News Release

For Immediate Release 
Contact: Marla McIntyre 
202-686-7463; mmcintyre@sio.org

SIO ANNOUNCES 2003 TIGER TRUST INDUCTEES

APRIL 29, 2004, WASHINGTON, DC – The Surety Information Office (SIO) inducted Wilson M. Beck of Wilson M. Beck Insurance Services, Inc. in Burnaby, British Columbia, Mark W. Edwards, II of McGriff, Seibels & Williams, Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama, Kenneth N. Nelson of Monitor Surety Managers in Des Moines, Iowa, and James A. Schaller of Aon Risk Services in Irvine, California, into the Tiger Trust. The Tiger Trust is an elite honorary society of surety industry professionals who work with private construction project owners or lenders to ensure that contract surety bonds are specified on their projects.

Beck successfully convinced the Terminal City Club in Vancouver, British Columbia to bond the $34 million Terminal City Club & Terminal City Club Tower. 

Edwards persuaded the Briarwood Christian School to bond its $7.5 million Fine Arts Auditorium and Gymnasium additions. He also convinced the Alabama AGC Chapter to bond the construction of its new $4.1 million headquarters building in Birmingham. 

Nelson convinced Continental Western Insurance Company to bond the $16.5 million addition to its home office in Des Moines. His expertise with contracts was cited as a key factor in the company deciding to require bonds.

Schaller convinced a Las Vegas casino project owner who was considering gambling with a default insurance product to require surety bonds instead.

The Tiger Trust plaque and pin, sponsored by SIO, was presented April 28, 2004 at the National Association of Surety Bond Producers Annual Meeting in Marco Island, FL and also will be presented at The Surety Association of America Annual Meeting in Washington, DC on May 13, 2004. 

Surety bonding is a careful, rigorous, and professional process in which surety companies and surety bond producers prequalify contractors to assure project owners that these contractors are capable of performing the contract and paying certain laborers, subcontractors, and suppliers. 

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SIO was formed in 1993 to disseminate information about the benefits of contract surety bonding in private and public construction. Located in Washington, DC, SIO is supported by the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP) [surety agents and brokers] and The Surety Association of America (SAA) [surety companies]. Surety bonding is a careful, rigorous, and professional process in which surety companies prequalify contractors and then assure project owners that these contractors are capable of performing the contract and will pay certain subcontractors and suppliers associated with the project.