Around the World Food Festival

This post was written by Lemi, an intern that has joined Pinnacol’s Employee Services Team for 6 weeks from the DPS CareerLaunch Internship Program. Lemi was heavily involved in the preparation for this annual company-wide event, from creating educational posters for each country, to capturing all of the international food offerings in a unique and fun menu, to assisting with set up and tear down on the day of the event.

Every year our Diversity Task Force brings our employees a taste of food from all different parts of the world. The event, “Around the World Food Festival” takes place each summer, and it just keeps getting better and better.

The team representing Japan served sushi, chicken Yakitori
and Japanese candies.

This year, we saw our Pinnacol chefs represent 14 different countries with cultural décor and delicious food.  It's a unique experience for our employees who can taste different kinds of international food and always draws in a big crowd with 340 attendees enjoying the festivities.

Thanks to our chefs, Diversity Task Force and all others who contributed to this amazing event.  This festival brought many workers together from different departments to enjoy food and to get to know each other.  This is just one of many things that makes Pinnacol unique and diverse.

Pinnacol receives "Dr. Ben Galloway Community Partner of the Year Award

Pinnacol was honored to be recognized by the Bonfils Blood Center Foundation as its "Community Partner of the Year" at the Foundation's Annual Lifesavers Breakfast on April 19th. The award is named for Dr. Ben Galloway, who played a key role in the creation of the Foundation in 1995 and continues to serve as a Foundation board member today.

"To be honored in connection to the commitment that Dr. Ben Gallaway has made to our community is humbling. We are simply following the example he has set for all of us," shared Edie Sonn, Pinnacol's vice president of communications and public affairs.

(Pictured at left, left to right: Susan Witkin, breakfast emcee; Bryan Krueger, Bonfils Blood Center president and CEO; and Edie Sonn, Matt Mckenzie and Chris Sautter (all from Pinnacol).

This recognition is directly tied to Pinnacol's multifaceted support of Bonfils Blood Center. "Pinnacol's commitment to Bonfils is longstanding and has strengthened in recent years," said Julie Scott, Bonfils Blood Center Foundation's executive director. "Our commitment is to provide a safe and plentiful blood supply for Coloradans, and Pinnacol's commitment to our mission is greatly appreciated."

At the awards breakfast, Pinnacol's support in four areas was highlighted:

• Pinnacol has hosted onsite, quarterly blood drives for over 15 years. Through Pinnacol in Action (PiA), our employees are encouraged to utilize paid-volunteer-time to make regular blood donations. 
• Through Pinnacol's community investment program, the company has granted Bonfils $30,000 over three years to support its "Build-A-Fleet" program. Statewide, more than half of Bonfils' blood donations are collected through mobile blood drives, yet its fleet of collection vehicles averages over twenty years old. The effort will help Bonfils both retain current blood donors and work toward its goal of a 20 percent increase in new blood donors by 2018.  
•  Recent changes to Pinnacol's employee giving campaign model positively impacted Bonfils Blood Center. Since Partnership for Colorado was added to Pinnacol's giving options in 2015, employees are able to designate payroll contribution gifts to Bonfils throughout 2016. Those gifts are matched by Pinnacol. 
• Terry Leve, Pinnacol's chief legal and corporate resources officer, serves as a director on Bonfils' Operating Board of Directors and provides volunteer leadership to support the growth and development of Bonfils' mission. 

"The more things change..."

"The more they stay they same. " At least that's how the old adage goes. Today sees the official opening of the RTD 'Train to the Plane' route that will wind it's way from Union Station downtown to Denver International Airport. Denver's commuter rail system of course is really nothing new, although today's routes cater more to modern needs. Old-time Denverites will remember riding trolley cars on the Denver Tramway system which operated from 1886 through 1950 when it sold its assets and operations to the City and County of Denver. The city continued those operations under the name Denver Metro Transit until 1974, when they were assumed by the voter-approved Regional Transportation District (RTD).

