Field Pros Direct Awarded #3881 On The 2023 Inc. 5000 Fastest-growing Private Companies for 3rd Year in a Row.

Inc. Magazine revealed on August 16, 2023 that Field Pros Direct, an FPD Solutions Company, made the annual Inc. 5000 list again this year! Ranking 3,881 of 5,000 of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States, we are honored to join this prestigious list, along with past winners like Microsoft, Patagonia, Chobani and other 2023 honorees.  

"I am deeply grateful and humbled by the incredible support and hard work of our team, carrier partners, and adjusters that have led us to win the prestigious INC 5000 award.” Matt Anderson, CEO. “Our purpose of empowering the insurance industry with simplicity and thoughtfulness has been our guiding light. At FPD, we listen with openness, and we obsess with improvement because we believe it's a journey, not a destination. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to bringing meaningful relationships, genuine kindness, and excellence to every aspect of our work.”

“Running a business has only gotten harder since the end of the pandemic,” says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “To make the Inc. 5000—with the fast growth that requires—is truly an accomplishment. Inc. is thrilled to honor the companies that are building our future.” 

Each year is presented with new opportunities for companies, like ours and many other Companies on the Inc. 5000 list, to grow and evolve while adapting to the industry challenges. We joined other industry innovators on the list like Kin Insurance, Bamboo Insurance, Keystone Experts & Engineering, along with many other companies dedicated to innovating the insurance industry.   

"We are truly humbled for achieving this significant milestone, and we attribute it to the genuine relationships we've built and an unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional work. These elements have driven us to a leading position in the property & casualty claims industry," explains Hunter Moss, COO & President. "At the heart of our identity, we champion innovation, adaptability, and our distinctive technology which underscores our belief in the vital importance of data, and unwavering commitment to quality work,” 

Thank you, again, for all those who support our mission so that we can continue to provide simple solutions to the claims industry. To see a complete list of the Inc. 5000 winners, visit www.inc.com/inc5000.  

Team Spotlight: Tara Nachreiner

Our team spotlight for this month is the one and only Tara Nachreiner, Field Pros Direct’s Office Manager. During this session of our Team Spotlight Q&A session, we will introduce you to Tara Nachreiner on a personal level and take a peek into her professional journey with Field Pros Direct. 

Tara has been with us at Field Pros Direct (FPD) for 3 years now. Join us on this month’s edition of the Team Spotlight series as we get to know Tara better.

What is your role at Field Pros Direct?

My official role is that of an Office Manager. I mainly work with one of our larger accounts that starts right from when we receive assignments. I start by assigning claims to matched field adjusters all the way to closure of the claims in Xactanalysis and making sure we meet all our KPIs and milestones throughout this process. Additionally, I work closely with Bonnie Winters, Savannah Gray, and the Customer Success team. 

What does an average day look like for you during regular as well as CAT season?

Every day begins with a nice fresh cup of coffee for me and the luxury of working from my home office! My labrador, Bella, joins me in my routine as she plops herself next to my feet. There is a lot of multitasking involved. A major part of my day goes into replying to emails coming from carriers, field adjusters, and desk adjusters on statuses, requests for supplements, as well as reinspection requests. I also work closely with reviewers, the customer care team, and FPD management to keep the claims moving. I assign a lot of new claims to the field and I speak to adjusters over the phone throughout the day.

During CAT season, all of this increases tenfold, but my main priority during CAT season is deployment. This includes getting the adjusters where they are ready to be deployed, focusing on getting all the claims assigned out, and making sure that we get all our reports on time.

What has been the most rewarding experience for you this past year?

I would say the way we have all pulled together as a family with what last year threw at us has been nothing short of amazing. Not only did we have COVID but we also dealt with back-to-back hurricanes (Laura and Delta) landing in the same area. Harnessing technology to deal with these situations and building our FPD family has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me. 

My relationship with my work family has evolved to the point where we interact beyond just claims. We know what’s going on with each other’s lives, how their day has been, and crack jokes for a laugh. So I would say getting to build a deeper bond with my work family has been truly rewarding. 

What is your favorite part about Field Pros Direct?

