are exceptionally capable decision-makers, and when they are equipped with the right knowledge, they make excellent choices. What they often lack is not expertise, but access to information,” says Sheedy.

Each week, Associates Insurance Group conducts outreach calls not to sell, but to educate business owners on where their money is being lost and to uncover strategies they may never have been offered. The firm approaches workers’ compensation and commercial insurance as strategic levers of business design, deeply connected to operations, financial planning, and long-term growth.

The approach begins with custom policy design. Associates Insurance Group evaluates company operations, risk exposure, claims handling, and areas of financial leakage alongside business size. It reframes deductibles from perceived liabilities into strategic tools that reduce premiums and uncovers overlooked opportunities such as salary cap applications and safety grants that fund improvements at no cost. The firm’s model is rooted in analysis, education, and strategic design, ensuring every policy reflects the realities and potential of the business it protects.

But education without advocacy is only half the value. In claims scenarios, the firm engages from day one. Its in-house, nurse-led claims division coordinates directly with injured employees, adjusters, medical facilities, and employers to prevent confusion, delays, and litigation. By closing the communication gaps that often trigger anxiety, attorney involvement, and rising claim costs, Associates Insurance Group protects both the employee experience and the client’s financial outcome.

The firm’s strategic risk management approach builds on the same philosophy: the best claim is the one that never happens. Associates Insurance Group helps businesses implement safety protocols, training programs, and compliance frameworks that reduce exposure over time. During audits, it actively participates in discussions, supporting accurate payroll classification and minimizing unfair audit additions.

Sheedy often describes the firm’s role as making insurance actionable, something that supports business growth, protects people, and guides smarter financial decisions. That mindset has turned introductory conversations into lasting partnerships. Many clients, after understanding the firm’s advisory approach, ask to transition their existing policies immediately, driven by the clarity, guidance, and strategic value the relationship brings.

One real-life example captures the essence of this difference. A city, not yet a client, faced a life-threatening situation involving multiple first responders exposed to a bloodborne risk during a critical rescue incident. With no guidance from their existing broker, they reached out to Sheedy’s team after recalling the firm’s claims support approach. Within hours, his medical claims specialist devised a plan, coordinated care protocols, and escalated matters to adjusters.

That moment was proof of what happens when insurance moves beyond transactions and becomes a strategic partnership. The city was so impressed with the support it received that it ultimately chose to hire the firm.

When business owners experience that level of clarity and advocacy, they begin to view insurance differently. Informed decisions replace assumptions, risk becomes manageable, and insurance starts working for the business rather than against it. For Associates Insurance Group, enabling that shift is the truest measure of success.