Denver Tramway route system toward the end of its 64 year run

Originally running on narrow gauge rails (3'6" wide versus the standard 4'8 1/2") the Denver Tramway ran a variety of streetcars through the years from horse-drawn Cars to Conduit Cars (where the power rails for conduit are contained in a vault between and underneath the running rails; Denver's system was the world's second electric street railway) to Cable Cars (where rail cars are hauled by a continuously moving cable running at a constant speed; individual cars stop and start by releasing and gripping this cable as required) to Trolley Cars. Today's riders of the new "University of Colorado A Line" will perhaps notice that the rail cars used on the trip to the airport are different from the Light Rail cars they are more used to. The University of Colorado, which has a sponsorship deal for the new route, precedes Denver's original Tramway system by 10 years having been created in 1876 five months before Colorado achieved Statehood.

The rate for the 22.8 mile 'A Line' journey is $9, or about 39 cents per mile. That's still a deal given that the

IRS calculates the current cost of operating an automobile for business purposes at 54 cents per mile. The original 1886 Tramway fare was a whopping 5 cents fixed rate that would allow you to ride all of the system's 8 miles. The Tram was as popular in its day as the new A Line is sure to be today. In 1877 the Tramway was operating 12 cars pulled by 32 horses and carrying more than 392,000 passengers. By comparison, RTD's first light rail line, a 5.3-mile (8.5 km) section (the 'D' Line) opened on Friday, October 7, 1994 and it was estimated that more than 200,000 passengers rode the new system during its two-and-a-half day opening weekend. That Friday-Sunday was free to ride as will be the A Line today and tomorrow.  Of course there was a slight difference in population between then and now - in 1880 Denver's population was 35,629 (does that mean they all rode the tram 11 times?) with today's Denver metro area boasting nearly 2.9 million and 100,000 people moving to Colorado in 2015 alone.

One of my coworkers, Doretha, took today off at least in part to be one of the first to ride the new route. I don't believe she's quite old enough to have ridden the original Tramway system but I'd hazard a guess that perhaps her parents did. She'll always remember riding the 'Train to the Plane' on the very first day of operation. What she probably doesn't know is that you can still ride one of the Denver Tramway cars. Now known as the Platte Valley Trolley, Car No. 25 is the last remaining, completely intact, electric railway car out of over 250 that once served the Denver area. Built in 1911 it runs along tracks between Sports Authority Field and REI's downtown store.

As I said, the more things change...

Several New Opportunities with Pinnacol!

We have several new opportunities to join Pinnacol that we are excited about!

Our Actuary, Ken, is looking to bring an experienced Sr. Actuarial Analyst onto his team to develop actuarial, statistical, and predictive analyses and models to improve business processes and better differentiate loss costs and risk in our Company’s insurance portfolio.  The ideal candidate will have passed five Casualty Actuarial Exams and have five years of progressively more responsible experience in workers’ compensation insurance.  A Bachelor's Degree in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics or related area is preferred although relevant work experience (similar kind of work at a similar level of work as described in the essential duties) may be substituted for the education requirements.  Candidates for this type of role would be expected to be very adept with Microsoft Excel and some knowledge of data query programming preferred along with demonstrated project management skills, and excellent communication and presentation skills.

We are also looking for an Employee Services Assistant to provide administrative support to the Employee Services department which includes several of our teams including Human Resources, Learning & Organizational Development, and Wellness and Benefits Administration. Candidates for this role must bring a High School Diploma or GED (College degree a plus)  along with two years of administrative/clerical experience preferred. You should also have excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, communications and customer service skills and have moderate to advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities, and the ability to maintain confidentiality for Company/department is also required.

Another administrative opportunity we currently have open is the role of Business Director Assistant. This position assists our Business Directors in performance of their duties, including providing administrative support, project management, handling customer issues, internal and external communications to our stakeholders, office management as well as assisting other insurance operations staff.  A High School Diploma or GED required (a college degree is a plus). Three years of related administrative work experience in a high volume environment required along with advanced PowerPoint and Excel skills. Health care or insurance industry strongly preferred.