I know I’m repeating myself but the family culture that we have built at FPD is the best. All of us work hard, play hard, and have fun together. It’s amazing how everything flows so well with field adjusters, desk adjusters, reviewers, internal teams, and senior management. Everyone feels like family and that is not easy to find.

What was a big lesson you learned over the last year?

Last year taught me how to nail work-life balance and it has been amazing. I have two boys and I’ve been reflecting on how quickly time flies when you are raising kids. One day you’re chasing them across the kitchen, taking them to baseball games, watching them roll their eyes at you as teenagers, and you feel as if it will never end.

As I look back, I see my oldest graduating from the University of Illinois now going to graduate school and my other one graduating from high school and attending the University of Milwaukee in the fall being left with an empty nest. So those who are in the middle of such a process must enjoy the ride, savour every moment, and find their own work-life balance.

If you had to pick three words to define Field Pros Direct, what would they be?

For me, the first word would be ‘innovation’. We are always trying to harness technology to simplify older processes and create new ones that streamline our business, including our adjuster app (which has been a huge success).

Even when it comes to communication, we were innovative in the way we used Slack during CAT season to answer field adjuster’s questions and shared them across so everyone could learn from them. Not to forget how we leverage technology to run reports and track milestones as well as managing tasks within our project management software has been very innovative. 

The next two words would be ‘family’ and ‘culture’. I know I’m repeating myself here but it’s the truth. Despite being remote, FPD has truly been a family for me and for everyone who works here. When we first started, 4 years ago, it was me, Matt Anderson, Bonnie Winners, Danielle Manzo, Matt Cronican, and shortly afterward, Bentley Laytin. We didn’t have a customer service team or a reviewers team at that point. It has been pretty amazing to see how much we’ve grown in such a short amount of time. And the quality of people who have become a part of our family has been impeccable. Now with Bridgewater Group as our newest addition, I’d say kudos to Matt Anderson for bringing us all together.

What is something people might not know about you?

I think most people know this already but I love visiting flea markets. I also love refinishing furniture and decorating after getting inspired by  various HGTV shows. But something people may or may not know from my accent is the place where I am from. I never hear it myself when I talk to people but everyone says that I do say some words oddly, or have unusual phrases. 

Those who are familiar with it can probably guess that I am from the Midwest. I currently live in Chicago, but I grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison ( go Badgers!). I’ve been in Chicago for the last 16 years but I’m a die-hard Badgers and Packers fan through and through.

My fiancee and I are always at odds with each other because he grew up in Chicago and is obviously a Bears fan whereas I grew up in Wisconsin, a true Packers fan. As you may know, Bears fans cannot stand Packers fans. So during football season, I’m always outnumbered when we go to watch a game with our friends. But it’s still fun.

What are some of the memorable DIY projects you’ve done?

One of the first projects that I did was an old record cabinet... It belonged to my mother. Andy, my fiancé, and I whitewashed it and that was our first attempt at refinishing furniture (pictured below). It now belongs in my office. After that, we got a couple of dressers. One is from the late 1800s and the other one is a bit more recent and is more like a chest. I’ve been working on it for a while now but looking forward to seeing it completed.

Team Spotlight: John Darragh

This month we shine a Team Spotlight on our Director of Account Management, John Darragh, for his two-year anniversary at Field Pros Direct. For those of you who are new to our series, our Team Spotlight is a Q&A style-blog that will introduce you to our team on a deeper level. We highlight a different team member on their anniversary and ask them questions ranging from professional to personal matters. 

Part of providing a great experience is having the knowledge to understand what experiences need to be improved. John Darragh has been in the claims industry for over 45-years, providing us with a wealth of knowledge on good and bad experiences over time in insurance. If you haven’t met John, you will feel right at home when you do. While he may consider himself “shy,” others who have met him know that’s not the case. Join us on our journey to get to know John a little more during our Spotlight interview.

What is your role at Field Pros Direct? What does your average day-to-day look like?

As far as my role goes, it is the Director of Account Management. The position is a hybrid between sales and client support, as I manage client relationships and also nurture those relationships even after a sale is completed. 

