LIVING OUR VALUES
An overview of our corporate social responsibility efforts.
ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, & GOVERNANCE REPORT
2022
President, CEO A message from Rick Kahlbaugh.
At Fortegra, our mission is to protect people through innovative risk management solutions.
We believe that our consistent success and profitability stem in part from a commitment to our foundational values. We live out our values by operating ethically, sustainably, and responsibly. We have partaken in corporate social responsibility efforts long before it became the trend, so we think it is more appropriate to call this report Living Our Values. In keeping with our mission to protect, we are pleased to present Living Our Values in 2022, which outlines our efforts: • Protecting the environment through internal sustainability initiatives. • Protecting public health by contributing to organizations at the forefront of medical research and the global water crisis. • Protecting the future of students in our respective communities. • Protecting those that protect us by assisting food-insecure military service members and their families. • Protecting our people through programs and policies that position our associates for long-term success. • Protecting our partners in times of adversity through reliable service. This report reflects our dedication to creating long-term value for both our stakeholders and shareholders by balancing a wide range of considerations. Our initiatives are continually evolving, and we are committed to furthering our efforts each year to create a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
Together, we will continue to reach new heights.
- Rick Kahlbaugh
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In 2022, our initiatives directly contributed to 11 of the 17 sustainable development goals.
Transforming our world.
In 2016, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was formed – a list of 17 overarching goals to serve as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet.”
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Environmental sustainability is critical to the conservation of our planet’s finite resources. It is imperative that we meet our current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL
As we continue climbing toward our goal of reducing our energy consumption and minimizing our carbon footprint, we have improved some of our company-wide practices to be more sustainable. A few of these practices include: • Use of green cleaning products that are biodegradable, reduce air and water pollution, and do not contribute to ozone depletion. • Motion-sensor lights and 3M Sun Control Window Film that blocks 97% of infrared light to increase energy efficiency. • Dual monitors, cloud-enabled platforms, and print-on-demand services for our partners to reduce paper dependency. • Management of the quality and quantity of our stormwater through the retention pond at our Jacksonville, Florida, headquarters. • Assessment of our tradeshow product vendors for carbon neutrality and Energy Attribute Certificates. • Holiday décor that is rented and recycled each year. • The relocation of our London office to The Fenchurch Building (The Walkie- Talkie), which has been rated as excellent by BREEAM, the internationally recognized Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method.
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According to environmental scientists, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by the year 2050.
Every year, roughly eight million tons of plastic enter the Earth’s oceans, killing marine life, polluting our groundwater, and releasing harmful microplastics into the environment. Unfortunately, 91% of the world’s plastic bottles are not recycled. Billions of plastic bottles inevitably end up in landfills or in our oceans, killing over one million marine creatures each year. To reduce our use of plastic and limit harmful emissions, we provide reusable water tumblers to each of our associates, who then utilize refill stations located throughout our headquarters.
Refill & Reduce
Since the initiative’s implementation in 2020, we have proudly kept over 100,000 plastic bottles out of our ocean and landfills.
This year, we’ve kept 56,631 plastic bottles out of landfills and oceans.
15,148
2020
37,271
2021
2022
56,631
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Fortegra’s Carbon Footprint
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. The average passenger vehicle releases roughly 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.
We provide free lunches to our associates every day.
These lunches show our appreciation for our staff, support our local restaurants and economy, and aid in reducing our carbon footprint by eliminating travel to and from food establishments during peak travel hours. In 2022, we served over 65,000 lunches, which helped keep approximately 174 metric tons of CO2 emissions from being released into the atmosphere.
41% of all transportation emissions come from passenger cars.
41%
23%
17%
7%
2%
Aircraft
Light Truck
Heavy Truck
Passenger Car
Other
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The Move To Green
In July of 2022, we relocated our London office to the fifth floor of the iconic Fenchurch Building, commonly known as “The Walkie-Talkie” building, to better accommodate our rapidly growing European footprint.
One of the considerations in selecting the new space was sustainability.
As of one of the most environmentally conscious buildings of its type in London, The Walkie Talkie:
• Was built with certified sustainably sourced concrete and structural steelwork, conforms with thorough heat loss performance standards, and was built with FSC certified timber – one of only 80 projects in the world that have achieved this certification. • Achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating; BREEAM is the leading science-based suite of validation and certification systems for a sustainable built environment. • Contains the UK’s largest green wall that houses an expansive plant and insect ecosystem. • Utilizes roof-mounted solar panels that generate roughly 27,300kWh of electricity per year. • Features the first hydrogen fuel cell to be installed in a commercial building in London, which generates 300kW of low-carbon and low-emissions electricity, reducing the building’s CO2 output by roughly 270 tons per year.
