Jack sits down with litigator Galen Hair. He is a Partner with Insurance Claim HQ as well as Hair Shunnarah Trial Attorneys.

Galen was brought up in a relatively poor household and took up vocal performance at Boston University in 2003, graduating in 2006. He then went to law school at Tulane University and, in 2008, he received a summer associate opportunity at Ropes & Gray where he had his first taste of the property casualty space.

He followed up what he referred to as a grueling experience at Ropes & Gray with a fellowship attorney position at Tulane’s law clinic. In 2010, he went back into defense work for a year “because I still needed to pay some bills”.

In 2011, he became a Partner at Scott, Vicknair, Hair & Checki, where he would work for the next nine years before finally partnering with Insurance Claim HQ and Hair Shunnarah Trial Attorneys.

Listen in as Galen addresses the common gaps in professionalism and expertise plaguing many PAs today. He also speaks on the importance of branding your name and business with integrity and humility, and the common social media faux pas many roofers, lawyers, and PAs make.

Galen shares why it’s so important to play the long game when building an online presence in this business, and why he believes the industry as a whole could benefit from a complete overhaul in favor of more mentorship and a greater focus on individual roofers, lawyers, and PAs.

A Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:

• [06:55] Maintaining a relationship as a public adjuster
• [16:12] How Galen got into insurance litigation
• [23:27] Why many PAs fall short
• [30:28] How smaller claims can net higher attorney fees
• [39:34] Why you’re not self-made
• [43:23] Why it pays to build real connections with others
• [47:07] What Galen would change about the industry
• [54:25] Why authenticity and the long game is always worth it

 Memorable Quotes by Galen:

• “I’m sick and freaking tired of going to conferences and seeing people who made a little bit of money get up on a stage and talk about how they’re self-made. You worked hard, and I’m proud of you, but you’re not self-made.”
• “The whole industry is broken because we have no guidance nor help. The insurance companies want us to behave, but they don’t want us to be good.”

Follow Galen on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/galen-hair-03b27a4/ and learn more about Insurance Claim HQ at www.insuranceclaimhq.com.

Jack sits down with Latinos En Roofing Founder Amparo Sancen.

Amparo worked as a medical assistant for years after moving to the U.S. and was quickly inspired to enter construction after getting to know a number of clients in that industry. With her limited knowledge and lack of resources, she eventually quit her job and made the leap.

Within six months, she had learned enough to get into the remodeling business. Eight months later, she forayed into roofing. She made every rookie mistake imaginable but stayed undeterred.

In 2016, she moved to Texas, determined to rebuild her roofing venture, hungry to learn as much as she could about building a strong, profitable business. Today, beyond her own business, she’s taken on the responsibility of inspiring and educating Latinos around the country to find entrepreneurial success in the world of roofing and construction.

Listen in as Amparo shares what holds many people in their community back from pursuing their dreams as business owners, from systemic issues to cultural and mindset-related obstacles. She explains how Latinos En Roofing quickly grew from a tiny community to a massive, multifaceted event regularly hosted in various cities around the country.

 A Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:

• [02:20] Amparo’s story
• [08:24] What it takes to create more Latino entrepreneurs in the trades
• [14:28] Eye-opening statistics about the Latino workforce in the U.S.
• [18:53] Mindset matters
• [25:04] Taking your roofing business to the next level
• [28:11] How Latinos En Roofing came to be
• [39:40] Creating a tiered professional ecosystem
• [44:36] How to get involved in the community

 Memorable Quotes by Our Guests:

•  “I love what I do. If I can help somebody grow their business and give a better life for their kids, that’s amazing.”
•  “We’re essentially building an ecosystem that people can feel comfortable around, and that ecosystem needs to have tiers: people with knowledge, people with some knowledge, and people with no knowledge.”

 Follow Amparo on Instagram at www.instagram.com/amp_sancen and Latinos En Roofing at www.instagram.com/latinosenroofing.