Each day varies based upon the day, but generally, it starts with reviewing incoming correspondence from Carrier partners to ensure all their needs are taken care of. Then I move over to working on our Carrier Stewardship reports to provide them with performance trends and to help build a better relationship with them. 

Over the past year, what was your most rewarding experience?

There’s been a lot. I guess I would say that when I came to Field Pros Direct we were in the early infancy stages. It has been truly rewarding to see how the company has grown, from the people, to the technology, to the clients. I am genuinely proud of the team’s efforts under Matt Anderson’s guidance.

What is your favorite benefit or feature of the Field Pros Direct solution? 

I’ve been in the industry a while and have seen a lot. The most rewarding part of being here is really the team and the growth that has stemmed from such a great team. It’s very interesting to see how growth really looks, especially being that my history has generally been with more established companies that were entrenched in their ways.   I need to be dragged into some of the technology, but it’s been a lot of fun learning along the way! 

Over the past year, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned? 

Everything doesn’t fit into the same mold. You need to be flexible and must be able to mold your product to the client’s needs. The reality of molding our services to fit their needs is not easy, but it’s necessary to maintain those relationships in the industry. Another lesson is that listening is really the key. People are used to salesmen and women walking in and talking the whole time – sometimes talking entirely too much. Being able to listen and really hear what their needs are is something we all need to be able to do.

In 3 words, how would you describe Field Pros Direct?

Collaborative. Flexible. People-focused. 

On Monday morning’s we spend time on a call with senior staff to get a report of what’s going on throughout the company. There’s a lot of collaboration that goes on within those calls to get input from everyone. Even if you don’t have direct dealing with a situation, we have the opportunity to share our perspective and get the perspective of others.  As far as flexibility goes, we have been quite flexible. We’ve been focused to service our clients and have had the flexibility to add people when we need to change and grow on the fly. As for being people-focused, that word really says it all. We pay attention to our people and know how important quality of life is for everyone. It’s essential to make sure they have the best quality of life to couple with their job so that they can get through life without the stress and strain that can come with working in this industry.   

What is something that people may not know about you?

I’m basically shy. I don’t like to talk about myself and would rather focus on others. It is very difficult for me to sit back and talk about myself. My joys in life are my wife, my two children, and my 6 grandkids and watching them grow, even though we haven’t been able to see them much with the pandemic. The grandkids range from 4-17 with 4 boys and 2 girls. When I’m not with my family in New Jersey, I like golf because I’ve gotten too old for all other sports. 

And that’s a wrap! You can find more about John Darragh at www.fieldprosdirect.com/meet-the-team or connect with him on LinkedIn. 

Welcome Neil Atkins to the Leadership Team

Welcome Neil Atkins to the Leadership Team

As Field Pros Direct continues to simplify the way property claims are handled with experience-based technology, we have strategically added a new Director of Claims Operations, Neil Atkins. Neil comes with over 17 years of experience in the insurance industry from the Nation’s largest Independent Adjusting (IA) firm to Enservio, a 15-year-old software company. Since entering the claims industry as an adjuster, Neil provides a perfect mix of first-hand adjuster experience, innovation, and CAT knowledge to the team. Moreover, he brings an eagerness to be a part of a culture that values constant innovation in order to shape the future of claims. 

When asked why Neil made the leap from Enservio to Field Pros Direct, he said that ”Field Pros really checked all of the boxes for me, from the culture and people, many who are familiar faces, to the vision and innovation of the product. There is a blend of new technology and fresh ideas that are really exciting.” Neil continues “This is very clearly an environment where you can be expressive, challenged, but also supported by a talented group of people who are in it to win as a team.”

”Field Pros really checked all of the boxes for me, from the culture and people, many who are familiar faces, to the vision and innovation of the product. There is a blend of new technology and fresh ideas that is really exciting.”

In Neil’s new role, he will be working directly with Field Pros Direct’s COO, Bentley Laytin, while managing our Carrier accounts and contributing to enhancing our claims process and technology.  “We are very excited to bring an individual of Neil’s caliber to the Field Pros Family. Neil not only has vast industry experience but also is a great addition to the culture” states Laytin, who also worked with Neil previously. 

