Overview

To quote Robert Baker’s published piece on the Unauthorized Practice of Public Adjusting (UPPA), “The unlicensed practice of public adjusting is a vehicle of consumer fraud that preys on some of the most vulnerable elements of our society. The disaster-stricken, the elderly, the unsophisticated and those for whom English is a second language. Individuals losses range from a couple of thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. And frequently, victims are left without a remedy, because UPPA offenders just disappear or are not worth suing.”

Panelists

Art Jansen
Art Jansen, CPPA, SPPA
Chief Executive Officer

Arthur T. Jansen, SPPA, CEO of Jansen/Adjusters International, is a licensed public adjuster and a passionate advocate for policyholders. Art manages a professional staff of public adjusters, structural estimators and contents specialists who work together in solving the numerous challenges associated with recovery after a property disaster. His team has earned the reputation of leading business owners and families through the process of proper claim preparation, presentation, and negotiation.

A past president of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) and the Texas Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (TAPIA), Art has been a driving force in advocating against the unauthorized practice of public adjusting and has participated in dozens of meetings with regulators and legislators across the country to further this cause. He is also one of only two public adjusters to sit on the Texas Department of Insurance’s newly created Adjuster Advisory Board.

Art Studied Business Management at Sam Houston State University and is a member of both the Coastal Conservation Association and Ducks Unlimited. He has also been honored by the State of Tennessee’s House of Representatives with an outstanding achievement proclamation and received the Better Business Bureau’s Award for Excellence.

Art has been featured as an expert panelist on Adjusters International’s Property Insurance Roundtable podcast in the episode titled, “The Unauthorized Practice of Public Adjusting (UPPA): Affecting Insurance Companies and Policyholders Alike.”

Jim
Jim Beneke, SPPA
President

Jim Beneke is a strong and effective advocate for commercial property owners in the aftermath of a devastating property loss. A third-generation public adjuster, he has a reputation for honesty and integrity in negotiating a fair and proper insurance settlement for his clients.

Jim’s grandfather founded A.C. Beneke & Company in New York in 1927. With the 1965 launch of The Beneke Company in Dallas, Jim’s dad R.G. Beneke introduced public adjusting to Texas and the Southwest. Twenty years later, The Beneke Company was an integral part in creating and organizing Adjusters International, a corporation of the nation’s leading public adjusting firms that serve clients around the world. In 1990, Jim brought The Beneke Company/Adjusters International to Austin where he still serves clients nationwide and keeps a close eye on the University of Texas Longhorns.

Jim’s nearly four decades of experience, combined with this rich family tradition, shapes his knowledge and deep appreciation for the history and growth of the public adjusting profession. He has maintained long-term relationships with clients, insurance company representatives and their experts, and others he has worked with over the years. These relationships often benefit clients that are experiencing significant property loss for the first time.

But it’s not all about what he has done in the past. Through continuing education and involvement with professional organizations and government and regulatory agencies, Jim is also well-versed on trends, laws, and other influences that shape today’s public adjusting industry. In 2003, he led the Texas Association of Public Insurance Adjusters’ (TAPIA) successful legislative effort resulting in Texas’ first public adjuster licensing law. He worked closely with the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA) and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) on the creation of a model licensing act for public adjusters. Completed in October of 2005, the model act is now the law in 15 states and is the basis of legislation in the few remaining states that do not license public adjusters.

Jim has been featured as an expert panelist on Adjusters International’s Property Insurance Roundtable podcast in the episodes titled, “Hail Damage Can Create Difficult Insurance Claims,” “Debris Removal and Pollution Damage” and “The Unauthorized Practice of Public Adjusting (UPPA).”

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Brian Goodman
Principal

Brian Goodman is a trial lawyer and principal at the firm. He represents clients in the defense of civil claims, including serious personal injury and products liability claims. Brian also represents churches and other religious institutions in the defense of sexual misconduct claims. In addition to his active trial practice, Brian represents a national insurance-industry trade association in regulatory and licensing matters, and, as such, has been and continues to be very active with the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners). He lectures extensively for continuing education credit in numerous states on first-party property insurance matters and authored a chapter in the ABA book on First Party Property Litigation.

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Steve Badger
Attorney/Senior Partner

Steve represents the commercial property insurance industry, both as a plaintiff in large loss catastrophe subrogation matters and as a defendant in coverage matters involving roofing and other construction issues.

A highlight of Steve’s career was his work on a $5 billion subrogation action arising from the 9/11 Terrorist Attack. Leading the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee, Steve was involved in directing all aspects of the action on behalf of the entire group of property damage plaintiffs. The litigation was recently settled for $1.2 billion, reportedly the largest subrogation recovery ever obtained by the insurance industry.

C. Todd Thomas

Moderator

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Brianna Moyer
Digital Marketing Manager & Website Administrator

Brianna Moyer is the Digital Marketing Manager and Website Administrator for Rising Phoenix Holdings Corporation (RPHC) and its subsidiaries. Brianna collaborates with nationwide firms and their employees to create robust social media campaigns while assisting the firms with updates to their websites regarding new search engine optimization techniques, content, imagery, the latest technology, and more. She regularly reports to management and the firms while measuring the effectiveness of different strategies. Brianna monitors the latest trends in social media and web design to keep us on the cutting edge.

Since joining the RPHC team, Brianna has introduced new media ventures such as a podcast series titled, Property Insurance Roundtable and producing video clips. Ms. Moyer writes content for the websites which include blogs, web news stories, and landing pages. She has also been instrumental in creating Standard Operating Procedures for various AI initiatives such as trade shows and disaster plan protocols.

Prior to joining Adjusters International, Brianna worked as an Assistant Business Manager and Sales Assistant at Townsquare Media. In her free time, she pursues freelancing opportunities as a graphic designer and social media marketer.