Jack sits down with Heather Hitchcock, Chief Executive Officer at Royal Roofing & Construction of Texas, a woman-owned residential and commercial roofing contractor that services the Greater Houston area.

Listen in as Heather reflects on her journey of overcoming personal demons that, until she regained her faith in God, forced her into drink and other self-destructive habits well into her adult life.

She talks about how she contemplated thoughts of suicide while sitting in a mental institution for her fifth case of DUI. This experience finally inspired her to embrace vulnerability, freeing her from the emotional and spiritual bondage of shame.

Heather then shares how she chose her current career path. She one day realized that “there was zero integrity and excellence in the roofing industry” when she struggled to file a claim for her own roofing. Once she was finally able to make a profit, she reinvested everything into a roofing training program.

Within six months of starting her business, she was getting two to four jobs per week. She regularly posted online about her day-to-day to get the word out, and the rest was history.

Heather goes on to explain how she has been using her online platform to educate homeowners on the importance of their roofing and how to tell a good roofer apart from the rest. She talks about how consistently putting educational, entertaining, and authentic content has resulted in a profitable business built entirely on referrals.

A Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:

●       [04:14] The first time Heather embraced raw vulnerability on social media

●       [10:52] The shame of going to prison for DUI

●       [15:45] How Heather overcame thoughts of suicide in a mental ward

●       [20:19] Why Heather decided to get into roofing

●       [25:04] Creating educational content about roofing for homeowners

●       [33:26] Heather’s content strategy

●       [37:26] Navigating the roofing industry as a woman

●       [40:12] What’s next for Heather?

 Memorable Quotes by Heather:

●       “Alcohol wasn’t the issue. The issue was brokenness inside. It was my brain. It was my heart. It was wounds in me that caused me to act out when I drank.”

●       “Shame keeps people in bondage.”

●       “You do the right thing and you’ll be surprised at what comes back to you.”

Follow Heather at:

• linkedin.com/in/heather-hitchcock-217397255

Jack sits down with longtime friends Todd Stern and Chris Courville to discuss their greatest lessons learned on the journey to establishing their own forensic engineering firms.

Todd Stern spent his entire career in the construction industry. In May 2022, he co-founded Orlo Forensics alongside Patrick Snowden, where they specialize in collapse, fire, flood, hail, wind, and disaster investigation and design. They’re brought onsite to complete investigations and compile reports to be submitted to insurance companies, contractors, or attorneys.

Chris Courville is the owner and CEO of United Environmental LLC, a mold remediation, air quality testing, water mitigation, and emergency response company established in October 2018. The team at the interior damage consulting firm brings 40+ of combined experience to the table.

Listen in as Todd and Chris give their thoughts on the lack of professionalism and accountability that was unfortunately quite prevalent in the mitigation industry when they got their start at the turn of the century.

Too many professionals focus overwhelmingly on getting the sale over hitting key metrics with a view to keeping the company healthy. In other words, they take on claims with the intention to “win the battle, lose the war”, which may lead to short-term financial gain but a bankrupt business in the long term.

Todd and Chris also share how they’ve been navigating the challenges of running their companies with those of keeping their personal relationships healthy. Asked about the keys to creating a legacy business, the pair talk about the importance of staying high-touch every step of the way and passing on client-focused values to the next generation.

 A Glimpse of What You’ll Learn:

• [04:01] An introduction to Todd and Chris
• [12:45] Building a legacy business
• [18:08] Todd and Chris on the lack of professionalism in the industry when they got their start
• [23:46] The value of focusing on the little things over the outcome
• [27:05] Implementing The Art of War into business
• [34:02] The importance of time management and establishing a routine
• [41:53] Managing healthy personal relationships in the mitigation industry
• [48:40] The most satisfying thing about the business
• [54:29] Passing on a legacy company
• [58:10] Advice that Todd and Chris would give their younger selves

Memorable Quotes by Our Guests:

