We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zachary Holcomb a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Zachary , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.
As a public adjuster, I have the opportunity of serving a customers from all backgrounds, Typically, my clients have suffered incredible losses during catastrophic events such as tornadoes, floods, and fires. The rural community of Springfield, Tennessee suffered a devasting EF3 Tornado destroying much of the community to include vital resources in the town with already limited resources. My firm was able to get on the ground once cleared by local public officials to assist many vulnerable seniors who lost everything. Particularly, Mrs. Betty Clark who is a staple in her community suffered extensive losses to her farm. We are able to provide emergency mitigating services to her and the surrounding neighbors who had lost everything. Over the next couple of months our firm represented Mrs. Clark after the insurance company delayed properly restoring her back to pre-loss condition. As leader in the the community she showed extreme resilience and never gave up in the process. After tough negotiations and secondary inspections were able to fully restore Mrs. Clarks entire property after being grossly under served in the initial process. This led to restoring half of Springfield under our firm and serving the elderly community who are most vulnerable after catastrophic events!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Holcomb Public Adjusting was founded with the principle that every homeowner and business owner deserves the best after suffering a lost to their property! At Holcomb Public Adjusting, we know recovering from a fire, flood, tornado, hail and other damages is not easy. The insurance process can be tedious, and drawn out. Our dedicated team handles all aspects of your claim in house. Our motto is “Your story becomes our passion. Results matter. People Matter”.
My name is Zachary Holcomb and I am the President of Holcomb’s Public Adjusting. I began my insurance career after faithfully serving in the United States Marine Corps. My extensive background in claims began while working on a catastrophic response team for American Family Insurance covering each part of the United States responding to wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, mudslides, and environmental disasters. Additionally, I’ve has served on complex large loss ligation teams handling the most difficult cases over the years that were settled at the state, circuit, and appellate levels . The direct field experience built a robust understanding of how every claim should be treated ranging in size up to million dollars in losses. This direct carrier background over 14 years in claims has provided the experience needed to handle any claim after suffering a loss. I’ve had the privilege of being national recognized by the National Insurance Crime Bureau and accomplished CPCU, SPPA, and IIRC certification to further enhance my insurance and material knowledge. Above all, my proudest accomplishment is being proud husband, and father raising my family in Knoxville, TN with my wife Brianne Holcomb.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Our brand is built from the community and the clients we have served. The passion our firm has for helping each clients regardless of loss, age, race, or economic background. We treat every one with the same level urgency, respect, and commitment to do everything we can for them. At times, this can be difficult, especially in the event of difficult news; however, our commitment from the beginning has always been to provide the facts of every case. The greatest gift is being referred to others who have suffered a loss and they feedback we receive from that love one about their experience.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Setting expectations, not limitations when engaging with your client(s). Every case is different with a different set of facts, policies, and companies involved. However, providing a principled approach with a foundation of what is in our control and what isn’t is paramount. Ultimately, people want the truth even if that is difficult or frustrating to process. Creating relationships is about proactively explaining each step of the process, and what are the scenarios that are ahead. As a fiduciary based firm, we put our clients needs above all and this approach has led to growth year after year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://holcombpa.com/