We're also looking for a Medical Case Management Supervisor within our Nursing group to lead a high performing team comprised of Medical Case Managers and Utilization Reviewers and to ensure injured workers, Company and Stakeholders are provided best in class medical case management. An active CO nursing license in good standing is required along with five years workers’ compensation experience and five years people management.  Candidates should be knowledgeable of healthcare industry standards and trends and be willing to complete their Certified Case Manager certification (CCM) within two years of joining Pinnacol.

We have several other positions open and you can always view the complete list, as well as apply to positions of interest, on our company website. We look forward to hearing from you!

9Health Fair a success!

Today Pinnacol hosted the 9Health Fair for the 13th time and it was a great success. Our volunteers always enjoy the Health Fair as a chance to interact with the Lowry community. 9News (KUSA), the primary sponsor of the Health Fair, did a broadcast from our location as the Fair was getting started. Reporter Cheryl Preheim and Dr. John Torres were on hand and did a segment on the importance of sleep. There wasn't a lot of dozing off during the Fair as our guests kept us busy as they moved from one screening to the next. If you didn't attend today's Fair there are others around the state happening throughout April and into early May. You can find locations on the 9Health Fair site.

I'd be remiss if I didn't say thank you to all the folks, Pinnacol staff as well as outside medical

volunteers, who are instrumental in making this annual event a success. And a special thank you to all the community members who visited with us today and took an active role in promoting their own health!

Are you an experienced commercial insurance Underwriter?

Are you an experienced commercial lines insurance Underwriter? If so, we'd like to talk to you about exciting opportunities to join our company. Colorado’s robust economy is adding workload such that we need to increase our underwriting capabilities and we're looking for experienced Underwriters looking to move ahead in their careers. Exposure to workers’ compensation insurance and the Colorado market a plus but not required and we are willing to consider both in-state as well as out-of-state candidates looking to relocate for these opportunities. Ideally you'll also have five years or more of commercial insurance underwriting experience. This is a great opportunity to join Colorado's leading provider of workers' compensation insurance. Interested candidates are asked to complete an expression of interest via our company website.

Pinnacol hosts 9Health Fair for the 13th year next Wednesday

Next Wednesday, April 13th, from 7 a.m. to noon Pinnacol will be hosting the 9Health Fair at our company headquarters at 7501 East Lowry Blvd. in Denver. More than 150 Pinnacol employees will be joining a large group of medical volunteers to provide free or low cost health screens to the community. Here are some of the screening services that will be available:

The following health screens will be offered at the fair this year:
• Blood Chemistry Screening (blood draw) - $35
• Blood Cell Count (blood draw)- $20
• PSA (Blood draw for Prostate Surface Antigen) - $30
• Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy Screening (blood draw) - $45
• Hemoglobin A1c (blood draw) - $30
• Colon Cancer Screening kit - $25
• Blood pressure/Height/Weight - Free
• Vision & Eye Health Screening - Free
• Hearing - Free
• Talk with medical professional - Free
• Skin Screening- Free
• Foot Screening - Free
• Hand Screening -Free
• Lung Function Screening - Free
• Spinal Screening - Free
• Sleep Apnea Screening- Free
• Oral Health Screening - Free
• Nutrition by Cooking Matters - Free
• Stress Management - Free
• Diabetes Risk Education by the American Diabetes Association
• Colorado Quitline

Our friendly volunteers look forward to seeing you!

If you can't visit with us at our site there are locations around Colorado and dates through April and into May so there is no excuse for not visiting one of this year's Fairs. Of course, we'd love to see you at our location. Many of our employees have volunteered at all the Fairs held at our site and they'll take great care of you when you visit!

Talent Acquisition roles now open at Pinnacol!

Only in Human Resources does one get the opportunity to post for one's own position! I'm fortunate to be able to retire from Pinnacol at the end of April after 19 years of service. As my LinkedIn profile has said since LinkedIn first went up: 

"My job is to attract great people to our company and I think I have the best job in the organization (although 600 of my co-workers might argue with me about that!). I've been with the company for 18+ years which is pretty rare in today's world, but which speaks volumes about the way my company treats us as employees!" 

