The last "welcome" thread we had was removed in error, sorry for the trouble.

Use this thread to say hi and introduce yourself to the community.

1/21/2007 Edit:  I was able to restore the thread that was deleted but not merge the post.  You can find the old thread here.

Hello Everyone, I am Roy Estes 45 years old. Been adjusting since 1991 when I started Eagle Finance Adjusters kind of by accident. At first We worked the SIU & Casualty part of th business for Attorney Client base, and ended up with a private investigators license and IA License as I got caught and didn't know I was supposed to have a license whatsoever, so the State of Fla was kind enough to allow me to obtain my licenses and get legit.

Soon I realized that Property was the way to go. And Here I are In Myrtle Beach, SC. I WAS married for 20 some years, Owned several large restoration, construction, heavy equipment, mining,  Petrochemical services and other companies based in the Southeast USA. I was Born In Corpus Christi Texas, and have No college Background with the exception of Local Technical and engineering courses, which taught me nothing and sucked.

I have met many people in the business since 1991, and made life long friends in the Industry.  Although I am not as Lucky as Tom to have a better half, (Which to me is a very important part of life) I do have a wonderful son of whom I put through Fla State (GO FSU).

I am An advocate for all that is good in the industry and in life, I am opinionated,  aggressive, and will likely skid into my grave sideways, and say "MAN WHAT A RIDE" instead of pass on laying there. Ill Just say I don't think there are any Grey areas about how I feel, what I think, and how I say it! Which is all good!

To me Life is supposed to be lived, and Time is against us all. Having had A terminal and live with the threat of a terminal diseased, I try and Live my Life doing what is right, and what is proper for all involved. I Love to Laugh allot, and Have Goals in my life that do not involve money. I am a FIRM BELIEVER that We were ALL Born with the Greatest Gift of all From GOD and that is LOVE, everything else we learn along the way, and can honestly say i try and Live my life with what God gave me at birth.

There are many people in the world who live Negatively as far as attitude is concerned and if they only knew that their negative attitude hurts them only, and others around them maybe the world would be a better place?

I fear No evil, and Love to ride My Choppers, Fish, help others, Play and hang with my Son and 3 Grandchildren, Go to the Beach, Travel, Gamble, And Just Overall Live in Peace.

Does that Explain a little about me? Merry Christmas to everyone!

I'm younger than Tom and older than Roy. Ray Hall, though, is the only adjuster of whom I'm aware who is enough years ahead of me to call me "Sonny" if he should ever get the urge to do so. Adjusting is my second career. My master's degree is in theology, and I worked for more than a decade as a church pastor before becoming a claim adjuster. I still preach a sermon now and then.  I started as State Farm staff in 1990, and eventually decided to go independent. I love this life and this career.

My wife Jennifer, is a former social worker who has little interest in insurance or construction, but she is as extroverted,intelligent, and compassionate as anyone I have ever known.  In addition to setting my appointments, fielding a lot of phone calls, and doing data input, she serves as our social director and gets involved with people with disabilities and AIDS patients whenever we are at an assignment long enough for her to get intensively involved with individuals.

Jennifer and I are currently spending the Christmas season in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I am reading, writing, and generally goofing off.  Jennifer is teaching English at the grass roots mission for street children.  We have just returned home from "The Night of the Radishes". We actually stood in a line for almost three hours to look at radishes. And afterward, we thought it was worth it. That's probably a story for another time.

Merry Christmas and Buena Noche de Rabanos to everyone.

Hi Ya'll. My name is Russ Doe. I am 58 years young and a native Floridian (not many left). I have been adjusting since Northridge  Earthquake. I have been in construction most of my life, the last ten years of my construction life was as a high rise supervisor. I am a retired Navy Seabee, serving two Vietnam tours and spending 26 years in the Reserve. I started in 1966 as an E-1 and retired as an O-3. I retired in 1995 due to becoming an adjuster. The schedule just wouldnt allow me doing both.

Doreen, my lovely wife of 30 years has her own law practice in St. Petersburg and is a yankee from Pittsfield, Massachussetts. You couldn't get her to leave Florida now, she only wants to visit snow. We like to travel and play golf. We are taking two months next year to travel through Alaska and the west coast.

I love what I do and wish I would have found adjusting many years ago. I joined CADO in 1998 and have met a lot of  top shelf individuals that are truly inspirational and giants in our profession. I wish most people that visit this site would realize the depth of knowledge in our membership and use it!!   Much thanks to Roy.  

