Complex Claims Leader · CPCU · Data and Culture · Results Through People
"Strong data builds strong teams. Strong teams build strong outcomes."
I lead people who handle the hardest claims in the business: large loss, catastrophic injury, and complex coverage litigation across New York, Illinois, and Wisconsin. My job is to make sure they're technically excellent, operationally accountable, and supported well enough to do their best work. The results tend to follow from that.
I've spent eighteen years at Farmers Insurance building toward this kind of work. What eighteen years has taught me is that the best teams are both analytically sharp and genuinely engaged — and the results reflect it. Since taking over the team I've reduced the Does Not Meet file rate by 62% year-over-year, while employee experience scores consistently rank above zone, company, division, and industry averages. The data and the human approach don't have to be in conflict.
There's a saying in hockey that if you get the puck to the net, good things will happen. I've found that applies to claims leadership too: do the right things consistently, build the right environment, and the outcomes take care of themselves.
Beyond my immediate team, I've contributed at an organizational level, including co-designing a Power BI diagnostic tool now deployed throughout Complex Claims, building mentorship programs that were adopted zone-wide, and serving as a subject matter expert and trainer across multiple system transitions. I approach new tools the same way I approach everything else: hands-on, with a clear sense of purpose. This site was built in collaboration with AI as a practical demonstration of that.
I hold the CPCU designation along with the SCLA Gold, AIC-M, and AINS, and I'm currently pursuing my MBA at the University of Texas Permian Basin (AACSB Accredited).
"The best leaders are force multipliers."
My job is to maintain my team’s motivation, productivity, and morale. I’m a hands-on leader who treats accountability as the job, not a burden. Everything else flows from that. The numbers, the metrics, and the quality scores are what happens when the work above is being done well.
My team handles large loss, catastrophic injury, and complex coverage litigation across New York, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Many people depend on what we do. What we do or don’t do on any file can have consequences far beyond that file. The work demands that we be deliberate.
I’m just as responsible to the company for my team as I am to my team for the company. Most leaders quietly resolve this tension by picking a side. I think the discipline is in not picking. The team needs an advocate. The company needs accountability. Doing both is the job.
I’m responsible for everything that happens in the claims assigned to my team, whether I know about it or not. I don’t get to take credit for the wins and disclaim the losses. The whole surface area of the work is mine. That principle is easy to state and harder to live with. There are days I learn about something for the first time after it has already become a problem, and the answer can’t be “I didn’t know.” The answer has to be “we’ll fix it.” Sometimes that means bringing in outside help: legal counsel, a subject matter expert, someone with a perspective we don’t have. We apply what we learn to the next one.
Leaders don’t need to know everything. They need to be available, honest about what they don’t know, and serious about wanting their people to succeed. When I took over my current team in 2024, a group that had come to Farmers through the MetLife acquisition, I told them on day one that I didn’t know everything. I had little experience in their venues. I was learning an unfamiliar claims system at the same time they were teaching me about the work. I told them they were the experts on what was in front of them, and I needed them to be. One adjuster told me he’d assumed no one wanted his input. I told him that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I lead hands-on. The job is to be in the files, in the conversations, and in the data, close enough to know what’s actually happening and present enough that the team trusts you to act on it. For me, that has meant reviewing every file in the first 90 days, leaving targeted feedback in each one, going back to basics on documentation and communication, leveling load between adjusters, training them on systems, building infrastructure that made their jobs easier, and appointing an engagement lead so the team had an anonymous channel to me. All of it matters.
I had good teachers. Leaders throughout my career who were patient, available, and who genuinely wanted me to succeed. I emulated them. My approach is built on what I learned from leaders who did it well before me, and earned through the work I’ve done since.
The measure of my work isn’t what I do alone. It’s what the team becomes capable of because I’m there.
This will look different at scale. I won’t be in every file every day at the next level, and I shouldn’t be. The discipline isn’t being in the work; it’s staying close enough to it. Trusting people who deserve the trust. Being available without being a bottleneck. I’ve done that at the team level. The work ahead is doing it across more of them.
The best part of the job is developing people. Watching someone grow into the work, gain confidence in their judgment, and become the kind of adjuster the team relies on is the part I’d never want to give up.
The team has come a long way. So have I. The job ahead is to keep doing right by them, every day, every file, every conversation, and to figure out how to scale what we’ve built without losing the closeness that made it work.
