Summit Commercial Insurance Solutions

We are thrilled to announce that Lauren Hartridge has joined Summit as a Sales Development Representative, based at Summit HQ in Kelowna! Lauren comes to us with a unique background that perfectly aligns with our mission at Summit.

She recently completed her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan with Distinction and a stellar 3.90 GPA. Her academic background gives her a deep understanding of human behavior, which she pairs with a calm, relationship-driven approach to client engagement

In her previous role at Crown & Thieves Winery, Lauren was recognized as a top three individual sales performer across five estates, exceeding in driving direct-to-consumer sales and wine club memberships. There, she quickly advanced to a Shift Lead role, where she managed daily operations and staff coordination in high-performance environments. Beyond her professional achievements, Lauren has spent time volunteering with Kelowna’s Gospel Mission, supporting community meal services and facility upkeep.

Lauren is passionate about understanding people and delivering thoughtful, personalized service. We are confident that her disciplined work ethic and growth-focused mindset will make her a fantastic asset to our sales team.

CLIENT OUTCOME: Sensor Manufacturer — 31% Premium Reduction, $53,364 Saved Annually

This manufacturer was stuck in the forgotten tier of commercial insurance: coverage fragmented across multiple insurers, premiums compounding year over year, and no proactive risk management between renewals.

A full program review changed the picture:
- 31% premium reduction
- Policies consolidated under fewer insurers
- Deductible strategy rebuilt around the actual risk
- Cyber liability added at no additional cost

The savings were meaningful, but the structural change mattered more: a fragmented program became a coherent one, reviewed across every line rather than renewed piece by piece.

This is what depth of analysis delivers for a mid-market manufacturer — the rigour a Fortune 500 risk team applies, available to a business that never had access to it.
Read this and more client outcomes → https://na3.hubs.ly/y0v-ND0

We are thrilled to announce that Stephanie Tisdale has joined our team as our newest Commercial Account Manager.

Stephanie brings over 10 years of experience in the insurance industry, with an extensive background in commercial, personal, and surety insurance. She is a Level 2 Licensed Insurance Broker with expertise spanning multiple provinces, including BC, AB, SK, MB, and ON.

Most recently, Stephanie spent over a decade at Acera Insurance, where she managed an established book of commercial business and specialized in surety. Prior to her career in insurance, Stephanie developed her leadership and high-level customer service skills at Cactus Club Café, where she excelled as both a Server and Manager across Western Canada. She also holds an Associate's Degree from Okanagan College.

Welcome to the team Stephanie!

Most mid-market employers get the same thing from their benefits broker every year: a renewal, a rate, and a recommendation to either absorb the increase or pass it to employees.

That's not benefits consulting. That's rate-shopping.

Large employers get something different — and it's not just better pricing:
- Benchmarking against peers in their industry and size band
- Plan design analysis: what's driving the renewal, and which levers actually change it
- Claims and utilization review to find the cost drivers
- A multi-year strategy, not a once-a-year scramble

There's no reason a 60-person company should get less rigour than a 600-person one. The analysis is the same; only the economics of delivering it have changed.

Summit's Employee Benefits division brings that depth to mid-market employers — benchmarking, plan design, and renewal strategy that treats your benefits programme as something to manage, not just renew.

If your benefits renewal is a number and a shrug, you're not getting the full picture.

A kitchen fire can close one location for a week.

A ransomware attack can freeze every location at once — including the ones that never touched the breach.

Restaurant groups have quietly become one of the softest targets in commercial cyber. Here's why:
- Payment data everywhere. Every POS terminal and online order is card data in motion — and a magnet for POS malware and skimming.
- Loyalty programs = a PII goldmine. Names, emails, phone numbers, ordering habits. Valuable to you, more valuable to attackers.
- A sprawling vendor stack. Reservations, delivery, payroll, scheduling — each integration is a door, and you don't control the locks on all of them.
- Multi-location, uneven defences. One under-secured franchise can become the way in to the whole network.