We are proud to have our London offices housed in one of the most distinguished and green structures in the London skyline.
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The “G” in Fortegra stands for giving back, one of our intrinsic company values. The social aspect of corporate social responsibility recognizes the role that businesses play in society.
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It’s important to us that we not only take care of our community, but also our staff who make the success of our company possible. Our efforts include:
• Blood drives to offer a life-saving resource to local hospitals. • Monetary contributions to local, national, and global organizations such as Hunger Fight, American Heart Association, and Golf Fore Africa. • Fostering diversity, inclusion, and equal access to opportunity through Fortegra N.O.W. • Promoting and supporting volunteerism within our organization. • Sponsoring company events and providing resources that contribute to the health and wellbeing of our associates.
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Drives for Lives
Each year, 4.5 million Americans need a blood transfusion; just one pint of donated blood can save three lives.
Blood transfusions are vital and yet, less than 10% of the eligible population donates blood annually. In 2022, we hosted six blood drives in partnership with OneBlood, a nonprofit organization that provides blood to more than 200 hospital partners throughout the southeast United States. The organization operates 80 donor centers and nearly 200 “Big Red Buses” throughout its service area. Fortegra associates who generously participated in the blood drives doubled the amount of blood donated compared to 2021, resulting in 84 units of blood collected or roughly 252 lives saved.
About 38% of people in the U.S. can donate blood, but less than
10% actually do.
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Casual with a Cause
Our associates partake in micro-fundraising through “Jeans Day.” Jeans Days are predetermined days in which employees can wear jeans to the office by providing a monetary donation. In 2022, over 1,000 jeans were worn. Some of the organizations that benefitted from the contributions are:
Daniel Kids: Daniel Kids offers critical therapeutic and supportive care to almost 5,000 local children who have been abused, abandoned, and neglected. The organization assists with foster care, adoption, and helping to limit the number of children entering the juvenile justice system. MS Society: Roughly 2.5 million people around the world are living with multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that attacks the central nervous system. It can cause those with MS to experience symptoms such as blindness, memory issues, and paralysis. Along with our annual Bike MS fundraising, we donated to the MS Society to help fund critical research.
American Heart Association: For over 90 years, the American Heart Association has worked toward improving heart health and reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and strokes. To date, the organization has invested more than $5 billion toward research. Hubbard House: Hubbard House is a local full-service domestic violence center which provides shelter, food, and personal amenities to victims of domestic violence in Florida’s Duval and Baker counties. The organization has sheltered more than 47,000 survivors and answered over 108,000 hotline calls. K9 for Warriors: K9 for Warriors’ mission is to end veteran suicide by providing highly trained service dogs to veterans who suffer from PTSD and traumatic brain injury. As the nation’s largest provider of service dogs to veterans, it has rescued over 1,500 dogs and paired them with eligible veterans.
Associate Spotlight
“Because of the support of the AHA and an excellent team of doctors, I am living a healthy life. This has allowed me to be productive in my family circle and my job, along with my church and wonderful community of Jacksonville.”
- Sharon Johnson Solutions Specialist Heart Disease Survivor, AHA Event Organizer
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Fortegra N.O.W. is an employee resource group that promotes equal access to opportunities in the workplace and provides associates with the tools needed to succeed.
Fortegra N.O.W.
Fortegra N.O.W. pursues this objective through networking opportunities, educational initiatives, mentoring programs, and policy that supports the unique needs of women in the workforce. In 2022, we held various events to support our staff and allow them to better connect with their peers. On a few separate occasions throughout the year, we hosted a “Coffee and Connections” where associates had the opportunity to network, meet new friends, and hear about the future of Fortegra N.O.W. over coffee and donuts. We also held a “Professional Presence” event where associates were able to connect with fellow associates while gaining insights on how to network more effectively, elevate their online professional presence through LinkedIn training, and take free professional headshots. At the event, a panel of established women discussed their leadership roles and gave advice on how to “level up” one’s career. Other events hosted by Fortegra N.O.W. include body language seminars and the Women in Insurance Conference, where women gained insight and knowledge on how to improve themselves both in and out of the workplace. Fortegra has also implemented the following policies for the betterment of our associates: privacy telephone rooms, fitness center and gym, unconscious biastraining, pumping rooms for nursing mothers, education reimbursement, networking opportunities, maternity leave, and employee volunteering initiatives. Fortegra N.O.W. is an important addition to our company that assists women, or any interested employee, with navigating the unique challenges in the workplace.