With my leaving someone has to take up that role and I'm excited for whoever is selected to continue the work I've passionately pursued on behalf of this great company. 

Talent Acquisition, Recruiting, Human Capital Management - whatever you want to call it - it's all about being able to develop and implement staffing plans and strategies that ensure diversity, high quality, and cultural/organizational fit throughout the recruitment and hiring process. We're willing to look at candidates having 3+ years professional experience in a direct recruitment role. As you might expect, candidates should also bring extensive knowledge of the legal requirements for recruiting and hiring along with comprehensive knowledge of current and key HR practices-recruitment/staffing, employee relations, compensation, and employee development. PHR or SPHR designations are strongly preferred. If you have a passion for this kind of work we'd love to hear from you! We ask interested candidates to please complete our on-line application. 

When I first started I would have been faxing a copy of this job announcement over to our contact at the Denver Post to run in the Sunday (do I need to even say it: print) edition. That's where everyone looked for jobs back then. Now you can find out about jobs on your handheld mobile device. The technology has certainly changed but at the end of the day this is still very much a people business. That's what has kept me excited to come to work every day and hopefully that will remain the case for whoever assumes my role in the future!

Marketing: Agency Relationship Manager position now available!

At Pinnacol we call our marketing team Agency Relations and we are currently looking for an experienced Agency Relations Manager to manage the relationship, communication methods, education/training and performance metrics (production/sales, loss ratio, growth, and combined ratio goals) for assigned agents and safety groups.

For this position a Bachelor’s degree is strongly preferred although relevant work experience (similar kind of work at a similar level of work as described in the essential duties) may be substituted for the bachelor's degree. Pinnacol always encourages and supports the completion of a degree. In terms of experience we are looking for someone with three years working with agency relationships or related underwriting/marketing experience. CPCU, CIC or other insurance certifications are a plus as is knowledge of underwriting procedures, the NCCI underwriting manual, and the regulations and law for workers’ compensation insurance in Colorado. Candidates must have excellent computer skills in Microsoft applications and must have strong time management skills, verbal, written, interpersonal and customer service skills and be capable of handling multiple assignments and priorities.

In this position candidates should expect extensive telephone and computer work both in an office and home environment including extensive field activities. Travel within the state is required so candidates must also possess a valid Colorado driver’s license and proof of automobile insurance.

If the Agency Relationship Manager position sounds of interest we would love to hear from you! We do ask candidates to complete an on-line application via our company website.

MyPath a great resource for exploring insurance careers...

If you or someone you know is interested in exploring what an insurance career is all about, MyPath is a great resource. MyPath is dedicated to educating students and young professionals about the insurance industry, as well as about the limitless career opportunities it has to offer. As a collaborative insurance industry effort, The Institutes and their affiliates — The Griffith Insurance Education Foundation, the CPCU Society, and the CPCU — Loman Education Foundation — created the MyPath website as a marketplace of information and are leading the collective initiative to provide educational information about the insurance industry.

MyPath also has a great blog full of useful articles. Some of the recent topics include:

• Why Insurance Professionals Love Their Careers
• Choosing a Career - 10 Practical Tips For Deciding What To Do With Your Life
• Majoring In Risk Management - What to Expect
• Insurance Claims Careers - Restoring People's Lives, One Story At A Time
• Insurance Underwriter Careers - Analyzing Risk From Shipwrecks To Sports Cars

One of my favorites was actually from this past Holiday season and was aptly titled "A Risk Manager's Guide to Holiday Gift Buying". And for those still in school it even has a resource to help find and land an internship. It's really a great resource to check out! 

Surviving the Blizzard of '16

Tuesday night after work I went for a bike ride in shorts and a light jacket and the temperature was near 70 degrees. That morning when I was driving into work at 6:00 it was already 52 degrees and the wind was strong from the south. I noticed that the barometer was also pretty low and still falling. For March in Denver that combination should give pause and the meteorologists were already hyping up the approaching storm slated for the next day.

