Anything is Possible

She’s no stranger to hard work. Divorced at 23 with two kids, Bea Boutcher went back to school, received her grade 12 with distinction and fell into insurance. Twenty-three years later, she has not turned back — in fact, she has founded her own company, Horizon Adjusters Ltd. in Grande Prairie, Alta, and has earned the CIP designation.

When Horizon Adjusters Ltd. first opened up in October of 2003, there was Boutcher and two other adjusters — one of whom Boutcher had worked with off and on for 17 years. For a few weeks, they worked with cell phones and folding tables until the land lines and furniture arrived and the office was officially up and running on Oct. 15, 2003.

“It’s been great,” Boutcher says. “I love adjusting — I do enjoy insurance adjusting.”

Since that time, Horizon Adjusters has doubled its office size and increased from three adjusters to seven licensed adjusters with a total staff of 10. “I did not expect to grow as rapidly as I did,” Boutcher says. “(I’m) proud of the company and I think we’re respected in the community.”

Company trains new recruits

While the insurance industry is facing a shortage of experienced adjusters, Boutcher and Horizon Adjusters have found a way to work around that. While it would be great to find experienced adjusters, Boutcher says, the company hires and trains a number of new recruits as the company continues to grow.

“I’ve had good success with that,” Boutcher says. “I’ve got some wonderful people that I started from scratch or started as trainees and they’ve turned out to be wonderful adjusters.” She notes she believes there will always be work for good adjusters. “Right now there’s a big shortage so there’s work for any kind of insurance adjuster,” she jokes.

Part of the reason for her success, Boutcher says, is that she enjoys a home field advantage. She, and many of her staff, are from the area and so there is an acceptance from the community and the contractors.

Grande Prairie, with a population of 50,000 is growing as well, which means an increase in claims. Not to mention, last winter was the worst winter Boutcher has ever seen, which also led to an increase in claims.

And while being a small firm has many advantages, Boutcher notes that in a major situation, such as the storms of last winter, there is nobody else to call on to come and help, which is an opportunity afforded to larger, national firms.

Advantages to running a small firm

But, she is quick to note the positives of running a small firm, a main point is the loyalty she receives from her staff. She says she feels that because she owns the company, her staff have a sense of ownership and pride, because they work directly with the owner and not with someone hired to manage the office.

Horizon Adjusters offers flexibility to its staff, be it working an extra hour a day to received every other Friday off, or working shorter hours so that you are home to pick up the kids — these are the little things a company can do when it is a smaller firm, because there aren’t the specific guidelines that have to be adhered to.

In addition, Boutcher notes she can make a decision about advertising or a major change without having to pass it by the “higher-ups.” She can change the way she is handling a certain element of her business without having to consult elsewhere.

The company also creates a place where the clients know who to call if there is a concern or if they need a particular matter dealt with.

“There’s that personal relationship,” Boutcher says. “(You) always want to make the customer feel like you care.” When it comes to the staff at Horizon Adjusters, there are few criteria: “You’ve got to enjoy what you’re doing — this has to be fun. I don’t want anybody working here that’s just looking for a paycheque,” Boutcher says. “This isn’t a job that you do just putting in time — you have to enjoy it.” And enjoy her job, Boutcher certainly does. So much so, that not only is she heading up Horizon Adjusters, but she is involved with the Insurance Institute of Canada, where she teaches courses, with the Canadian Independent Adjusters’ Association (CIAA) and the Alberta Association of Insurance Adjusters (AAIA) — an organization that she once served as president.

Benefits of CIAA

A member of the CIAA for the last 15 years, Boutcher ensured that Horizon Adjusters became a member firm straight away.

“CIAA is, I find, very beneficial for small firms,” Boutcher says. When the privacy act came out, Horizon Adjusters received national support from the CIAA. Everything was drafted so that the adjusting firm could download all the forms, make any necessary changes — such as adding their logo — and continue on with business as usual.

“We didn’t have to spend all that time trying to draft the proper privacy form,” Boutcher adds.

In addition, there is the support and networking that comes from being a member firm in the CIAA. Boutcher notes that when she attends conventions and events on behalf of Horizon, she finds that the larger companies are very supportive of her firm.

Between the reference material and the updates, Boutcher thinks a small firm would be unwise to not become a member firm.

In fact, Boutcher is so confident in the CIAA and it’s dedication to member firms that she is working to garner new members. She notes that the western region has been dormant for too long and “so we’re working at trying to get it off the ground again,” and grow the membership in the area.

“There (are) so many benefits for the smaller firms, and we do have a lot of smaller firms in Alberta,” Boutcher says noting she understands that the cost can be sizeable for a large firm. “We’re working at getting them to realize the benefits we see,” adding that three of the executive members for the Western region are from small, single office firms.

She adds that through events such as joint CIAA and CICMA meetings the CIAA name can get out there and she has the opportunity to speak with other firms to determine why they are not a member and to discuss the benefits of being a member firm.