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The Patrick Heinold Foundation According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people ages 15 to 24 in the United States; one in five high school students have reported serious thoughts of suicide. The Patrick Heinold Foundation promotes suicide prevention through programs dedicated to the well-being and mental health of our nation’s teens. Fortegra’s donation supports the organization’s annual 3 vs. 3 basketball tournament and program expansion. Mainspring Academy Mainspring Academy is a K-12 institution for children with developmental differences and physical disabilities. The school educates students based on their individualized needs and assists with their transition into adulthood. Fortegra’s contribution enabled the academy to enhance their programming, obtain SMART Tech Interactive Whiteboards, purchase a custom passenger van to facilitate transporting students, and expand its square footage to allow for more students. Bright Holidays Bright Holidays’ mission is to help improve the lives of underprivileged students and their families in the greater Jacksonville area during the holiday season. The organization works in partnership with area schools to identify families in need and facilitate delivery of gifts. Due to the organization’s volunteer-led efforts, 98% of donations are spent directly on the children. Each family receives nine new items for each of their children – shirt, jacket, pants, underwear, shoes, socks, sleeping bag, book, and toy; parents receive a grocery store gift card. High School 9:12 High School 9:12 is a non-profit designed to help high school students and athletes reach their full potential. For those who thought college was out of reach due to their family and financial situation, the High School 9:12 program seeks to help make their academic and athletic dreams possible. For the last five years, Fortegra has sponsored the organization’s Fortegra High School 9:12 Fortegra Basketball Invitational. Fortegra’s contribution aids in facilitating the event, as well as providing critical SAT/ACT tutoring to students.
Supporting Local Students
Associate Spotlight
“It gives my wife and I a sense of peace that Connor is at a place where he can excel. We’re very fortunate to have found Mainspring Academy and extremely grateful for Fortegra’s contributions to the school.”
- Rome Shubert
Director of Compliance Father of Mainspring Academy Student
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Run for the Fallen Run for the Fallen was founded in 2008 as an organized tribute event to run specific miles for every fallen service member who has died during the War on Terror. Since its inception, over 50,000+ participants and over 200,000+ miles have been collectively run in remembrance of those heroes. Presently, the run stretches through 19 states; the organization’s goal is for the run to be organized in every state. Fortegra associate Bryon West was among the group that organized the portion of the run in Florida that stretches from Tallahassee to Jacksonville. The run is three days long and covers about 170 miles. Fortegra’s contribution helped provide support for the participating runners. A unique practice performed during these runs is at each mile mark, the runners will stop and read aloud one or multiple names of fallen soldiers chronologically, based on their date of death. Currently, the organization has identified roughly 19,000 names. St. Michael’s Soldiers St. Michael’s Soldiers is an organization dedicated to the support of the deployed men and women of our military, local active military, and their families. This year, our contribution aided the organization in providing a Christmas dinner for Gold Star families. Feeding Military Families We work in partnership with various local military commands to identify service members that are facing difficulties and food insecurity to provide holiday meals. Spearheaded by Fortegra associate Eddie Urfer, each year we provide turkey dinners and ham dinners to military families during Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, we donated over 120 holiday meals.
Serving those that Serve
Associate Spotlight
“As a long time employee of Fortegra I feel honored and privileged to be allowed to be one of the representatives of this company in showing support for our military families. The holiday season is a time for family gatherings. What better reason to gather than around the dinner table with good food and great company. ”
- Eddie Urfer
Director, Data Analytics Veteran Event Organizer
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1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
Fortegra hosted the “Buddy Check 12 Bus” – a mobile mammography bus that provides 3D screening mammograms to women throughout Northeast Florida. Free mammograms were provided to our associates along with an informational seminar led by local First Coast News anchor Jeannie Blaylock. Early detection is critical for the successful treatment of breast cancer. When breast cancer is detected early, before it has spread to other parts of the body, treatment options are more effective and less invasive, resulting in better outcomes and a higher likelihood of survival. Regular breast cancer screenings, including mammograms, clinical breast exams, and self-exams, can help detect breast cancer in its early stages. Fortegra also donated funds to the Untied Breast Cancer Foundation. UBCF’s profits are used for various programs and treatments like holistic treatments, breast screenings, scholarships, and breast reconstructive surgery.