Pinnacol has a dedicated team of folks who assemble when the weather looks to turn bad who have the hair-pulling job of deciding whether to close for the day. They are usually about their work around 4:30 in the morning and yesterday was no exception. There are at least six people involved with the decision and they live around the metro area. As they phone conferenced the weather was being typically uncooperative. A couple of folks were reporting rain at their location and others indicated they were receiving just light snow. Didn't seem that bad and nothing like the blizzard conditions that were forecast. The initial signal to employees was for a delayed start but as the storm intensified the word quickly went out that yes indeed we would be closed for the day. By that time anyone looking out their window at the snow blowing horizontally in the howling winds would have agreed with, and been thankful for, that smart decision.

Heavy Equipment clearing snow in 2006

If you've been in Denver for any length of time you can probably rattle off the major Denver blizzards you've been through (dare I use the term "survived"?). The Christmas blizzard of 1984 is the first I can truly remember and it too had started out with unseasonably warm weather before smacking the town with so much snow they had to get out front-end loaders rather than plows to clear the major roads. Back then the wisdom was to let mother nature take its course and allow the snow to melt from the streets and that decision ended up costing a Denver Mayor his job come the next election. Blizzards tend to bring us together as a community as we collectively share the experience of watching what nature can do. For those new to Denver the blizzard of '16 will likely be what the blizzard of '84 was for my family. Fondly or not so fondly, years from now you'll likely remember yesterday's maelstrom. Of course yesterday's event was no worse than others that preceded it or others yet to come.

Pinnacol's offices this morning

I think Denver is at its prettiest after a major snowstorm and this morning was no exception. Those famously blue Colorado skies and a morning sun glinting off the still pristine snow made a challenging commute that much more tolerable and reminded me once again why I make this place my home. I take Colorado Blvd. as part of my route to work and looking to the west at the City of Brest Park (Cherry Creek Drive South & Colorado Blvd.) the snow covered trees were absolutely breathtaking. I don't think too many of my fellow commuters took advantage of the sight though and mores the pity but I can't blame them for their white-knuckled focus on the road in front of them. Our office building too looks nice under a mantle of freshly fallen snow and it was nice to arrive safe and sound. I had an 8:00 interview scheduled and kudos to the candidate for his efforts to make it in through some challenging driving conditions.

By this afternoon the roads will hopefully have improved, the snow will take on a brownish tinge, and the drive home will likely be a slush fest. By tomorrow yesterday's blizzard will be just another memory. The good news? There's another storm forecast for Saturday!

Looking for a great Paralegal to join our Legal team!

We are looking for an experienced Paralegal to provide comprehensive paralegal and litigation support to our subrogation counsel. A Bachelor’s Degree is strongly preferred although relevant work experience (similar kind of work at a similar level of work as described in the essential duties) may be substituted for the bachelor's degree.

Candidates should bring three or more years paralegal experience in legal department or law firm. Paralegal certification is required and may be substituted for years of experience. Knowledge of legal and medical terminology helpful as is knowledge of general principles of law, workers compensation, Colorado Civil Rules of Procedure and Colorado Appellate Rules of Procedure.

If you are interested in this opportunity we would ask that you please complete an application via our company website.

Family Tree benefits from Volunteer with Phil event

The Family Tree has for four decades provided innovative, life-changing services designed to end child abuse, domestic violence and homelessness. As the only organization in the state to actively address the interconnectedness among these issues, Family Tree is changing how individuals, families and communities see, respond to and overcome them.

On March 14th our CEO, Phil Kalin, along with 22 Pinnacol In Action volunteers spent time at House of Hope, one of seven Family Tree shelters. House of Hope is home to 40 women and children facing some very difficult circumstances.

Family Tree's website has a quote that caught my attention: "Volunteers do not necessarily have the time, they just have the heart". Pinnacol recognized years ago that time is still important and gives every employee two days a year to volunteer in the community. Our CEO, who regularly participates in volunteer events throughout the year, has hosted several Volunteer with Phil events since coming to Pinnacol and this year's event at House of Hope also served as Pinnacol In Action's inaugural volunteer experience with Family Tree after the organization was selected to be a new PiA partner just over a month ago.  

