Surety Placement Services is thrilled to announce the hiring of DawnMarie Kimball as Director of Operations. DawnMarie joins Surety Placement Services after spending nearly 17 years with SunCor Development as an Assistant Operations Manager. While at SunCor, DawnMarie held a myriad of responsibilities including the management of several prestigious golf courses located throughout the Southwest. In addition to her professional experience with SunCor, DawnMarie holds a BA in Business Administration from Ottawa University and a Masters in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. DawnMarie is also an active member of the Project Management Institute, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the American Payroll Association and holds a number of professional certifications including being a certified Project Management Professional and being certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist. We are truly excited to welcome DawnMarie to the Surety Placement Services team and we are looking forward to having DawnMarie help us continue to grow and improve for many years to come.

While the economy is still sluggish, Surety Placement Services continues to grow and flourish. SPS has enjoyed steady growth since it was founded back in 2001 thanks to a solid business plan, a steady, experienced leadership team, great surety partners, and a dedicated, knowledgeable and professional staff.

Between fiscal years 2006 and 2010 Surety Placement services grew overall revenues by 63% despite the fact that the nation was weathering one of the worst economic downturns in our history during these years. During that time frame Surety Placement services grew year over year sales by at LEAST 11.1% every year.

This steady growth continued in the first quarter of 2011 as Surety Placement Services enjoyed year over year quarterly revenue growth for the TENTH consecutive quarter. That was thanks in no small part to our team’s tremendous performance during the month of March. March truly came in like a lamb and out like a lion as SPS turned in our second best monthly revenue total ever. Our revenues in March were 33% higher than the prior year comparable period and, despite the first quarter traditionally being our slowest, the first quarter of 2011 was our third best ever!

Thus I’d like to send out a heartfelt thank you to our customers, our surety partners, our business partners, and most of all to our team of surety professionals here at SPS. Thank you for continuing to make us one of the best national surety management groups in the country.
Regards,
Jason Ford
President

Surety Placement Services is pleased to add Liberty Mutual Surety to our family of surety relationships.

Liberty Mutual Surety™ is the 2nd largest surety writer in the United States. From first bond to jumbo capacity surety needs, Liberty Mutual has the capabilities and expertise to underwrite all types of contractors and corporations. Through Liberty Mutual Group member companies, Liberty Mutual’s certified U.S. Treasury underwriting limitation is among the highest in the industry and they specialize in bonding regional, national, and multinational customers both domestically and abroad. Moreover, their Liberty SuretyFirst™ operating unit has dedicated underwriters who specialize in providing bonds for small to middle market customers. This allows Liberty Mutual to offer streamlined underwriting processes, competitive rate programs, and customized billing procedures and bond execution technology to fit Surety Placement Services’ customers’ needs.

To help best serve our customers’ needs, Liberty Mutual has provided Surety Placement Services with an exclusive underwriting authority and a large blanket authorization to write all classifications of bonds. In addition, Liberty Mutual has provided Surety Placement Services with access to their online bond approval product in order to serve our clients’ need in the fastest and most efficient manner possible. We are thrilled to have entered into this partnership with Liberty Mutual!

In an effort to continue to improve its customer support capabilities, Surety Placement Services recently launched a live help desk at Suretyplace.com. The help desk will be available during normal business hours (Monday thru Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Arizona Standard Time) and will be manned at all times by an SPS surety professional capable of answering any and all question you might have. The aim of the help desk is to give SPS’s clients one more quick, easy, and convenient way to have their questions answered, or to contact a surety professional at SPS. Check it out, we’d love to hear from you.

Surety Placement Services President, Jason Ford, will represent SPS as a presenter and member of the panel of experts at Price Kong & Co.'s Annual Arizona Construction Consortium, which is being held today in downtown Phoenix. The consortium will cover a number of construction related topics including; health insurance, employee retirement plans, sales & income tax issues, an update on the local banking market, legal issues, insurance, worker compensation, and bonding.

Jason was chosen by Price Kong to make a brief presentation to the attendees on recent changes in the surety bond market locally and nationally and to participate as a member of the consortium's panel of experts. When asked what his presentation would focus on, Mr. Ford replied, "First, I was thrilled to be asked by Price Kong to participate. Price Kong is one of the preeminent Accounting firms serving the construction market in the Valley, so it's truly an honor. My presentation will focus on some of the changes in local bonding trends and requirements and the changes we've witnessed with some sureties. As a result of the market downturn bonds are being required on more and more jobs and sureties, like banks, have implemented more stringent underwriting requirements. As a result, having the right bonding program is more critical than ever for local contractors. So, my presentation is going to focus on educating them about this and, hopefully, imparting a little knowledge to help them navigate their way through the surety industry."

Surety Placement Services' President, Jason Ford, recently addressed a gathering of disadvantaged contractors at the Turner School of Construction at Arizona State University. Jason was the featured speaker on the evening and addressed a number of topics relating to surety bonds. Mr. Ford had a great time speaking with the contractors and answering questions about their bonding needs and the surety industry in general.

