Talk:Sentry Insurance/Archives/2016

Proposed edits to article

Hello, my name is David Coulthurst. I am employed by Sentry Insurance. I intend to make revisions to Sentry’s article to improve it. I understand the need to make edits that adhere to Wikipedia’s neutrality standards, that are free of promotional language and unnecessary detail. Below are the first edits to the article I would like to make, replacing the current introductory sentence. I would greatly appreciate input from more experienced Wikipedia editors on my proposed edits.

Sentry Insurance is a mutual insurance company specializing in business insurance. The company’s home office is in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where about half the company’s approximately 4,500 employees are located. Sentry offers property and casualty insurance, workers' compensation, life insurance, and other business insurance, as well as non-insurance products like annuities and retirement programs. Sentry provides specialized insurance programs to customers in specific industries as well as very large companies with complex risk.

Sentry is one of the nation’s largest mutual insurance companies. As of December 31, 2014, the company has assets of more than $14 billion and a policyholder surplus of over $4.1 billion. Sentry was rated rated A+ by A.M. Best, the insurance industry’s leading rating authority, as of 2015. In 2015, Sentry Insurance was ranked 799th on the Fortune 1000 list of companies.Dacbeerpig (talk) 18:04, 22 March 2016 (UTC)

References

HornColumbia, could you take a look at my proposed edit above? -Dacbeerpig (talk) 21:12, 25 March 2016 (UTC)

David, I think your update is fine. If you are making changes under guidance from the company itself, that would be looked down on. If you are doing this in your own free time, I don't see a problem as long as your keep a neutral tone. I work for an insurance company and I've made changes to many insurance related pages, including my company. There are a lot of insurance related pages, and unfortunately, not many editors that understand how insurance works. Thanks for your help in making Wikipedia better. HornColumbia talk

Thank you for your input. As I mentioned earlier, I do marketing work for Sentry. I'm trying to be proactive in seeking others' perspectives. I've spent some time educating myself on Wikipedia's policies; I'll be doing my best to adhere to a neutral point of view, and using strong independent references. I'm going to go ahead and make these initial changes.

Since you mentioned you've worked on other insurance pages, can you suggest a model for the structure of a good insurance page? I feel like the subheads here are a little bit random. Dacbeerpig (talk) 18:10, 29 March 2016 (UTC)

Adding litigation section

I am planning to add a new section to the Sentry article, Litigation, where all relevant litigation-related matters can be cited. I welcome any feedback on this. Dacbeerpig (talk) 14:30, 28 April 2016 (UTC)

Adding Philanthropy section

Greetings, I am planning to add a small Corporate Philanthropy section to the Sentry Insurance page. The company is quite active in its charitable giving; Sentry has raised millions for United Way in Wisconsin and given quite a bit of money to educational institutions and various nonprofits over the years. I have at least a half dozen good examples of its philanthropy, all well-supported by solid references.

I would like guidance from others on how many I should include in this section. Is it best practice to summarize the company's philanthropic activities and philosophy, and then support that with several examples? Feedback would be greatly appreciated, since I am employed by the company. Dacbeerpig (talk) 13:16, 16 May 2016 (UTC)

Added litigation section

HornColumbia, could you take a look at the new litigation section? I'd appreciate your feedback. Dacbeerpig (talk) 18:22, 5 May 2016 (UTC)

• I'm not a big fan of this section. I see several potential issues. Insurance companies are involved in a lot of court cases. Keeping such a section up to date and accurate becomes a big workload for editors. Also, these court cases are often contentious. It becomes hard for editors to keep a neutral point of view(Wikipedia:Neutral point of view). This can lead to edit wars. Trying to referee an edit war is a pain and one of the reasons I'm not as active on Wikipedia as I used to be. I don't think it adds much to the article and I'm suggesting you remove it. HornColumbia talk 15:28, 5 June 2016 (UTC)
  • Upon reflection, I agree, HornColumbia, and thank you very much for clarifying the issue. Would you like to remove it or do you think I should? Dacbeerpig (talk) 16:35, 6 June 2016 (UTC)
    • I'll leave that to you. Thanks.HornColumbia talk 03:03, 8 June 2016 (UTC)
      • Thanks, got it. Dacbeerpig (talk) 21:26, 8 June 2016 (UTC)

Logo

I recently noticed a pair of edits in the logo section, each purportedly replacing incorrect information. From my position as an insider, I can clarify. There are elements of truth in both recent edits.

Sentry rebranded in 2016. A new Sentry word mark includes a symbol made up of two stylized single quote quotation marks paired up into a circle, reminiscent of the yin and yang symbol, representing two sides of a conversation. The negative space between the quote marks takes on the shape of an S (source).

Additionally, Sentry no longer uses “Strength, Protection and Vigilance” in marketing materials.

I’ve been reluctant to make updates on the rebranding subject because of my direct involvement in it. For the sake of accuracy--unless there’s an objection here in the next week or so--I will update the page with the content shown above. Dacbeerpig (talk) 18:47, 28 October 2016 (UTC)