“It's sobering to be reminded about the challenges that too many families are facing, but always inspiring to see Pinnacol at our best," Phil shared. "Nothing was beneath us — we cleaned, we cooked, we organized and we painted. We left House of Hope a far better place for the women and children who will call it home this month. As I left I was reminded how thankful I am to work every day with people of such character and conviction.”  

Thank you to the Family Tree for allowing our volunteers to lend a hand and we look forward to working with you in the future!

Several new opportunities to join Pinnacol Assurance!

We have recently added several opportunities including Claims Representative, Provider Relations Specialist, and Learning & Organizational Development Coordinator.

I'll start with the Learning & OD Coordinator role. While this is not a corporate trainer role this position does lead the administrative aspects and logistical coordination for our Learning & Organizational Development (L&OD) team and business team specialists and liaisons.  This position will also maintain the Learning Management System (LMS), maintain the training calendar, schedule all insurance designation classes (AICPCU designations), schedule and proctor exams, maintain all training materials and supplies used by L&OD, and partner with our facilities team to ensure all classrooms are set prior to the day of training in accordance with the requirements of the class being facilitated. A Bachelor’s Degree is strongly preferred although relevant professional work experience may be substituted for the degree.  We are seeking candidates with three years of corporate training experience who have familiarity with analytics and/or event coordination experience and previous experience with Learning Management Systems or databases. Must have excellent verbal and written communications skills and be able to work with all levels in the organization.  Proficient with the Microsoft Office Suite – Word, Excel, PPT, etc., as well as other types of media (projectors, video recording equipment, etc.).

Next up is the Provider Relations position. We are looking for an experienced Provider Relations Specialist to market, service and educate providers within our SelectNet healthcare network. By establishing strong working relationships statewide you’ll help ensure a high performing provider network which provides optimal care for injured workers. A Bachelor’s Degree is strongly preferred although relevant work experience may be substituted for the degree.  Ideally you’ll have three years of insurance or managed care experience, preferably in a Workers’ Compensation setting with some of this experience related to collaborating, negotiating, and working directly with physicians and medical facilities.

We're also looking for candidates interested in a career as a Claims Representative. You’ll work with team members to manage claims and claim-related issues to the most expedient, cost effective resolution while providing quality customer service to all Pinnacol stakeholders including injured workers and their employers.  A Bachelor’s Degree is strongly preferred though  relevant work experience (similar kind of work at a similar level of work as described in the essential duties) may be substituted for the degree.

If any of these positions sounds of interest we'd love to hear from you! Please apply on-line via our company website. 

We'll be attending the DU Spring Job Fair this afternoon...

Last night Megan and I had the opportunity to attend a get together for campus organizations at DU (the University of Denver) ahead of today's Spring Job Fair. DU really does a nice job with these events and last night's session was no different. Interacting with the students is always a lot of fun and reinforces my faith in the next generation of graduates coming into the job market. While at last night's festivities we had a chance to catch up with two students - Kishan and Elvia who have an interesting product (FirstSynch.com) that helps employers and students connect through short video segments. We had first met Kishan at last Fall's Job Fair so we were excited to have another chance to get in front of the camera for a short segment about Pinnacol.

Our Vice President of Insurance Operations, Mark Isakson, was gracious enough to attend with us last night and I think he too came away excited about the prospect of bringing some of these upcoming graduates into our organization. I had hired Mark back in 2001 as an Underwriter and his journey with Pinnacol has taken him through several positions before assuming his current role. I'll always remember one particular interview Mark had when he was interested in becoming a Business Director of one of our multi-functional teams. The panel asked him what he had done to prepare himself for the role to which he was applying. Without skipping a beat Mark detailed how he had actually started preparing himself for this position years before. His detailed answer left a strong impression with the panel and helped Mark continue on his career path.

