www.bcc-ltd.com

REGISTER NOW TO ATTEND THE NACA CONVENTION AND TRADE SHOW

 --Network with your peers

--Visit one-on-one with adjusting companies

--NFIP Adjuster Workshop

--California Earthquake Claim Handling Accreditation

--Earn state approved CE's

--Meet vendors with products/services to help you work smarter!

REGISTRATION FORM

  Contact Lori Ringo with questions regarding any of the prizes listed. 

Woody Britton, AIC, CGA

I have written several times in the past years about the importance of contacts and networking and how NACA is an important part of my networking plans. This storm year has been a below average year and the hurricane season was essentially nonexistent. The seasoned adjusters that I have spoken with have also had a slow year. Most of adjusters spent a good portion of this year looking for work instead of actually performing work.

We had an opportunity come this last October that was from an unusual source for adjusters. The federal program that is helping NY/NJ residents and business's get back on their feet after Super storm Sandy was in the planning stages. Several construction and engineering firms had a contract to start the preliminary inspections for the program. The companies sought out experienced adjusters to perform the inspections and reports. Through our NACA network of adjusters, several of us were able to get on the list and we were dispatched to Long Island to help get that program off the ground.

As adjusters, we are used to getting to the storm site, getting our assignments and starting the inspections immediately. That is not how the implementation of this program started off. Most of the first adjusters on site were setup in large "war rooms".  The assignments were slow to be issued and very few were actually issued. The difference in this program is the adjusters, or inspectors, as they were known, are the fee is paid on an hourly basis for your presence, not for actual work performed. Many of the adjusters were not used to an hourly fee and the typical anticipation of getting assignments and getting to work was a slow and painful process.

We were not able to get to the first wave of assignment during the residential phase; we were on the commercial phase.  When we arrived the residential phase was winding down and the war room was full of appraisers waiting for the commercial assignments to be handed out. Overall, it was grueling to sit around and wait for assignments.

The program had several phases of cuts that were made to thin out the herd from time to time. I am proud to say that almost all of the NACA members that were on site made it to the final day cuts. That says a lot about the professionalism and training NACA members have. As a group of members on site, we stuck together, worked together and for the most part had a good memory of the event, although not all of the waiting was a good memory. The program had its implementation challenges, changes in format, almost daily and unusual file requirements that as adjusters, is very foreign to us.

The point that I am trying to make is that the members of NACA are more than just members, it is a work family. We exchanged information about the opportunity with our contacts, stayed in touch via Facebook and the internet, kept each other informed about the best hotels, places to eat and the best car rental deals available. We had each other to lean on during the stressful times and a friendly ear to share our frustrations with.

The upcoming convention will also be a fantastic opportunity to network and start your own work family, learn from the seasoned adjusters and have the opportunity to meet the many vendors that keep the adjusting circle moving. We are all on the road from time to time and need all of the resources we can get.

Being a NACA member has opportunities that reach beyond the convention or being on a list. It is truly an excellent source for networking and keeping up with industry. Without NACA and the contacts we have made over the years, most of us would have missed this opportunity and in a slow year, inside information like this and other work opportunities that pop up from time to time are the difference between being a full time adjuster or a part time Cat person.