Wow, I had no idea, but that's a real association.  Click this LINK and see the photo below.  Good news Steve, there's plenty of skinny Santa's left.  However, I was not as shocked as I was when I first heard about the Flat Earth Society...

Hello, I am Jud Gardner and have been in the insurance industry since I graduated from college in 2000.  I started out trying very to be like my dad and stay with one company for over 33 years, but, as you will see, I became a victim of circumstance and now reap the rewards of an IA lifestyle. 

I skipped my long and hot graduation ceremony from Carson-Newman College in the summer of July 2000, in eager anticipation of my first day of Early Liberty Training in Norcross Atlanta.  My first 2.5 years was as a Bodily Injury Claims adjuster with Liberty Mutual in Chattanooga, TN.  I started out handling direct deal cases and eventually switched to mid-sized litigation claims covering a three (3) state territory (TN, MS, & AL).

That office shut down due to downsizing and reorganization, so I found a job as a Multi-Line Adjuster in Baton Rouge, LA with Audubon Insurance Group.  Audubon was a subsidiary of American International Group.  Three (3) months after they paid to relocate me to Baton Rouge, AIG announced that Audubon no longer fit within the big picture of the company at large and would eventually close. 

Without any tenure with Audubon Insurance, my severance (or incentive, for that matter) was limited.  I was fortunate enough to find my next position as a Staff Independent, Multi-Line Adjuster with CunninghamLindsey.  Here, I was able to focus more energy on becoming acquainted with an eclectic assortment of Property, General Liability, and Electrical Contact investigations.  I had my most fun with claims involving a few nasty Electrical Contact investigations.  At CL, I experienced 5 of my first Catastrophes and enjoyed the intense pressure and reward associated with them. 

When the storms began slamming FL on all sides in 2004, I made the switch as a true independent and served Atlantic Claims, Inc. and Apple Adjusters, Inc.  After working Commercial mom/pop claims in New Orleans from Katrina, I was asked to sign on as Apple's Catastrophe Manager.

I have two children and we are expecting our third on August 2nd.  My first two children were born in the middle of busy Hurricane Seasons, so chances are good that 2007 will be overflowing with work!  I expect to have a fourth child soon after our third and a quick vasectomy following, lol.  In my family, Chaos and change are pretty much the norm.  I and my beautiful wife Susanne simply choose to embrace and enjoy the madness.  My wife is pretty much the main reason why am able to suceed in this hectic line of work.  One example of her fortitude and tenacity is while I was in NC goofing around with Ophelia claims, she stuck a sign in the yard of our Baton Rouge, LA home and sold it the next day.  She then moved our two children and all our belongings to our Daphne, AL home that we saw on an email.

I enjoy people and appreciate every opportunity that 1st Party Catastrophe claims avail for me to show compassion and deliver excellent claims service.  (3rd party claims don't quite allow the same ministry opportunities as 1st party claims do.)  I thoroughly enjoy the freedom of being an IA and have a capitalist mindset.  I believe that the economy should, in large part, be allowed to operate on its own- apart from the excessive and debilitating government subsidies.  

Trust and Loyalty are important attributes to me.  As one astute adjuster put it, "Without trust, you simply have nothing."  I was born with a 70-80db hearing loss.  My oldest child, Maddie (age 4) has a less severe case (50-60db) and my son, Judson (age 2) hears fine.  Provided my claims career doesn't turn me into a cynical old grump, my epitaph will read, "The only disability in life is a bad attitude."

Well I'm back. Was a regular before Katrina. Good too see the same people (old school) still around. I still have the upmost respect for you guys/gals. During Katrina I did'nt have any time to check in and see what was going on in here. After Katrina I did'nt want to touch a computer and did'nt for a long time. I guess you can call it "puteridice"! Katrina left scars on many families and adjusters. It is good to be back home.

Steve,

I didn't realize we were at the CADO convention in Biloxi together, but then there were a lot of people there.  I met Russ Doe, Linda Asberry, and Tom and Janice Toll there.  Roy Cupps and Dave Hood I had met prior to that.

It was sad, after Katrina to drive past the hulking shell of the Grand Casino in Gulfport where we had that first CADO convention.  Ironic, as well.

I still have my CADO shirts and the special CADO catadjusting hat designed specifically to keep the sun off Roy's head.