Age and Knowledge

With an average age of 35 and average experience of more than 15 years, Midwest Claims Services is able to set itself apart in the adjusting field. Two of the company’s three owners are under the age of 30, but combined, the two have over 12 years of experience. The third owner is the next youngest adjuster in Regina and boasts 25 years of experience.

While the name might be new, Midwest Claims Services has been around since 1982. Originally established as Clay Paget General Insurance Adjusters, the company had its first change of ownership in 1996, when two employees, Frank Kerr and Terry Dahlman, bought the company from founder Clay Paget. A name change followed in 2003 and the company became Dahlman Adjusters. Not to break tradition, the company was sold in 2007 to two employees, Dick Stinson and Garrett Schous, CIP, while a third adjuster, Rob Johnston, was brought on as the third owner.

“When we started (at Dahlman Adjusters) together, we all kind of had the idea in the back of our minds that we would own this company one day,” Schous says. “(Dick and I) began negotiations with Terry in 2005. (We recruited Rob) as a potential partner . . . Exactly a year later, Terry sold the company to the three of us and we have been off and running ever since.”

Changing names

Within a year, the company became Midwest Claims Services. The company underwent a name change in part because Dahlman had retired and the three new owners wanted their own identity. But, for them, Midwest was something that was brandable — something that could continue to be expanded upon in future.

“Clay Paget set the foundation and Terry kept it going,” Johnston says. “We just thought it was a great opportunity to take something and really run with it. To be a part of something that’s been successful in the past — that we can make stronger and better.”

Having been employees at the company prior to assuming ownership, they know and understand the level of service that was offered by Dahlman Adjusters and are able to continue to build on that.

Stinson, looking for a way to be home with his family after working on cat claims all over the United States for nearly 10 years, jumped at the chance to join Dahlman Adjusters in 2000. Three years later, Schous was brought on at Dahlman Adjusters because of his youth and ambition. For this same reason, Schous and Stinson brought Johnston on board a few years later.

But a company is not just the owners — the staff are a key factor in making a company prosper, the owners note.

Working together

Kerr has been with the company since its inception in 1978. As a former partner and 33-year veteran in the adjusting field, he sticks around to give the young guys a hand, Schous notes. To boot, Kerr is an ex-police offer with a wealth of investigative knowledge in fraud, fire and liability claims he is able to share. “(Kerr) still continues to do new claims on a daily basis (and) he has no plans of shutting it down either,” Schous says. “His jokes and antics keep the office environment light and makes it a little easier to come in to work every day.”

Dave Fong runs the company’s Swift Current office, has been an adjuster for over 30 years and “is an extremely knowledgeable adjuster,” Schous says. “We felt with his expertise and experience, that he would only help our young guys in becoming complete adjusters. We feel Dave is a huge part of the winning formula in our company. We try and absorb his knowledge at every opportunity.”

Shari Mosthaf was brought on as an adjuster just this year. She not only brings over 15 years of experience in underwriting and claims, but understands the value of education, having attained her CIP and continues to attend liability and fire seminars. “She puts the onus on service — just like our company — and has been a great fit for our company since joining in spring of 2008,” Schous says.

John Schick rounds out the adjusters within the company, while Pat Betker and Anita Klassen are the company’s support staff.

Focusing on customer service

Midwest Claims has a strong past and a promising future. The owners are confident the company will be there to serve customers for decades to come, both because of their strong customer service and strong adjuster base.

“The strong relationship that we have forged with our current clients will no doubt continue for years to come,” Schous notes. “We look forward to forging relationships with new clients and maintaining the relationships that have carried this company since 1978. We offer continuity and longevity to insurers — two very important aspects when building relationships in today’s uncertain marketplace.”

When working on claims, the adjusters look at things not only from the perspective of the insurer, but also the insured. For them, it’s claims adjustment with a common sense approach. “There’s two sides; we’re an intermediary,” Johnston notes. “We’re a fat collector, so what we do is try and see it from both sides and get a fair resolution for both parties.”

At the same time, the company knows, because they are an independent, they are only as good as their last claim. Keeping customer service at an all-time high is extremely important. “Keeping our clients happy is extremely important because they can shut the tap off right now if they want to,” Johnston points out. “They don’t have to put that claim on the fax machine if they don’t want to. We try to keep our customer service and our quality of work at a high so that we get the next one.”

This also means that there’s more of a personal approach given to clients, Johnston adds. “We don’t get a paycheque if we don’t get the claims.”

Building blocks

As the company looks to the future, the road is bright and promising. Saskatchewan is in the middle of a boom, with the population growing by the thousands every month. This will only mean more policies issues and more claims to handle, Schous notes. “We will be there to answer the call for our current clients and no doubt pick up additional clients as our competition in the province continues to age,” he adds.

And in order to deal with the increased business and adjuster retirement, Midwest Claims already has the wheels in motion to bring in prospective new adjusters to help provide the level of service the firm is famous for. Before next summer, the company plans on adding another adjuster or two, while over the next 10 years the firm will add roughly three or four new adjusters. But for a small firm, staffing can be a big challenge, especially with the current economic boom in Saskatchewan, which makes it tough to pay staff fair market value, Schous notes. But, he adds, people the company has approached about coming on board in the next few years are genuinely excited.

Furthermore, marketing to potential customers can be challenging for a small business competing against national firms which have endless pocketbooks and nationwide networks, Schous notes. Midwest banks on its reputation for providing unmatched service and quality of work to solicit new business. In addition, because Midwest is a small firm, most clients know all the staff by name, which allows for a personal feel.

And in order to ensure it is up-to-date with new developments in the industry — thereby continuing to offer top-notch service — Midwest Claims Service is a member of the Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association (CIAA). This allows them to attend educational seminars, discuss changes in the industry with a broad network base and stay connected to the adjuster community at large. In fact, the benefits of being a member of the CIAA are so paramount to this firm, Johnston is the regional president for Saskatchewan.