Message From the President (August 01, 2008)

I have always been proud to be a loss adjuster. It’s a noble profession and a key element in delivery of the product that is sold by the property and casualty insurance industry. From the time I was first exposed to adjusting by going out with my father on evenings and weekends to see people in times of strife, I wanted to be an adjuster. Not just because I wanted what most little boys want: to be “just like Dad.” There was much more. Sure, my father and his ability to connect with people was what first drew me in, but when I came to really understand what an adjuster does, the challenges and responsibilities, I was hooked. I was very fortunate to have landed what for me, in 1979, was my “dream job” as an adjuster trainee with the venerable Marsh Adjustment Bureau in Nova Scotia. Over the last thirty years, I have worked that job into a very satisfying career. The first day I entered the profession of independent loss adjusting I was enrolled as a member of CIAA — the only national body that promotes the interests of the independent adjuster in Canada and works with other industry stakeholders to create the best possible insurance service for Canadians. I consider it a double blessing that I was able to do the work that I so enjoy and, at the same time, through CIAA, contribute back to the industry from which I have taken so much.

One of the many lessons I learned from my father over the years is that a career is like a bank account: You can’t keep taking from it unless you are always putting something back. Serving as CIAA national president over the last year has been the biggest deposit I have ever made, but I am still running a deficit in my career account because the great people (and there were sooooo many!) and wonderful experiences I enjoyed. It has been an honour to serve as CIAA president. I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope I made a difference and in some way, leave things for the better.

Officially my term as president will come to an end at the 2008 CIAA Annual General Meeting which will be held in just a few weeks on beautiful Prince Edward Island — the first time a national convention has been held there in our 55 year history. Another first, building on the new dialogue CIAA has established with insurers, will be the active participation of insurers as contributors to our conference. I have seen a lot of changes over the last 30 years, but few have been as positive as the momentum we have built toward a stronger co-operative relationship between insurers and the professional loss adjusters who are CIAA.

When you are looking for an independent adjuster, look for those proudly displaying their professional membership in CIAA and know you will be hiring the best in the business — dedicated people who are active in our industry far beyond the claim file.

This job did not pay with the sort of currency the utilities and supermarkets prefer. If it did, I’d be the first in line to apply. As it was, the job paid handsomely through the people I met, the perspectives I experienced and the places I traveled. I never liked good-byes. I like this one least of all. It is time to make my ever awkward bow. Thank you. •