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Commercial Lines Producer · Nadler Insurance
Millicent Smith
I sell to service. Construction and multi-state commercial — done right, with the policy details that actually matter to your business.
California
Licensed and ready to write
1927
Independent since
About Millicent
A senior CL producer who got here by paying attention.
I focus on construction and mid-market commercial risks. Most of my clients are general contractors, subcontractors, and specialty trades — the kinds of accounts where the policy details actually matter. Subcontractor language, ongoing operations vs. completed operations, additional insured forms, OCIP and CCIP carve-outs, comp class accuracy. The places generalists miss.
The retention I see on my book comes from getting the front-end work right. There are no shortcuts on intake — the questions I ask in the first meeting are the questions that prevent surprise endorsements at the comp audit, denied claims at 9pm Friday, or a certificate that doesn’t actually do what your GC needs it to do.
Preferred admitted carriers
Direct appointments with the standard markets that price competitively when the risk fits. A representative slice — Nadler maintains a broader carrier panel than what’s listed here.
- BTIS — Specialty contractor and tradesman programs
- The Hartford — Construction, contractors, BOPs
- Hanover — Specialty commercial appetite
- Chubb — Mid-market commercial property + GL
- Travelers — Workers' comp + package policies
- Liberty Mutual — Mid-market commercial, package, WC
- CNA — Mid-market commercial, package, professional
- AmTrust — Workers' comp + small commercial
- Progressive — Commercial auto and fleet
And additional admitted markets we access depending on risk appetite, geography, and class.
E&S wholesale relationships
For risks the standard market won’t take or won’t price right — construction and hard-to-place commercial exposure. A representative slice; the wholesale panel goes deeper as the risk requires.
- RT Specialty — E&S construction
- AmWins — Broad specialty appetite
- CRC Group — Hard-to-place commercial
- CK Specialty — Construction-heavy book
And additional E&S markets we access through specialty wholesalers depending on the placement.
How I work
Before we quote, we understand.
Most CL placements get rushed. A producer wants to win the account, the carrier wants speed, and the client doesn’t know what they don’t know. I work the other direction.
The first conversation is mine to ask questions. What does the operation actually look like — payroll, classes of work, subcontractor mix, premises, exposures, prior claims. What did last year’s renewal miss. What does your GC require on the certificate. Where is the comp audit going to bite this year.
Then I shop the market. Then I write the coverage. Then I explain it — in plain language — so you can sign with your eyes open.
Step one
Listen first
Operations, exposures, claims history, what last renewal missed.
Step two
Shop the right markets
Admitted carriers and E&S wholesalers — RT, AmWins, CRC, CK Specialty.
Step three
Explain it plainly
No buried exclusions, no surprise endorsements at the comp audit.
For contractors
Where most contractor policies fail.
A contractor’s coverage is only as good as the questions that got asked at intake. Most accounts I see have at least one gap that was never noticed — sometimes for years — until a claim, an audit, or a GC’s certificate request exposed it. These are the places I look first.
Subcontractor language
Are your subs carrying their own GL and WC? Is the indemnity wording in your contracts enforceable, or is it boilerplate that won’t hold up? When a sub’s claim becomes yours, the answer is in the contract you signed two years ago.
Additional insured forms
Blanket vs. scheduled. Ongoing operations vs. ongoing AND completed. CG 2010 vs. CG 2037. The difference between the forms is the difference between coverage and a denial three years after the project closes out.
Workers’ comp class miscoding
A $500K payroll on the wrong class code can cost or save tens of thousands at audit. I check classes against actual operations, not whatever was on the renewal app last year. The audit shouldn’t be where you find out you were wrong.
OCIP / CCIP carve-outs
“I’m covered by their wrap” isn’t always true. Wraps cover the project, not your business. Your own GL still has to respond to off-site work, equipment, tools, and claims that fall outside the wrap’s window.
Contractor’s equipment & inland marine
Tools and equipment in transit, on the jobsite, in storage yards, and rented to others. Most BOPs cover almost none of that the way contractors think they do. Inland marine fills the gap — but only if it’s written for the actual operation.
Certificate-of-insurance language
What your GC actually requires versus what a generic certificate produces. Waivers of subrogation, primary and non-contributory wording, named insured’s status, 30-day notice of cancellation. The cert that gets rejected Friday at 4pm is the one nobody read in advance.
Want a coverage review on your current policies?
I’ll walk through your existing policies, your contracts, and your operations — and tell you exactly where the gaps are. No obligation. No quote pressure.
Book a coverage consultFree resource
The Contractor’s Insurance Playbook.
Written by Paul & Zach Nadler — the family playbook on GL, workers comp (including pay-as-you-go), commercial auto, tools coverage, and the COI process. Free download — delivered instantly, plus emailed to your inbox.
The Contractor’s Insurance Playbook
By Paul & Zach Nadler
Why Nadler
A century of independent advice, with the systems to back it.
Nadler Insurance was founded in San Francisco, California in 1927 by Phillip Nadler. Paul Nadler moved the agency to San Carlos in the late 1980s, where it has been headquartered ever since. Four generations later — Phillip, Alvin, Paul, and now Zach — the agency is still independent, still family-owned, and still answering its own phones.
That matters because it tells you where the loyalty sits. Not with one carrier. Not with a private equity timeline. With the clients on the book and the producers writing it.
I work with Nadler because the values match, the carrier panel matches, and the infrastructure is real. Applied Epic, CSR24, a dedicated account management team, Staff Boom virtual support behind the scenes, and a marketing partnership that thinks about commercial clients the way I do. The personal advice you get from me runs on top of a hundred years of durable agency work — and a tech stack built around producers, not against them.
Tech & service
Service that doesn’t make you wait.
The fastest service request is the one you can handle yourself at 7am from your phone. The second-fastest is a real person who actually knows your file. You get both.
Self-service portal
CSR24 — coverage in your pocket
Your client portal is open 24/7. No waiting on hold, no emailing the office for a certificate at 4pm Friday.
- ·Issue your own certificates of insurance — instant, from any device
- ·Make payments and view billing history
- ·Pull ID cards and policy documents on demand
- ·Available on iPhone, Android, and any web browser
Real humans
A dedicated account management team
When the portal isn’t enough, you don’t hit a call center. You hit a named account manager who knows your file.
- ·Endorsements, mid-term changes, claim coordination
- ·Renewal preparation that starts months before the effective date
- ·Offshore VA support behind the scenes (Staff Boom) so nothing gets dropped
- ·I stay your single point of contact for advice and strategy
Intro video
A two-minute intro — coming soon.
Coming soon — Millicent’s intro
A short walk-through on construction and how I run a CL placement.
Get in touch
Tell me about your operation.
The form below comes straight to me. I respond within one business day — usually faster.
Book a meeting
Pick a time that works — Calendly link goes here once Millicent’s account is set up.
Calendly link coming soonReach Millicent
- millicent@nadlerinsurance.com
- 650-508-8000 (agency main)
- Silicon Valley, CA · Multi-state appointments
- Mon–Fri, 9–5 Pacific
Frequently asked
The questions clients ask first.
Quick answers on experience, market access, transitions, and how the day-to-day service actually works.