"The best things in life are the ones you build deliberately."
I grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago believing that the best things in life are the ones you build deliberately. I've been testing that theory ever since.
Outside of claims, I'm a photographer, a reader, a writer when the mood strikes, a cyclist, and a dad who has been known to spend an unreasonable amount of time on a birthday invitation.
I didn't set out to be a photographer. A lone tree in the middle of a field got me started. A corridor in London, a subway platform, a desert sunset — things that stopped me before I thought to call it a practice. I shoot when something stops me, which means the work accumulates slowly and honestly. I'm drawn to architecture, light, and the kind of quiet that exists in places just before or just after something happens.
Writing is where my best ideas take shape.
I live in Lake Zurich, Illinois with my wife Lindsay, our daughter Zoey, and our son Leo. We have a pool that I maintain with perhaps more rigor than is strictly necessary, including the chemical balance, cleanliness, and even reconfiguring the plumbing near the pump to improve efficiency. My home office is dedicated entirely to Star Wars, science fiction, and the general refusal to fully grow up.
Claims leader with 18 years at Farmers Insurance specializing in large loss, catastrophic injury, and complex litigation. Proven track record of transforming team performance, deploying data-driven operational strategies, and building high-performing adjuster talent pipelines at scale.
Experience
Farmers Insurance — East Zone
Transformed team quality and operational performance across multi-state complex claims inventory
Farmers Insurance — East Zone NLC / Complex Claims
Farmers Insurance — Illinois Claims Office
Farmers Insurance — Illinois Claims Office
Farmers Insurance — Illinois Claims Office
Teacher’s Assistant, Glenbard South High School (2008) · Shift Leader → Store Manager track, Blockbuster Video (2001–2007)
Education
Master of Business Administration (In Progress — Anticipated Summer 2027)
University of Texas Permian Basin · AACSB Accredited
Bachelor of Science, History Education · Cum Laude
Illinois State University · Lawrence McBride Award for Outstanding Student Teaching · Award for Outstanding Portfolio
Designations
Core Competencies
Leadership & Strategy
Technical Claims Expertise
Data & Business Insight
Training & Organizational Impact
I shoot when something stops me. These are the things that stopped me.
A collection of birthday invitations I've designed for Zoey and Leo — taken perhaps more seriously than necessary.
Writing is where my best ideas take shape.
The following is an excerpt from a situational analysis completed as part of a graduate-level marketing course at the University of Texas Permian Basin. It has been lightly edited for a general audience. The opinions and findings are those of the author alone.
"Lucky to have you in class." — Graduate Marketing Instructor, UTPB
Farmers Insurance is a well-recognized household name in personal-lines auto insurance. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the company was founded in 1928, operates in all 50 states of the U.S., and serves roughly 10,000,000 households. Farmers writes approximately 13.2 billion in written premium for auto insurance alone. While personal lines automobile insurance products are the focus of this analysis, it is noteworthy that Farmers also writes personal lines homeowners and umbrella insurance products in addition to a wide range of commercial insurance products. Farmers’ size, experience, and existing agent infrastructure is well positioned to address the risks faced by more affluent customers.
This situational analysis will focus on Farmers in Lake County, Illinois specific to its marketing efforts to protect assets from lawsuits.
Demographic Factors
With a population of approximately 720,000, Lake County household income, homeownership and car ownership rates are significantly above state and national levels, and the population is slightly older in comparison to state and national averages. These characteristics suggest that many residents have accumulated assets which may be vulnerable to judgements from liability claims. Additionally, given the older population demographic in Lake County, it should be noted that protecting retirement savings is an important consideration. The older, higher income mix also means that customer education about lawsuit exposure (also considering the notion many households have youthful drivers) will resonate.
Political-Legal Factors
Illinois requires all drivers to carry $25,000 per person auto liability coverage. The average bodily injury settlement in Illinois is $26,624. Additionally, it is noteworthy that Lake County shares its southern border with Cook County, a venue recognized by industry experts as being among the most plaintiff friendly in the country. 80% of “runaway” or “nuclear” verdicts in the State of Illinois originate in Cook County, with numerous verdicts in the millions of dollars. Naturally, Lake County drivers will often drive in Cook County given its proximity.
