The Bottom Line: Masters of the (disability insurance) universe.

Byline: J. Hemmerdinger

Sept. 11--Welcome to Portland, Maine, the disability insurance capital of the world. From this city came Unum Group, a major insurance company whose Maine presence gave rise to a local industry. "Portland is the center of the disability universe," said Joseph Foley, chief marketing officer. "There are spin-off businesses, reinsurance businesses, claim operators. They all fed off Unum." Unum Group's headquarters are no longer in Portland, but thousands of employees, including top executives in the company's U.S. division, still work in offices on Congress Street not far from the Portland International Jetport.

Unum executives say sales have flattened in recent years with the economic downturn. But the company has responded by developing new products and continuing a broad education campaign aimed at increasing the public's awareness of disability insurance. "The amount of money you will earn in your lifetime will exceed …