The part operators underestimate isn't the breach itself, it's the business interruption. Systems down, doors closed, revenue gone across the group while you scramble to respond.

Cyber isn't an IT line item, it's a coverage and continuity question, and it deserves a strategy built around how your business actually runs, not a box ticked at renewal.

If you operate multiple locations, where does your cyber exposure actually sit today?

Construction businesses are facing a convergence of risks unlike anything in the past decade.

The numbers we're watching:
→ Materials costs up 34% since 2020
→ 92% of firms say rising costs will hit 2026 profitability
→ One-third of construction firms have been affected by immigration enforcement actions this year
→ 45% report worker shortages delaying projects
→ Commercial auto and excess/umbrella rates projected to rise 15%

At the same time, data centre construction is booming, interest rates are stabilising, and private equity is flowing into the sector. Construction firms are simultaneously busier and more exposed than they have been in years.

This is the environment where the gap between a generic broker and a specialist advisor shows up. Our construction clients are working through builders risk, wrap-ups, subcontractor default, and program structures built around volatile project timelines — and we're reviewing those programs proactively, not waiting for renewal.

If it's been a while since anyone walked through your program with you, it might be a good time to take another look.

We are thrilled to announce that Mitchell Wasylnuk has joined Summit as our newest Commercial Account Manager.

Mitch's background in fast-paced hospitality, combined with his technical insurance expertise, makes him a perfect fit for our fast-growing team at Summit.

Why Mitchell chose Summit: Mitchell was looking for a more progressive work environment, one that truly aligned with his values. He is passionate about helping businesses find the right solutions to protect their operations as they grow, and he recognized that Summit is the best place to build his career while doing exactly that.

Please join us in giving Mitchell a warm welcome!

We are thrilled to welcome Chelsey St. Hilaire to Summit as an Account Associate! Chelsey joins us at a pivotal time as we deepen our investment in roles dedicated to top-tier client support.

Chelsey joins us with over six years of experience spanning both commercial and retail insurance lines. Most recently, she served as a Junior Programs Specialist in Toronto, where she managed diverse program accounts for national non-profits and franchises. Chelsey holds her RIBO, and Level 2 License certifications. She is known for her exceptional client service and her adaptive learner mindset, which allows her to navigate complex policy requirements and carrier portals with ease.

Welcome to the team, Chelsey! We’re excited to see the impact you'll have at Summit.

Large companies have always had a great insurance experience — dedicated risk teams, thorough analysis, proactive renewals, real carrier negotiations.

The mid-market never got any of that. Not because it wasn't needed, but because it wasn't economically viable. The forgotten segment of commercial insurance.

Summit was built to close that gap. We've built a tech-stack covering the full insurance lifecycle, risk assessments, intelligent risk triggers, carrier comparisons, proposals, certificates, renewals, and compliance — so our brokers focus on strategy and relationships.

Every account gets the insights & rigour that used to require a dedicated risk team.

2,500+ Canadian businesses protected.

We're excited to officially welcome Cameron Froese to our Kelowna HQ.

Joining Summit as Associate, Partnerships, Cameron arrives at a moment where insurance compliance is finally moving away from spreadsheets and reactive follow-ups. He will be instrumental in this journey, providing dedicated support to our insured residents while ensuring our property and asset management partners experience a seamless implementation of the Sherpa compliance platform.

Cameron’s professional pedigree is built on a foundation of accuracy, speed, and elite customer service. With a background spanning personal and premium banking at Canada’s top financial institutions and a Canadian Securities Course (CSC) certification, he possesses the meticulous attention to detail our clients rely on. His recent experience leading growth operations and lead-flow optimization ensures that as we scale our Renters Program, our service remains as innovative as our software.

We are excited to have Cameron’s expertise on the frontline as we embed real-time compliance directly into our clients' daily operations. We’re glad to have you with us, Cameron!