Field Pros Direct’s entire leadership team is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Neil. Matt Anderson, CEO says “Neil's desire to create solutions that solve problems for insurance carriers and adjusters make him a great fit for the Field Pros Direct family."

Join us in welcoming Neil to the Field Pros Direct Family! 

Field Pros Direct Expands Our Technology Team

Field Pros Direct Expands Their Technology Team

Optimizing experiences for our clients, our adjusters and policyholders has been at the forefront of our minds as we continue to build our team. To help deliver even more features and functionality, we recently brought on Jesse Schimmel and David Gurley as our newest Software Engineers. Michael Hearn, our technology lead, hand selected both engineers to ensure they could build our vision and fit into our culture by ultimately helping us provide a better experience.  

When asked what David saw appealing about joining the FPD team, he said:

I'm always looking to work with good people, doing good work, and people I trust spoke very highly about the company. I have also spent a large part of my professional life working for giant corporations, so it felt really good to join a smaller nimbler organization.

Both Jesse and David, are natural problem solvers and genuinely love coding - so much so that they both enjoy coding in their free time! Their passion will be essential in their new role, as they will be working on the development and completion of Version 2 of the Field Pros Direct platform.

"I'm extremely excited to have David & Jesse join our growing engineering department! They both bring some tremendous knowledge developing software to solve very similar problems to the ones we are solving", states Michael Hearn, Product Lead of Field Pros Direct.

Join us in welcoming Jesse and David to the Field Pros Team!

Team Spotlight: Mike Hearn

Team Spotlight: Mike Hearn

This month we shine a Team Spotlight on our Technology Lead, Mike Hearn, for his one-year anniversary at Field Pros Direct. For those of you who are new here, this series is a Q&A style-blog that will introduce you to our team on a deeper level. We highlight a different team member on their anniversary and ask them questions ranging from professional to personal matters.

Simplifying complexities through continuous innovation is one of our core values. Our technology plays a critical role in that innovation, which is why Mike’s job has such a huge impact on the entire Field Pros Direct experience. Mike’s background ranges from former adjuster to overseeing operations at a previous technology company, making his wide-range of skills a perfect fit for his role here (and well deserving of the nickname “technology guru”). We all wear many hats, but it’s our experiences and expertise that give our team the diversity to truly innovate our solutions. Wearing many hats himself, Mike tells us about what being a technology leader means to him. Now it’s time to dive in and get to know a little more about Mike Hearn. 

What is your role at Field Pros Direct? What does your average day-to-day look like?

As Technology and Product lead, my responsibility is the management of our proprietary software. That includes managing the product vision and roadmap. I work closely with our engineering department and business leaders to prioritize and release new product updates or features, ensuring the our product aligns with our overall vision.

“What does my average day look like?” I think I ask myself that on a daily basis, because is there really an “average day”? Simply put it is a lot of Slack, a lot of Asana and a lot of coffee. But really, it involves a lot of interaction with our business and engineering team to ensure that we are all in sync. I start the day reviewing communications to address any pressing items or bugs. If we encounter a bug it’s usually addressed first thing in the morning. If we have a new feature rolling out, I may be testing new features or helping support the internal or external users of the product.

Our external users drive what we do, with the goal to make their lives easier and provide a product they want to use. Feedback from that user group is critical. I love checking out their feedback so that we can find ways to incorporate their suggestions into future products and releases.

Over the past year, what was your most rewarding experience?

Honestly, I don’t know if there’s a specific experience, but a lot of rewarding experiences tie into our external users. When we see our users benefiting from our product, that’s really where I value the reward. I like to see people not only using our product, but actually benefiting from it. Anytime we get feedback like “wow this made my job easier” or “I never want to do another assignment without your product” that is what drives us and drives me.

What is your favorite benefit or feature of the Field Pros Direct solution?