After the meeting Mr. Ford had the following to say, "I had a tremendous time and I am truly honored to be invited by an institution like the Turner School of Construction to discuss surety bonds with such a great group of entrepreneurs. I hope that my insight and experience with surety bonds and the surety industry will help them be even more successful in the future. Bonding is becoming more and more important in this day and age, especially to disadvantaged contractors. In addition, the surety industry is constantly changing and evolving. We at Surety Placement Services live and breath the surety industry every day, but a lot of these business owners haven't had much experience with surety bonds. Further, many just don't have the time to learn what they need to now. That's why this presentation was organized; to give them the information about surety bonds they need to ensure that they are properly positioned to grow into the future."

Surety Placement Services will be sure to keep you informed about Mr. Ford's future speaking engagements at the Turner School of Construction.

"In the last two years, our revenues have increased by over 30 percent despite the broader economic downturn," said Jason Ford, President of Surety Placement Services. "Thus, we felt the time was right to bring on Marc and Jim. We feel they can help us continue to grow our existing business and also help us push into new market segments. Both bring a significant amount of commercial real estate, finance, and underwriting experience to our team. They have worked for prestigious companies in the Valley and have deep roots in the Arizona business community."

As director of business development, Marc will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with the commercial contractor sector.

Prior to joining Surety Placement Services, Marc spent 13 years in the commercial real estate industry with Opus West Corporation and NorthMarq Capital, LLC. He brings a vast amount of knowledge in the following areas: acquisitions, financing, sales and development of various commercial asset types such as office, retail, industrial, multifamily, healthcare and mixed-used properties.

Marc is a member of NAIOP (National Association of Industrial and Office Properties) and the Scottsdale Active 20/30 Club, where he served as President. Additionally, he was a past honoree of AZ's Finest benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He resides in Cave Creek.

James will be responsible for project management at Surety Placement Services. He will oversee all current projects and work with the rest of SPS's management team to help establish plans and procedures for the company's growth into the future.

Prior to joining Surety Placement Services, Jim spent nearly 11 years in the commercial banking industry with Johnson Bank, ABN Amro, and Bank One. He brings significant experience in the following areas: financial analysis, business planning, underwriting, and sales. During his career Mr. Bounds provided financing to a variety of industries including; real estate developers, manufacturers, retail outlets, distributors, health care providers, and service companies among others.

He is a member of Urban Land Institute, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, and Risk Management Association. Additionally, Jim is a member of the Scottsdale Active 20/30 Club (board member and committee treasurer) and enjoys volunteering for the Veteran's Administration, Boys and Girls Club and United Way. He resides in Scottsdale.

Surety Placement Services recently doubled its occupied space within the prestigious Scottsdale Executive Office Park (SEOP). "We are very excited that we were able to come to an agreement with the SEOP to expand our headquarters," said Jason Ford, President of Surety Placement Services. "In the last two years, our revenues have grown by more than 30 percent and the expansion will give us the physical space we need to continue to grow in the near future. We feel that this is just another sign of our commitment to our employees, the community, the surety industry, and SPS's future growth."

Surety Placement Services is proud to announce that as of January 1, we are now the preferred surety provider of the Arizona Contractor's Association. Surety Placement Services has traditionally been a national surety wholesaler, offering surety relationships and programs not readily available to direct principles, insurance agencies, law firms, etc.

However, with the dramatic downturn of the construction industry in the southwest, many contractors are having problems building or maintaining their surety relationship. Thus, Surety Placement Services felt it was important to bring their technical underwriting abilities directly to the construction industry. "It is important to have a surety professional manage your account because a surety problem can make or break any project. Not having the best options available can be devastating to any contractor", said the President of Surety Placement Services, Jason Ford.

Surety Placement Services is excited to work with the Arizona Contractor Association in order to offer yet another added value to ACA's membership.

http://www.azca.com

ACA Release.

http://www.azca.com/html/pdf/SPS%20Announcement%20Press%20Release.pdf

Surety Placement Services has successfully launched a new bonding program to meet the P-5 bonding needs of Texas oil producers. The Texas Railroad Commission requires that all oil and gas operators provide them with a cash deposit, irrevocable letter of credit, or an operator's plugging bond. As a result of our significant industry experience, SPS has been successful in developing a new A+ national surety relationship to help provide Texas operators with these hard to place bonds. Having established previously the most successful Texas P-5 bonding program SPS has yet again brought a new and even better solution to the market. That means that in many cases Texas operators can contact SPS and receive a bond quote within 48 hours, thus allowing the operators to maintain their cash and preserve their credit. Call us for more details.

Surety Placement Services is proud to announce the addition of Zurich North America to its family of Surety relationships.

