Burns & Wilcox continues to prioritize the health and well-being of our associates, clients and partners, which includes providing ongoing updates on the actions we have taken during the pandemic. In mid-March, Burns & Wilcox moved to a remote operation, with nearly all associates worldwide working from their homes. The transition was smooth, and our…
The novel coronavirus (or COVID-19) pandemic has forced the emergence of a new digital workspace to keep businesses functioning during the crisis. With more than 75 percent of Americans and many Canadians engaging in some form of social distancing, many companies now have almost every employee working from home, adding a new level of digital…
Businesses in the United States and Canada have had to adapt to an unprecedented set of uncertain and rapidly evolving circumstances in recent weeks. According to a recent Goldman Sachs survey of U.S. small business owners, 96 percent say that they have already been impacted by coronavirus, or COVID-19. “Many companies are experiencing changes in…
Over the course of the last two weeks, many companies in the U.S. and Canada have been forced to make major changes rapidly, including sending employees home to work remotely. Ensuring sick employees stay home is the number one step businesses can take to slow the spread of the coronavirus, according to the CDC. However,…
Last month, KDA Architecture agreed to pay $1.7 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the Yakima School District in Washington over water and mold damage. The alleged design flaws were related to a nearly 750-foot blue wall, constructed of stainless-steel shingles and porcelain tiles that cut through the center of the high school campus….
Suspected members of a highly-organized burglary ring were arrested in Miami, Florida last month for allegedly using social media and other surveillance techniques to target homeowners in upscale neighborhoods and steal millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry and cash. On February 18, 10 suspects were charged with racketeering, conspiracy and burglary, putting an end to…
Earlier this month, the parents of Jonathan Swierski, a 20-year-old man fatally shot last July in the parking lot of his apartment complex in Matthews, North Carolina, filed a lawsuit against the complex’s property management company, Highmark Residential LLC, citing “negligent security” as a factor in their son’s tragic death. The altercation that led to…
Several homes were evacuated on February 3 after a semi-truck tanker overturned near Williamsburg, Kentucky and leaked 5,000 gallons of highly flammable butyl acrylate onto the railroad tracks below. Several agencies responded to the incident, including a hazmat crew to clean up the strong-smelling irritant. While officials reported the risks of the chemical spill spreading…
A smartphone app marred by alleged technical and design flaws is being blamed for a days-long delay in reporting results from the February 3 Iowa U.S. presidential election caucus. The backup, which caused widespread confusion among voters and Democratic presidential candidates, has been linked in part to an app developed by Shadow, Inc. for the…
On January 15, a Los Angeles jury awarded $5.5 million to the daughter and guardian of an 89-year-old woman who suffered a devastating fall while residing at AvantGarde Senior Living in Tarzana, California. Sherrill Phillips had mild dementia when she moved to the facility in June 2018; following a July 2018 fall in which her…
Brand ambassadors Webb Simpson and Jimmy Walker presented $50,000 to golfers’ charities of choice in partnership with Burns & Wilcox on Thursday Farmington Hills, Mich. (February 04, 2020) – Burns & Wilcox, North America’s leading insurance wholesale broker and underwriting manager, congratulates Webb Simpson on winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on Sunday. Simpson…
More than 97,000 gallons of cabernet sauvignon were spilled on January 22, when a door malfunctioned on a blending tank at Rodney Strong Vineyards in Healdsburg, California. The winery estimated roughly half the wine spilled was captured, recovered or contained within the winery; the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services estimated roughly 20 percent of…
The stars of HGTV’s Windy City Rehab are being sued by the buyers of a luxury home they renovated. The homeowners said their $1.36 million dream house became a nightmare, alleging the contractors are responsible for water leaking into the kitchen from an upstairs bathroom, a roof that was never replaced as promised, crumbling mortar…
A powerful storm system that tore through a massive swath of the U.S. on January 11 and 12 was responsible for the tragic loss of 11 lives, cutting off power to hundreds of thousands of households and putting more than 20 million Americans under flood watch. The deadly storms in the South and Midwest brought…
An 8-year-old girl from Desoto County, Mississippi experienced a terrifying ordeal last month when a hacker accessed a Ring security camera in her bedroom. The girl was playing in her room when an eerie song came through the camera’s speaker, followed by a man’s voice identifying himself as Santa Claus and encouraging her to “destroy”…
Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? According to a YouGov poll, the top personal New Year’s resolutions for 2019 were to exercise more, adopt healthy eating habits, and save more money. Business leaders commonly resolve to improve efficiency, update technology or facilities and reduce their carbon footprint. Whatever your resolutions for 2020, the odds…
Broken light fixtures, dented drywall, syrup-coated appliances—these are classic examples of holiday magic gone wrong. With the season in full swing, more and more homeowners are waking up each morning to a new dose of destruction brought by a well-intentioned but sometimes overzealous houseguest: the Elf on the Shelf. What began in 2005 as a…
On November 7, the Kincade Fire—so far the largest, most destructive fire of the 2019 California wildfire season—was fully contained and extinguished after scorching 120 square miles of Sonoma wine country in two weeks. The more than 400 structures destroyed in the Kincade Fire represent over half of all property losses due to wildfires in…
A 16-unit apartment building was decimated and all 50 of its residents displaced after two fires broke out within 30 hours of each other at the Spring Hill Apartments complex in Goose Creek, South Carolina. While no one was injured in the early October blazes, which officials said appeared to be unrelated to one another,…
As the holiday season begins in earnest, we anticipate gatherings of family and friends filled with love, laughter and plenty of food and drink. When hosting such gatherings, make sure that your plans include safeguarding your home and guests against some of the season’s most common mishaps. While you cannot foresee or prevent every scenario,…