Alarmingly, only 40% of jury verdicts are $25,000 or less in Illinois. Clearly with much to lose, the affluent population of Lake County, Illinois must consider their insurance needs carefully.
Economic Factors
The population of Lake County has an above-average amount of assets to protect in an era when prices are going up. In addition, it has been well-publicized that over the past several years inflationary increases have led to a decrease in discretionary spending.
Yet, in times of financial hardship, increasingly affecting even affluent households, insurance is often looked at by those households as discretionary spending. A recent survey cites the average annual cost of car insurance as $2,314, a 42% increase from 2022. Given that fact, 76% of respondents have considered reducing or dropping their coverage, with 18% having already done so.
Additionally, many do not understand what liability insurance is or how it protects them. Menu-driven online shopping websites utilized by many carriers do little to explain the importance of liability coverage. Naturally, consumers want the lowest price they can find and pick lower limits than appropriate. Accordingly, having an agent explain the importance of proper liability coverage is crucial when the economics and natural inclination lean toward the tendency to reduce what many see as discretionary spending, particularly for asset-heavy households in Lake County.
Competitive Analysis
Many other carriers have significantly higher market shares in Illinois. However, Farmers is ideally suited to a Lake County consumer mindful about protecting their assets in the form of customizability rather than a one-size-fits-all or price-over-need approach.
A Farmers agent is well positioned to explain to a prospective Lake County insured with assets to protect the value of proper amounts of coverage. While many other carriers may have a lower rate structure, higher asset households face increased risk with their default coverage selections. In contrast, a Farmers agent is better aligned with the lawsuit exposure faced by affluent Lake County drivers, particularly those who regularly drive in Cook County. Price leadership does not necessarily equate to providing proper coverage, particularly in high-verdict environments.
Internal Analysis
While the focus of this analysis has been on Farmers’ auto insurance book of business, it should be noted that Farmers has a wide-ranging product portfolio to meet the needs of their customers, particularly those with above average amounts of assets. In addition, Farmers is doubling down on its agency distribution model and has recently announced it intends to grow its agency force by over 1,700 new agents. This will allow it to further leverage its position as a knowledge-leader to prospective customers to ensure they are buying the right amount of coverage, particularly to affluent areas such as Lake County with more assets (and more items in need of insuring).
However, industry experts have noted that Farmers has “weaker” digital tools in comparison to their competitors, and most of the existing tools are for existing customers rather than prospective customers. While most major towns in Lake County have one or more Farmers agencies present, their physical presence does little to address the visibility of Farmers to the digital marketplace. It is necessary for Farmers to increase their visibility through methods such as SEO and online advertisements, linking to a more robust system for online quoting.
Based on the author’s professional experience, Farmers has a skilled, tenured claims staff. Claims personnel are located throughout the country with their large and complex claims staff exclusively operating remotely. This allows the company to identify the best individuals to handle the more complex claims based on skill versus proximity to a local hub.
Conclusion and Marketing Strategies
Farmers is well positioned through its nationally recognized brand and tenured, skilled claims staff to respond to the emerging threats that areas like Lake County face but need to better leverage their value proposition. Three strategies will help it increase its market share in Lake County.
Creation of a “lawsuit-protection” education campaign to inform new and existing customers of the importance of liability coverage. Agents should be trained to analyze customers’ assets, particularly those that are collectible in the event of a judgment, to determine the appropriate amount of liability coverage. Targeted messages in the form of ads could build on Farmers’ existing message surrounding its knowledge of experience by specifically calling out defense of Lake County families against aggressive litigation.
SEO optimization is necessary. Currently, Farmers does not appear on the first page of results for searches such as “Best insurance in Lake County,” limiting visibility among digital shoppers.
A hybrid agent/digital model allowing a prospective insurer to start a quote online, and finish with an agent. While this exists in a rudimentary form today, AI could be leveraged to guide the consumer in developing questions for their agent or potentially making a sale on its own while transferring the policy to the hands of a local agent for final review and policy management. The AI should be intelligent enough to ask questions regarding assets and financial goals while recommending appropriate coverage and flagging when liability limits appear inadequate.
Given Farmers’ extensive infrastructure already in place, these items can be accomplished with a minimal amount of capital, while allowing it to significantly increase its market share to a changing market.
— Steve Landon, MBA Candidate · UTPB · 2026
Fill out the form below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.