Surety Placement Services (SPS) has entered into an agreement with a large insurance aggregator as their exclusive surety provider. Acting on behalf of the aggregator, SPS will underwrite and produce surety issues for over 1400 member agencies. "We are looking forward to offering a service to the member agents that is not only professional but technically sound and fruitful" says Jason Ford, the President of Surety Placement Services.

Surety Placement Services has again shown its ability to adapt to the market place and come up with solutions for even the largest of programs. Partnering with multiple sureties, the assembled team is putting together a "boilerplate" for this industry changing program.

Surety Placement Services is proud to announce the addition of RLI to its family of Surety relationships.

When asked about the new Partnership, Jason Ford, SPS's President, said the following, "Surety Placement Services is extremely excited to partner with a company like Zurich North America. SPS has big goals for the future and Zurich could not be a better group to accomplish those goals with. Having an exclusive contract with such a large group of agencies is an exciting opportunity for SPS to meet and exceed the needs of independent agents on a much broader scale."

Surety Placement Services is proud to announce the addition of Zurich North America to its family of Surety relationships.

Founded in 1942, NASBP is the association of and resource for surety bond producers and allied professionals. NASBP producers specialize in providing surety bonds for construction contracts and other purposes to companies and individuals needing the assurance offered by surety bonds. NASBP producers engage in contract and commercial surety production throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, and a number of countries. They have broad knowledge of the surety marketplace and the business strategies and underwriting differences among surety companies. As trusted advisors, professional surety bond producers act in many key roles to position their clients to meet the underwriting requirements for surety credit.

SPS is proud to be associated with an organization like the NASBP. We believe that our active membership in the NASBP further illustrates our commitment to the surety industry and our desire to remain on the cutting edge of industry changes.

Jason Ford, a member of the Scottsdale Active 20-30 Club #547, and COO of Surety Placement Services, successfully chaired this year's Nite Flite Golf Tournament and Red Carpet Gala. Mr. Ford Noted: "The 20-30 clubs is a fantastic group of very capable local business men. Nite Flite was established nearly 20 years ago and has steadily grown since then. I'm proud to say that this year's event looks like it will break all previous fundraising records. We anticipate revenues of well over $250,000 when the final figures are in."

Jason also stated, "I've always believe that it is very important to be active in your community and to give back to those less fortunate, even if it is just your time; I'm very proud that my involvement with the Scottsdale Active 20-30 Club and they have allowed me to do just that."

Scottsdale, AZ - Surety Placement Services, LLC today announced that it has completed a management buyout of the company. Buck Ford, President and Managing Member of the Company noted "it was time for Surety Placement Services to be on its own. We have had a great relationship with Smith-Manus, but being fully autonomous is crucial to our growth and for the continued success." Previously, Surety Placement Services had contracted Smith-Manus for administrative, accounting and other services. Mr. Ford also noted "we are pleased to be able to service the complete relationship with our clients and are aggressively working on adding surety companies to our growing list of appointments. The surety company relationships are part of our business model for our continued growth." Furthermore, he noted "our clients have made us successful and we intend to stick to a formula that works." SPS fills a niche in the surety markets by providing a fast and easy way for customers and other insurance agents/brokers to get a surety bond.

Mr. Ford noted: "After we doubled our office size in 2005, we felt that we were ready to take on more of the administration. I am certainly pleased to announce that this process is effectively complete now and we are positioned to grow our business and expand our services."

Surety Placement Services, LLC is an Arizona Corporation that was founded in 2002 as a specialty surety agency working in various niche industries and with brokers and agents. Surety Placement Services employs 10 people and has extensive surety experience with clients across the U.S.

SURETY PLACEMENT SERVICES - BONDS WITH COMMUNITY
Surety Placement Services (SPS) is proud of its continued support and contributions to various charitable organizations. Several members of the SPS team have devoted a significant amount of time and money to numerous charities such as the Scottsdale Active 20/30 Club, and primarily the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Buck Ford, one of the SPS principals, actively serves on the Board of Directors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale.

SPS's latest project with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale is a joint effort between both staffs to involve kids in the workplace, exposing them to basic business transactions, utilizing their computer skills. The boys and girls earn extra money to fund their special projects. Select kids have earned the privilege to go on a trip to Europe next year and the SPS partnership is allowing them to earn the money needed, while more importantly, help them to establish self esteem and pride in their accomplishments.

SPS - support for our clients, support for our community.

SPS NEWS - WE HAVE MOVED!
Surety Placement Services, LLC is happy to announce that we have expanded our operation to further provide service to our existing customers and new clients alike. In continuing with our commitment to service our customers in today's volatile surety industry, we at SPS have tripled our office facility and hired additional staff to serve your needs. Contact one of our surety professionals today to discuss how we can help you enhance your bond program and experience the service that you deserve. Our new office is located at: 7975 N Hayden Road, Suite C-300 Scottsdale, AZ 85258