• “If you surround yourself with good people and good mentors, you’re going to be successful. It’s bound to happen. You’re bound to get your break.” ~Chris
• “More money has not made me any happier.” ~Todd
•  “If we don’t go into work every day and work on these claims as if we’re going to war, then we’ve lost. It’s a mindset thing.” ~Todd
•  “If you’re only as good as your next check, that’s a shitty way to run a business.” ~Chris
• “Our profession demands our attention. If you don’t give it the attention it deserves, it can crush your life.” ~Chris

Follow Todd at:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-stern-569930114
• https://orloforensics.com/

Follow Chris at:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-courville-428287187/

In this episode, CEO of Hail 911, Jack Pinsel, talks with Jack about working with family and navigating friendships and business relationships. Jack has served as Hail 911 CEO for over 23 years, and CEO of Elite Call for 24 years.

The Jack's share how the industry looks on the inside vs. from the outside, experiencing storm chasing, handing off the business, making an impact on the industry, and goals for 2023, all on this episode of Because Experience Matters.

Key Takeaways

• “Normal people have no idea what really goes on in the industry.”
• “You can’t be the superhero for everybody.”
• “Create your own name. Create your own piece in this lane that we’re in.”
• “Dream big. Positively impact the lives around you.”

Follow Jack Pinsel at:

Website:        hail911.com and  www.elitecall.net
LinkedIn:       https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-pinsel-8b18967

In this episode, Partner at Green Klein & Wood, John Wood, joins Jack to talk about AI, the idea of humachines, using AI in the claims adjusting process, sustainability, practicing law, and getting John’s advice to his younger self.

John is an author, attorney, and educator, and his work has been featured in journals, including the NYE Journal of Law and Liberty and NYU Environmental Law Journal.

Key Takeaways

• “Where machines are highly capable, humans tend to do poorly, and where machines are limited, humans tend to excel.”
• “We don’t need the machines to be more human-like, and we don’t need humans to be more machine-like.”
• “A meaningful life has a purpose beyond profit.”
• “If you really have faith, you will find the time.”
• “You will never regret being as strong as physically possible.”

Follow John at:

Email:              wood@greentriallaw.com

Website:          greentriallaw.com

LinkedIn:         John Wood

Twitter:            JohnWoodTorch

In this episode, the Owner of Tree Guardian, Jacob Guidry, talks with Jack about the tree services industry and working with Public Adjusters. Jacob understands trees inside and out. When other local tree services can’t handle a job, they call Jacob.

Jacob talks about his military history, financing his tree operation, dealing with insurance companies, branding consistency, the storm game, and Jacob’s advice to his younger self, all on today’s episode of Because Experience Matters.

Key Takeaways

• “If it’s easy, everybody’s doing this.”
• “Everybody’s definition of success is different.”
• “Do not take things so seriously.”

Follow Jacob at:

Call:                 337-852-4880

Website:          treeguardianusallc.com

LinkedIn:         Jacob Guidry

Host: Jack Hanks

Special Guest:  Chad Robinson

Episode Summary

In this episode, Your Damage Lawyer, Chad Robinson, PLLC, talks about the other side of the insurance industry. Chad graduated with cum laude from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center, and holds a BSc in Telecommunication from the University of Florida.

Chad and Jack talk about the moment that Chad went over to the other side, Florida’s rocket dockets, the changing legal landscape, the shady side of the industry, reinsurance, and Chad gives his younger self some advice, all on today’s episode of Because Experience Matters.

Key Takeaways

• “Insurance is a business. They’re not paying out on fire and hurricane claims because they want to. They’re doing it because they have to.”
• “The humanistic side of our industry has to get better.”
• “Time is an ally. For those times that are hard for you, those will pass. For those times that are good for you, those will pass too.”

Follow Chad at:

Email:              chad@chadrobinson.com.

Call:                 561-800-2903.

Website:          www.chadrobinson.com.

Instagram:       @chad_j_robinson_pllc.