Temporary housing team growth 2018

From humble beginnings at a kitchen table in Aaron Wilson’s apartment, Sedgwick’s temporary housing division has experienced exponential growth since 1996. In the past year alone, 24 new employees were welcomed into our family and to our Atlanta headquarters–which quickly started to feel a bit crowded for the company’s big dreams. In November of 2017, the idea to break down walls and expand our office came to Aaron as a possibility and soon became a necessity. For a company to provide comfortable, pleasant temporary homes for y/our policyholders, we needed to give ourselves the same kind of space to work in. The Atlanta Headquarters now hosts nearly 100 employees and has added on 4 more private offices, an additional conference room, another kitchen, and enough office space for each departments’ planned expansions.

In the beginning, Sedgwick’s temporary housing division serviced the insurance industry in the Atlanta area. Aaron Wilson recalled the early years when he waited tables and took claims between taking orders. Now, 22 years later, we work nationwide, providing insurance housing to victims of natural disasters, house fires, water damage, and everything in between. More than just finding accommodations, we help rebuild their lives and dreams, giving them the helping hand they desperately need. We are the compassionate force in a time that, for some people, will be the most overwhelming experience of their lives. Providing not only for their needs, like handicap accessible bathrooms and pet-friendly hotel rooms with kitchens or housing within walking distance to their children’s school–we strive to accommodate as many wants as possible to make their temporary house feel as stable and comfortable as possible. As we have grown from a promising start-up to a national corporation servicing hundreds of insurance carriers, we haven’t lost the personal touch we pride ourselves on.

Lee Pigliavento, our office manager, is constantly keeping the morale up with parties, birthday celebrations, and out of the office events. Emergency insurance housing is a stressful job, it puts a lot on a person to shoulder the emotional burden of what these families have been through, and for them to carry the responsibility to find them the most basic of needs–housing. At its heart, Sedgwick’s temporary housing division is helmed by a core group of employees that have been striving for excellence for more than a decade. This group serves as the foundation which others have built up from–learning from their experiences and wisdom to give our policyholders the most positive, smooth transition into temporary housing possible.

Having a strong, central headquarters in Atlanta has enabled Sedgwick’s temporary housing division to focus on its growth across the nation and internally. This past January alone, we have seen a 390% growth in new adjusters compared to the first month of years prior. With this projected out onto 2018, we are expecting a sharp increase in new clients. With that being said, we are looking to the future with hopeful eyes. We want to provide the best service to people, especially since these people are dealing with trauma. Plans are set to expand the hotel placement team further, bringing on new coordinators to keep our expectations of hotel placement within fifteen minutes of a new claim being taken. On the long-term placement side of the office, the East and West coast teams are already swelling to keep up with the demand for personalized claim handling. Our team’s plans are to create teams solely for our national accounts, to curate specialized service will ensure faster placement, increased focus, and personal relationships built between our caretakers and the adjusters they assist.

The additional office space is already being utilized by a few employees and will be completed late February. Creating this atmosphere has not only boosted the morale of our employees, it is contributing to our productivity, by providing additional meeting spaces and workstations. The lobby and reception area are being remodeled, bringing our guests into an environment as welcoming as the temporary housing we give to y/our policyholders. Because for us, this isn’t just an office space or corporate headquarters–it’s an extension of ourselves, the housing service that we provide, and the family we have created here at Sedgwick’s temporary housing division.

As the walls in our office have come down, our expectations are building up to what our future holds, and how that will affect our policyholders and adjusters. For those who are rebuilding their lives through us, it means becoming settled faster, with a dedication to their dreams as if they were our own, and more personal attention from their caretakers. For us here at Sedgwick’s temporary housing division, it will foster the kind of environment wherein we can continue to grow and keep striving to provide the very best in the insurance housing industry.