Associate Spotlight
Breast Cancer Awareness
“By prioritizing early detection, we can improve outcomes for those diagnosed with breast cancer and reduce the impact of this disease on individuals, families, and communities.” - Kelli Bohn
VP, Human Resources Breast Cancer Awareness Event Organizer
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Bike MS is the largest bike fundraiser in the world, with over 100,000 people coming together to help fight Multiple Sclerosis, a disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord.
Roughly 1 million people in the U.S. and over 2.3 million across the world live with MS. Their symptoms vary widely and most deal with a combination of fatigue, numbness, imbalance, poor vision, depression, and problems with memory and concentration. Others struggle with tremor, paralysis, and blindness. Bike MS was founded to free the world of MS. Donations are used to fund therapies, advocacy, programs, and research for those affected by the disease. Donors, sponsors, and ride participants have collectively raised over $1 billion dollars to date. In 2022, Fortegra participated in “Bike MS: PGA Tour Cycle to the Shore” for the seventh year in a row. Ranging from a 30- to 100-mile ride, our associate volunteers biked down the east coast of Florida from Marineland to Daytona Beach. Other associate volunteers helped set up a tent with food and water at the end of the ride.
Bike MS
Since beginning our relationship with Bike MS in 2016, we have raised roughly $90k for the organization. This year alone, we raised nearly $10k.
Associate Spotlight
“Bike MS gives people a chance to challenge themselves physically and to raise money for MS research – research that resulted in going from zero treatment options 25 years ago to over a dozen treatments today for people suffering from MS.”
- Arthur Edmonds
Software Engineer III Athlete, Bike MS Event Organizer
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Currently, 771 million people around the world do not have access to safe water. Furthermore, about 4 billion people, or roughly two-thirds of the global population, experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year.
The water crisis is a growing concern as increasing demand for water resources, coupled with population growth, climate change, and poor water management practices, has resulted in water scarcity and water stress in many regions around the world. This crisis has far-reaching consequences for public health, food security, economic growth, and social stability. Founded in 2007 by LPGA Hall of Fame Golfer Betsy King, Golf Fore Africa works to bring fresh, clean drinking water to people living in rural and remote areas of Africa. There are many ways in which children and families benefit from clean water that we may not recognize. For example, women are usually the ones who take on the burden of looking for water so their communities can eat, bathe, and practice personal hygiene. They carry large buckets on their heads and walk until they find water for their loved ones, which is a threat to their personal health and safety. These exhausting treks cause women to burn a considerable number of calories and cause dehydration that they can’t replenish due to the lack of water available. Golf Fore Africa’s life-changing wells have enabled villagers, especially women and girls, to have more free time for employment and education opportunities, while decreasing disease and reducing mortality rates by more than half. Fortegra and its associates recently donated over $120,000 to Golf Fore Africa – a contribution that allowed the organization to build three wells in The Republic of Zambia, a landlocked nation in southern Africa. “By funding the creation of a well, we were able to help an entire community lead better lives,” says Fortegra associate Morgan Roth. To date, Golf Fore Africa has installed over 450 wells throughout The Republic of Zambia and is committed to helping end the global water crisis by 2030.
Golf Fore Africa
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We seek to maintain a working environment characterized by: integrity and consistency in administration, mutual trust and respect, open communication, and personal accountability for performance.
GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE GOVERNANCE
We are dedicated to ethical and honest business practices and compliance in both the letter and the spirit of the law. At the heart of our corporate governance strategy: • Our shared mission and the F.O.R.T.E.G.R.A. Values – the bedrock of our organization. • A Code of Conduct and corporate policies outlining legal and ethical standards. • Privacy and Data Security Policies, along with annual Information Security Awareness training for associates. • Technology to safeguard our systems and information.