That’s a pretty easy answer…the team. I wouldn’t even call it a team because I think we’ve really developed a family here. I know that sounds a little cliché, but the culture that Matt Anderson has developed here is certainly unique. I’ve had the privilege of working with Matt on other endeavors and he has a knack for assembling remarkable teams. This team is no different. The folks here are very forward thinking and aren’t afraid to try new things. It makes it easy to come to work every day. From a product leader perspective, it makes my job easier when you know you’re going to be supported by innovative minds when you’re trying to think of new ways to conquer some of the dated tasks the industry has.

To clarify “team”, we don’t just see team members as full-time Field Pros Direct employees. This is anyone we interact with on a daily basis which includes contract resources, our adjusters, and our partners. 

Over the past year, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

One of the bigger lessons I’ve learned (and am still working on) is that sometimes it can be tough to manage expectations. In a world of product development, it’s all about getting product to market. Certainly, it can be tough to manage when ideally you want to release new updates as soon as possible. As the Product Leader, there is a fine line to walk to make sure that you’re releasing products timely, but more importantly making sure what we’re releasing is quality. Of course being “first to market” is important in the technology space. However, you don’t want to release new features just to release something - you want to make sure it’s quality and has impact.

In 3 words, how would you describe Field Pros Direct?

Family. Innovative. Disruptive.

 I think we’ve actually hit on them all in the previous questions. The first would be family, no doubt. I think our entire team (internal and external) work very hard to make sure this is a family-like environment. We all work hard, play hard and have a great time together. The second would be innovative. We have a lot of great ideas that may even be strange to some extent. But I think we have a lot of innovative ideas on how we can truly innovate this industry, together. The last would honestly be disruptive. What we’re doing and what we want to do will change this industry. I know that may seem like a pie-in-sky thinking, but I truly believe that the vision we’re working to accomplish can certainly be disruptive. And that, to me, is exciting!

What we’re doing and what we want to do will change this industry. I know that may seem like a pie-in-sky thinking, but I truly believe that the vision we’re working to accomplish can certainly be disruptive. And that, to me, is exciting!

What is something that people may not know about you?

This probably won’t come as a surprise to some, but I’m not a huge social media person. I guess I personally like to keep some things private. One of my passions people may not know about me is that I love to fish. I’m a huge kayak angler. There’s something about fishing from a kayak that’s drawn me in the past few years. Maybe it’s the fact that you are wrangling in a large fish when you’re pretty much sitting on the water. I fish fresh water, salt water and even competitively. I’m based near Charlotte, NC so the great thing is I can get to coast in a little over 3 hours to do plenty of saltwater fishing. There are certainly plenty of lakes and rivers near me to get the best of both worlds. 

Now for photos to debut Mike’s social media presence.

And that’s a wrap! Thanks for joining us for another Team Spotlight. You can find more about Mike Hearn at www.fieldprosdirect.com/meet-the-team or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Team Spotlight: Matt Cronican

Team Spotlight: Matt Cronican

This month the Field Pros Direct Team Spotlight gets shined on our Director of Customer Success, Matt Cronican for his two-year anniversary. For those of you who are new here, this series is a Q&A style-blog that will introduce you to our team on a deeper level. We highlight a different team member on their anniversary to ask them questions ranging from professional to personal. 

Customer Success is a huge part of Field Pros core values, making Matt’s job incredibly important. He does a great job empowering carriers and adjuster success, as you will see throughout the interview. Matt’s problem-solving mindset and dedication to his job influenced a lot of the conversation - and we even discovered a great fun fact at the end! 

What is your role at Field Pros Direct? What does your day-to-day look like?

As the Director of Customer Success, my role is to ensure that our client’s guidelines and processes are implemented properly. The client guidelines range from how to assign claims, how to review claims and beyond. Based on their guidelines I will create training programs and processes and make sure any changes to these guidelines are clearly communicated. I also work closely with the team and clients throughout the onboarding process. 

Each day looks very different and changes often - especially during CAT season. This is why, for me, it's important to plan what items need to get done and give myself flexibility to handle the unexpected. Each morning starts with running reports on claims received and file statuses. This way I can make sure that our open inventory is being addressed and I can monitor capacity. In preparation for CAT season I’m hosting a lot of training calls for reviewers and adjusters to make sure that everyone is up-to-date. We all know how during CAT season the schedule goes out the window and you have little room to adjust. 

