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SM&G symbolizes dependability to the many clients we serve. Constantly outperforming our peers, the agency has been recognized by our carriers, with various accolades and awards. As your consultant, our primary objective is to work with you as a professional, full-service agency with the resources necessary to assist you to develop and implement the most cost-effective risk management program possible.

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Mission

Sutter, McLellan & Gilbreath, Inc. prides itself on its ability to create a strategic business partnership between our client, our carrier and ourselves.

Through mutually beneficial alliances we provide tailored services and products compatible with your corporate expectations. We will communicate clearly and keep the program design concise.

Our Commitment…

Sutter, McLellan & Gilbreath, Inc. is committed to providing you with the highest level of service in the areas of claims management, loss control, insurance company negotiations, and account administration. Our mutual objectives, at a minimum, are to:

Protect your assets
Eliminate redundant costs by combining coverages into one program
Provide simplified pricing so you can anticipate and accurately allocate insurance cost
Keep you apprised of the costs and direction of your insurance program to avoid costly surprises
Develop any other strategy or objective that would enhance your program

History

Sutter and McLellan was formed in 1953 by Dan Sutter and Bob McLellan. The agency was founded on the belief that every client deserved to be treated with integrity and honesty and given a high level of service. Gilbreath and Associates, founded in 1977 by Herb Gilbreath, had a similar philosophy. The two agencies came together in 1992 to form Sutter, McLellan & Gilbreath, Inc. (SM&G) combining strengths to meet the growing needs of its clients.

We are committed to be honest and fair in all our dealings, to be interested in people, and their problems, and to treat our customers' needs as though they were our own. We are committed to the continuing education of our staff, and to give them the support to allow each person to maximize their potential. We are committed to our community and will strive to make it a better place to live by being involved in its progress and returning more than we take.

Our Personal Experience With Disaster

Having suffered a devastating loss ourselves, we bring a unique perspective to insurance solutions. We know first hand the value of a quality insurance program. April 9, 1998, we took a direct hit by tornados that damaged our community. Thankfully the storms occurred at night when the office wasn’t occupied.

It was hectic and scary out among the wreckage, navigating around piles of debris, smashed vehicles and uprooted trees (they were 6 feet deep in some areas). The damage was hard to fathom, roofs were torn off, windows smashed and papers and supplies scattered all over the place.

In the end almost every building in the area had a bright blue tarp stretched over their shattered roofs and windows. Salvaging what we could, we implemented our disaster plan and were operating within 24 hours.

“Ray Penney, owner of Rayco Construction Co., said his phone hasn't stopped ringing since the morning of the tornado. On Monday, Penney was moving items out of a building occupied by the insurance firm Sutter, McLellan & Gilbreath. The brick and insulation board from three sides of the building had been stripped away during the storm, leaving only the drywall in tact, Penney said. Seven dormers also were missing.”

"They had 100 computers in this building, and they were using them all," Penney said. "Right now, I hear they're set up in somebody's living room."

Penney said it would be months before repairs to the building were complete. "The contractors just can't do it all," he said. "This is as massive of a cleanup as I've seen in my lifetime. (Hurricane) Opal was more widespread, but it was not the magnitude of this.

Commissioner John Oxendine said claims adjusters have already reported $100 million in damages in metropolitan Atlanta alone. That's doesn’t include the loss of the trees or the more than $3 million in property damage to Georgia Power poles and lines, damage to uninsured and self-insured properties, and county rights-of-way. The rebuilding project will take months.