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Our Principles
Values
It takes strength, patience, creativity and resolve to discover opportunity where others see obstacles. F ortitude We believe in providing customer service that is nothing short of outstanding. O utstanding R esponsibility We conduct our affairs with integrity. T ogether We help our customers reach the summit of their potential. We strive to create a workplace that is both challenging and rewarding. E ngaging We are good corporate citizens, caring for and contributing to our communities and the environment. G iving We treat everyone with respect and value the contributions that come from the diversity of both individuals and ideas. R espect We believe in the value of a meritocracy where demonstrated achievement is rewarded and advancement is based on performance. A chievement
Vision Leverage industry expertise and technology to lead the global specialty insurance market. Mission Through Fortitude and Integrity we deliver risk management solutions that help people succeed despite the uncertainty and adversity of life and business. By creating value for our customers, we create value for our shareholders. are the center of our service standards and the keys to our future growth. We are steadfast in our pursuit of excellence. Our values
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For the second year in a row, Fortegra was Certified™ by Great Place To Work®. This prestigious award is based entirely on what current employees say about their experience working at our company.
Great Place To Work
Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience, and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market leading revenue, employee retention, and increased innovation. “Great Place to Work Certification™ isn’t something that comes easily – it takes ongoing dedication to the employee experience,” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, Vice President of Global Recognition at Great Place to Work. “It’s the only official recognition determined by employees’ real-time reports of their company culture. Earning this designation means that Fortegra is one of the best companies to work for in the country.”
This award validates our continued commitment to the employee experience.
Executive Spotlight
“I want people to be able to come to Fortegra and if they choose, spend their entire career here.” - Rick Kahlbaugh
Chairman, President, CEO
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Equip & Empower
The Learning and Development team’s mission is to help Fortegra associates realize their full potential by providing the necessary tools to expand their learning and map out their career paths .
Fortegra’s L&D department implemented Fortegra Ascend, a comprehensive software suite that unifies associate competencies, individualized development plans, and career pathing within Fortegra. This program assisted us in creating 234 unique job roles for our over 450 associates. Fortegra Ascend empowers associates to design individualized career paths to achieve their career goals – whatever those goals may be. Associates can examine their current skillset, identify their strengths, areas of improvement, and adapt their career path accordingly.
Fortegra Ascend is comprised of four phases:
Phase 1: Performance Checkpoint/Review – Associates and their managers meet one on one to discuss their performance over the past year. This is like an annual review. Phase 2: Talent Assessment – Associates take an online talent assessment to identify their skill gaps and skills they would like to learn in the future. Phase 3: Goal Setting – Associates make a list of goals they want to achieve in the upcoming year. Phase 4: Career Pathing within Fortegra – Associates form a plan outlining the steps they need to take to ultimately end up in their dream job role. The goal of this program is to encourage internal hiring and promotions for new positions rather than recruiting candidates outside of the company. Since managers are able to look at each associate’s top skills and qualifications with Fortegra Ascend, they can easily hire employees who are already a part of the Fortegra family. We hire associates with hopes they will start and end their career here, and Fortegra Ascend makes that possible.
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Podcast with a Purpose
The Base Camp podcast seeks to connect Fortegra employees across the globe.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognized that as a global company, an increase in corporate communications would be critical to ensure our employees felt secure and at ease during a time characterized by sudden change. Not only were massive changes taking place on a macro-level, but our organization began to grow at a rapid pace and change at an organizational level became commonplace as well. At first, we attempted written communications, but ultimately, they felt too impersonal to impart genuine feelings of security and well-being. Upon reflection, a podcast was the optimal choice due to the medium’s ability to bring a more human element into our communications. The Base Camp podcast derives its name from the place where climbers come together to strategize prior to embarking on their climb up towards the mountain’s summit. Each episode is led by Chief Marketing Officer, Holly Bohn, where she engages with different members of the organization to discuss relevant topics, ranging from outlining new company initiatives to discussing the challenges of work-life balance for working mothers. Most notably, she sits down with Chief Executive Officer, Rick Kahlbaugh, on a quarterly basis to provide regular business updates to the organization. By using the podcast medium, our audience can be a “fly-on-the-wall” and listen in on authentic conversations among Fortegra’s top leaders. This inside look aims to equip our audience with knowledge regarding top business initiatives as well as strategies to incorporate into their daily lives as they develop professionally. We also encourage them to participate and ask questions to create a real dialogue between employees and leadership. In its first year, the podcast won an Award of Excellence from the Insurance Marketing & Communications Association (IMCA) in recognition of Fortegra’s success in streamlining corporate communications and providing an inside look into top business initiatives.
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Looking at the road ahead
As we expand our global footprint, we seek to ensure that our corporate social responsibility efforts align across our organization. In keeping with our mission to protect, we will continue to preserve our environmental resources and pursue our business objectives with FORTITUDE and INTEGRITY.
www.fortegra.com
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