Bob Callard has over 33 years of experience in the property and casualty insurance industry; 32 of those 33 years were with one Fortune 500 international insurer. He has held several senior management positions, both in the U.S. and overseas, including profit center manager, home office international reverse flow manager and zone international manager. His specialty has been international property and casualty insurance for over twenty years.

And, Bob says that when he bought his 1957 Ford Thunderbird, in 2006, Grundy Worldwide was the only insurance agency he considered turning to for an Agreed Value policy for his new toy.

During his 32 years of working for that Fortune 500 international insurer, Bob happened to work very closely with The James A. Grundy Agency; he says that he started working with both Jim Grundy Sr. and Jr., in 1973. The Grundy’s placed business with the insurance company for which Bob worked.  Most of the collector vehicle insurance policies were underwritten through that company, until 2006, when the collector vehicle program moved to Philadelphia Indemnity.

“But that doesn’t matter,” says Bob, about the switch from his company to Philadelphia Indemnity.  “I know Jim Grundy, Jr., personally.  And, I knew his dad.  And, I worked well with both.  Let me say, Jim Grundy is on your side if there is a problem.”

Bob says that there was not a chance he would insure his collector car with any other agency; he was only going to turn to a company he trusted, when it came to protecting a vehicle he had been waiting his whole life to get.

“I always drooled over them,” says Bob, in regard to ’57 T-birds. 

As the son of a Pontiac salesman who had attended the GM institute, Bob was exposed to cars at a very young age.  He says that while he appreciated a variety of vehicles, Bob especially loved driving his mom’s ’57 Nomad around, as a high-school student; he adds that he considered the Nomad to be better than a convertible, at the time.

As Bob got older and gained more responsibilities, buying a cool car was not feasible; but eventually, after some hard work, he was able to indulge himself in the luxury of having his own collector car. He says that he always knew his first collector vehicle would be a 1957 Thunderbird; he adds that he had to search for a while before he located the car of his dreams.  The T-bird was found in California; it was originally sold, in 1957, at a dealership in Dennison, Texas; Bob lives in Washington State. And, his insurance agency is based out of a Philadelphia suburb— And, that’s okay with Bob.

“My coverage is with Grundy Worldwide, no limit on driving miles,” he says. “That’s good for the Northwest, as we drive a lot of miles. Pricing is good.  I have $500,000 on BI/PD, Uninsured and Underinsured to the same limits and full collision and comprehensive… and the premium is just over 300 bucks.”

Grundy Worldwide offers insurance coverage on collector vehicles in all 50 states. Bob says that he worked with the Grundy Agency out of insurance offices in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Rochester, N.Y.  He was involved with Grundy claims, specifically, and recalls some situations that exemplified Grundy’s expertise and concern for customers--- the reason why Bob trusts the company with his own car.

“As an example, I remember a dent in a 1930-something Rolls,” he says. “Here’s the way it was handled… Grundy reported it to our claims department (I was the manager), and Jim said ‘Here’s the guy who specializes in Rolls.  He’ll build a new fender and match the paint if possible... if not, repaint the car… and, we’ll send you the bill.’  Our appraiser worked with the repair shop, and we paid $17,000 for a dented fender.” 

“On the other side of the equation,” continues Bob, “I remember Jim Sr. calling me, as the regional claims manager, and telling me that he didn’t know the repair shop or ‘expert’ and said to check it out.  We did, and Jim was right; it was an unqualified shop looking to make some bucks.”

Bob says that he chooses Grundy because of the “comfort factor” of knowing and trusting the people he is dealing with.

“Mr. Grundy makes sure the client is treated fairly and promptly,” he says.

“One more war story, as Regional Claims Manager,” continues Bob. “Jim Sr. called and said he had a bad loss in a barn where 17 cars were stored.  It burned.  As my background was a general adjuster (the highest level) for fire, I met with the fire marshall for the township where the fire occurred. We discussed the loss; it was not arson by the insured, just a lousy wiring job in the building by the owner or an electrician.  Accidental fire.  I went out to see the insured and, yup— hulks, but some salvage.  I asked the insured if he wanted any of the cars for salvage.  He said he wanted two—a Deusy and a Falcon Knight 3-window Coupe which wasn’t too badly damaged.  The cars were at Agreed Value; we worked out the salvage on the Deusy and the Knight; and, I wrote him a check for over a million bucks on the spot.”

Bob explains that when purchasing insurance on a vehicle, you are essentially buying a piece of paper that is supposed to deliver a promise.

“Grundy makes sure that promise is delivered when there is a claim,” says Bob.

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