We'll be meeting today with candidates just starting their professional journeys and hopefully Pinnacol will be able to be a part of some of them!

Two new opportunities to join Pinnacol!

We have two new opportunities to join our company. We are looking for an experienced IS Security Administrator and for an Assistant Controller. 

The IS Security Administrator will serve as a Cybersecurity subject matter expert for our company and ensure the secure operation of our computer systems, servers, and network connections. A Bachelor’s Degree is strongly preferred for this position although relevant work experience (similar kind of work at a similar level of work as described in the essential duties) may be substituted for the  degree.  Two years cyber security experience coupled with 5 years system, network or development  experience is required and candidates must have experience in an incident-driven environment, and a solid understanding of security architecture for multiple operating systems, including Windows, Unix and Linux. IT forensics experience preferred along with one or more of the following certifications: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP); SANS/GIAC; Cisco CCIE Security; CISM; Checkpoint Certified Security Expert.

If all that technical computer stuff overwhelms you like it does me perhaps our Assistant Controller opportunity is something you'd be interested in. This position will manage our internal accounting team, analyze results, and develop and maintain accounting principles, practices and procedures to ensure accurate and timely financial statements. The Assistant Controller also leads our annual budget and planning process. For this role a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance is strongly preferred. Relevant work experience (similar kind of work at a similar level of work as described in the essential duties) may be substituted for the bachelor's degree. A minimum of seven years accounting/finance experience is required with an emphasis on insurance preferred. Statutory and GAAP accounting strongly preferred. Candidates must have strong attention to detail and the ability to perform analyses while focusing on the big picture and must be able to manage priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Strong presentation and written communication skills are also a necessity for this position. CPA certification and public accounting experience a plus. 

If either of these two roles sounds of interest we would love to hear from you! Please complete an expression of interest via our company website.

Love is in the air...

Tis' the season for love, although if Tuesday's downtown celebration is any indication the color for this year's Valentine's Day should be perhaps more of an orange hue than red. Staying more with the traditional rather than the pigskin our Pinnacol In Action volunteers this week made 100 Valentine's cards for the kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver.

Christine and Marie, two of our volunteer coordinators, hosted the event and supplied everything you could ever need to bedazzle a card. About 30 Pinnacol employees demonstrated their card making skills and wowed the kids with their creations. It's good to know we have some very creative card makers but fortunately they were smart enough to keep me far away from the glue and glitter. This was the first time we've done this event and it was so successful they're already planning for next year. Thanks Christine and Marie for arranging this great event and thanks to all the Pinnacol volunteers who made it a success! Maybe some of them can give me card making lessons ahead of next year's celebration...

Business Director opportunity now open!

Due to a recent promotion we are looking to fill a Business Director role. Leading one of our multidisciplinary insurance operations teams of direct and in-direct reports this position will establish team priorities, team goals, and expectations to facilitate coordination and delivery of team-based services resulting in best-in-class customer experience and will lead the team's strategic and operational efforts to deliver industry specific services creating customer value. Our Business Directors maintain oversight and accountability for their team's book of business to achieve financial, business and customer objectives (underwriting profitability, growth, retention, claims management and customer experience) by routinely monitoring and directing improvement efforts to drive key performance metrics.

For this position a Bachelor’s Degree is strongly preferred. Relevant work experience (similar kind of work at a similar level of work as described in the essential duties) may be substituted for the bachelor's degree.  Completion of a degree is encouraged and supported. Five years’ experience in a leadership position in insurance or related field strongly preferred.  Must have extensive and in-depth knowledge of insurance operations (claims, underwriting and risk management services) and be flexible, innovative, and have the ability to perform in a rapidly changing, fast-paced environment.

If you are interested in our Business Director opportunity we would love to hear from you! We ask candidates to please apply on-line via www.pinnacol.com/careers .

Sometimes you just gotta believe...

and sometimes it's simply unbelievable. Congratulations to the champions of Super Bowl 50 - the Denver Broncos!

! 

