In 1976, Worley Claims Service, Inc. opened a small office in New Orleans to serve the needs of insurance industry clients in the assessment and processing of property and casualty claims. Keenly aware that the success of this business depended upon understanding and satisfying the customer, Worley approached this undertaking with a fresh perspective and focus on quality, attention to detail and service.
During the formative years emphasis was placed on forging long-term working relationships based on mutual respect and attention to detail. This served the company well and from the very beginning, the Worley service platform was welcomed by clients seeking the personal attention necessary to aid them in reducing their pending caseloads while still maintaining a high standard of quality. Through the economic swings of the petroleum industry, the evolution of Jones Act and Longshoreman's Act claims, and the introduction to the catastrophe claims industry during the New Orleans Flood of 1980; the company expanded into the Worley Companies - a group of related but separate divisions specializing in a variety of services serving the specific needs of our growing family of clients - while still remaining true to its original service roots.
As the breadth and scope of The Worley Companies expanded, great effort was made to develop and maintain a team of motivated and talented individuals working in an environment that fosters accomplishment, involvement, and integrity to ensure that every action taken creates greater value. "It is difficult enough to build a company," our founder, Ed Worley, is credited in saying. "To also forge a reputation and develop consistently positive relationships requires a unique spirit." It is this spirit - the inimitable drive and initiative to innovate and excel - that has set The Worley Companies apart.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Louisiana-Mississippi coastline. Most of New Orleans was subsequently flooded, as the breached drainage and navigation canals allowed water to flow from Lake Pontchartrain into low areas of the city. The storm surge also devastated the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, making Katrina the most destructive and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. Although all corporate operations had been evacuated days before, Worley's home office and corporate headquarters in Metairie, Louisiana, was severely damaged. Despite the overwhelming nature of Hurricane Katrina and enormous field/relief response that followed, The Worley Companies never experienced an operational interruption; deploying, coordinating and managing a record amount of company personnel and assets.
In January of 2007, the company rebranded itself as Worley Catastrophe Response and announced the construction of a new home office campus in Hammond, Louisiana. With 13,000 square feet of corporate offices, meeting rooms and technology, the Administration Building offers unparalleled facilities for national operations coordination. Next door, a 22,000 square foot Worley Training Center with computer labs, lecture halls and building materials laboratory offering state-of-the-art instruction for the insurance claims industry. This phase of construction is slated to be complete by the end of 2007 with additional phases including corporate housing, health club facilities, retail space and a conference center planned in the coming years.
Poised on the brink of a new era of opportunity and challenges, Worley Catastrophe Response still follows the basic tenets of its founding - hard work, speed of action and an aggressive determination to get things done. These are the characteristics that are found in every winning team. Worley Catastrophe Response looks forward to the oppurtunity to provide its client today with the same energy and commitment to perfection that we had when opening our first office in New Orleans in 1976.