Do you have any tips for keeping your team organized during CAT season?

I think it boils down to communication, trust and expectations. Before and during CAT it’s important to set clear expectations so that everyone knows who is responsible for what. More importantly, creating a team of people you trust. When I assign something to one of our team members, there is no question in my mind whether or not it will be completed. Frequent communication is paramount. During a CAT there’s no room for slipping up, so I make sure that I communicate with the team daily (or multiple times a day) during a CAT to answer any questions or offer assistance.

Over the past year, what was your most rewarding experience?

There are a number of projects that I’ve been a part of this past year and am proud to be a part of. First off, our team has strategically doubled in size over the past year. We want to be a success story for our clients, so hiring talent from inside and outside of the industry helps us deliver on our promise. It’s been exciting to be along for the ride. 

Another one is the completion of phase 1 of our field application that we’ve rolled out to our adjusters. I work closely with our adjuster network, so I hear first-hand when they are having a problem. Once we rolled the app out, we saw that it reduces turnaround times and unnecessary phone calls and emails. It was fun and rewarding to work on a product that actually helped them. 

My most recent one was our Virtual Adjusting platform. On top of helping build out the program I stayed heavily involved in monitoring it’s progress after launching. I remember getting a call from a client after we completed our first virtual claim telling me how great this was. That’s the best reward - knowing that your hard work made an impact. 

What is your favorite benefit or feature of the Field Pros Direct solution? 

Our team and customer service. I know that’s broad and vague, but I’ve never worked with a more creative group that’s easy to communicate with. Everyday I know what is expected of me and what’s expected of others. More importantly, I know that I can ask for help if I need it. The fact that the team will gladly accept tasks when I need help, knowing that I would do the same for them really gives me peace of mind. 

Over the past year, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned? 

Speak up! I wasn’t always one to speak up if I wasn’t the subject matter expert in the area. I’ve now realized that if I have an opinion about something, the team encourages me to let it be known. We all are SME’s of different areas of business and likely have overlapping knowledge. I may be the go-to person for a specific topic, but another team member may have insights that could trigger me to think about the topic differently. 

Another is to ask for help if you need it. The last thing you want is something to get missed because you didn’t want to ask for help. Asking for help is encouraged and when I’m not as busy, I offer my help. It’s a two-way street. Plus, when I help it generally teaches me something new. You never know when you’re going to learn something that can be applied to your role. 

In 3 words, how would you describe Field Pros Direct?

Intelligent, Collaborative and Supportive. 

We have brought together a lot of skill sets from different industries to be successful in anything we embark on. I’m surrounded by people with tremendous knowledge in business operations, finance, HR, programming and more. And, as I mentioned earlier, no matter what the skill set or job title is - everyone is here to support one another.

What is something that people may not know about you?

People probably don’t know how much I like to design and engineer things during my off time. This may be to my detriment, but I love finding different ways to solve problems I find. Recently I’ve gotten into 3D printing. During my free time I’m at home with a compass, calculator and graph paper thinking about what type of useful thing I can design and print. It’s challenging and has made me relearn things like trigonometry and geometry. It’s in my nature to solve problems. By designing and printing solutions, it makes me approach and solve problems differently and helps me see the big picture which I can translate into other areas of my life.

What is the most recent “cool” thing you’ve designed and/ 3D printed?

I’m a truck guy. I’m on my 3rd truck and frequently go camping with friends in Western North Carolina every year. One thing I find myself doing is changing up the way I sleep when I camp. I may go from a tent, to a hammock, to sleeping in the truck. No one way is ever perfect. One day I decided to use the dimensions of my truck bed to print brackets that mount to the bed rails. Using these brackets I was able to put together custom tent poles that fit into them, giving me a quick and secure way to sleep without having to carry a lot of extra gear. 

You can find more about Matt Cronican at www.fieldprosdirect.com/meet-the-team or connect with him on Linkedin. 

Interested in hearing more about Matt’s 3D adventures or asking Matt a question? Leave us a comment below!