Northern Exposure

We are all too familiar with pure risk in the insurance industry, but speculative risk is reserved for other arenas. This summer, an Arctic adjuster and I came together in a situation where we both had something to lose. I was a student, just finishing my third year of economics studies at Queen’s University, who travelled 3200 kilometers to Yellowknife in May, exchanging 15 C for -15 C in the hope of finding my way at Arctic West Adjusters. Greg Merrithew, owner, had only seen a resume and met me briefly, but as a believer in investing in youth, he seized the opportunity to bring me on board. Had I been incapable of handling the job or the location, it would have been a costly hiring.

But the gamble paid off. There is something special about Arctic West Adjusters. Everyone must prove capable in all areas, such is the shortage of personnel and all else in the North. Within two weeks I was travelling to snow-ridden Nunavut, hitchhiking to the investigation site no less. By the end of the summer, I had opened and closed several claims on my own. I had earned my adjusting license and the trust of my co-workers through their encouragement for me to be confident; thanks to the small-office ‘can-I-help-you?’ culture at Arctic West.

This is a story that needs to be told more often in the insurance industry. As a student of insurance I greatly admire and appreciate Greg’s initiative and his commitment to making a difference in the industry. I may never work for Greg again, but I will work in the industry of which he is a part of and while that will benefit him, it will benefit others much more. I strongly encourage others within the industry to make a habit of this big-picture approach. On the macro level, this will pay off for everyone. The talent of the claims department must be increased in capacity and in capability. The best way to do this is to inform and seek out students, show them the ropes, and let them see that the industry is service-based and full of the business world’s most caring people. This has been my experience.

Arctic West Adjusters is a perfect microcosm of the claims world. I showed up as the batboy and by the end I was playing shortstop. Tickets are selling, but the league is short players. A summer at Arctic West was like walking on at spring training and by October I was vying for the pennant. No one could have described that to me, I had to experience it for myself. I was very fortunate to share the bench with the Arctic West team. Internships and mentorships are crucial practices for fostering the growth of responsible and knowledgeable adjusters.

Post-internship, I have realized how essential such an experience was and how it will continue to provide value to my planned career in the p&c insurance Industry for years to come. I could not have known this until immersed in the venture.

Daniel Plant is a fourth year economics student at Queens University. He spent this past summer interning at Arctic West Adjusters in the Northwest Territories.