We’re very excited to unveil our latest video from our new blog series titled “Insights from the Top: 3 Questions with PLM Leaders.” Every month, we’ll feature a different member of our leadership team, offering their perspectives on industry trends and the crucial role PLM plays in addressing the needs of the wood niche.
In this month’s edition, we are joined by AVP of Field Operations – Tricia Kilrain
Q: How did you get your start in insurance?
TK: I think that’s a really interesting question, because most people don’t like study for insurance and decide to go into insurance. I actually was living in New Mexico in the early 2000. I was moving to Colorado for personal reasons, and the company it was with didn’t have any openings. I thought, “Well, I’ll get there and I’ll figure it out.”
TK: So I did. We moved to Colorado, and when I got settled, I met with a temp agency who assessed my skills. They said, “Wow, based on who you are and everything that we see, we think you’d be a really good fit for some type of an insurance career.” And that’s how it started. Here I am 24 years later.
Q: What is the biggest challenge currently facing our customers?
TK: I would say with all the environmental disasters that we’re experiencing and they’re becoming more frequent and more intense, that it’s driving up claims and insurance costs. In tandem, everything’s inevitably on the rise. So we find that some insurers have even limited coverage and premiums are going up. The cost is becoming an issue. Some consumers are thinking that maybe they need to reduce coverage. It’s just creating a problem all across the board.
Q: How do you see continuing education playing a role in your career?
TK: I really feel that that’s instrumental in helping me to develop skills that make my work, more rewarding, more impactful. It helps me to stay up to date and open to new ideas. I think I’m adaptable — but I think it helps me to remain adaptable. It expands networking opportunities within the industry. It cultivates a continuous learning mindset, which is really important.
Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company (PLM) (www.plmins.com) is a nationally recognized property and casualty insurance carrier serving the lumber, woodworking and building material industries. Backed by 129 years of experience, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based company protects over 5,500 businesses nationwide with property, general liability, inland marine, business automobile, commercial excess liability and equipment breakdown coverages. PLM is also able to place workers’ comp through Green Tree Risk Partners, their wholesale brokerage.