Sometimes you just gotta believe

Sometimes you just gotta believe. Some people would claim yesterday's win by the Denver Broncos as miraculous. As the underdogs in everyone's minds except for those that mattered - the players - few really expected the Broncos to beat the favored Mr. Brady and Patriots. Of course, all the hype was about the Manning/Brady showdown but yesterday's game and yesterday's win was so not about the two quarterbacks. With apologies to the pundits, I'm sure Peyton would give 100% credit to the rest of the team and actually believe what he was saying.

Doretha, who I work with in HR, and who is far wiser than I, always proclaims that the Broncos simply need to score 1 more point than whichever team they are facing. And yesterday proved her right once again. Though the final score reflects a two point difference, the game was truly determined by one point - a missed point after attempt in the first half. The rest of the game would revolve around the Patriots trying to recover from that one botched play.

After the game was over and the final agonizing seconds had ticked off the clock a reporter asked one of the Broncos players in the locker room if a week ago he had believed that they would be where they were now - Champions of the AFC and headed for Superbowl 50. Though the reporter clearly expected a different response the player without the least hesitation said that yes, absolutely, without any doubt, he believed they would win the game. And it wasn't just some canned response, some sports metaphor being spouted. It was clear that he, and the rest of the team, truly believed in themselves and in each other and that they could win. And that's the real story about yesterday's game that celebrates a team that never gave up. As another Broncos player put it, every play in a game matters, and you gotta believe that every member of the Patriots organization has now learned that lesson the hard way.

I'm pretty sure the Broncos will again be rated as underdogs going into the big game two weeks from now. And that's probably as it should be. But in the end it doesn't matter. Let the players fight it out on the field  and until proven otherwise, you gotta believe in orange and blue. Congratulations to the 2015 AFC Champion Denver Broncos.

As I get older and realize more and more how little I really know it surprises me the lessons I still need to learn. As simple as it is, sometimes you just gotta believe.

The morning after...

Oh well. I noticed some very droopy faces this morning. They like me had to come to grips with the very sad reality that none of us had picked the winning combination of numbers for last night's record Powerball jackpot of $1,600,000,000. I don't often buy a lottery or Powerball ticket but how can you resist any jackpot with that many zeros in it? So, like you, I arose this morning and dutifully came in to work. Going into the drawing I was feeling cautiously optimistic - my odds were as good as anyone's and at 1 in 292,000,000 how could I lose? Heck, I almost went out ahead of the drawing to Expedia to book my one-way ticket to Bora Bora.

The good news of course is for you and I the world hasn't dramatically changed. Unlike the winners in California, Florida and Tennessee we don't have to deal with the hassle of lining up attorneys, accountants, and bodyguards let alone the headache of having to decide what to do with all those pesky millions.

Opportunities will continue to come our way and we have openings in a number of different areas from medical case management to safety services and information technology. Just yesterday I blogged about our newest opportunity for a Continuous Improvement Coach.

If you know of someone who would be a good fit for any of our positions  please let them know about our openings. And in the spirit of continuous improvement here's hoping that everyone out there continues to hone their number picking techniques ahead of the next record-breaking jackpot!

Continuous Improvement Coach opportunity

Pinnacol uses LEAN methodologies to help continually improve our processes. We are looking for a LEAN professional to join our LEAN team in the role of Continuous Improvement Coach. This role will provide operational and consultative support to improve business performance through process optimization. Will apply LEAN methods and tools to promote continuous improvement, increase operating model consistency, and engage and empower employees with LEAN methods to enhance the value of service provided to customers. This position will also develop metrics to assess lean programs maturity level to ensure progression and will lead problem solving activities to define problems, assess current state root causes, design and test solutions, and implement solutions to ensure desired outcomes. 

A Bachelor’s Degree is strongly preferred although relevant work experience (similar kind of work at a similar level of work as described in the essential duties) may be substituted for the bachelor's degree. Advanced degree preferred. Candidates should bring five years’ relevant technical experience to include process improvement, preferably in an insurance or financial services environment and must have strong research, problem solving, analytic and project management skills along with strong communication and presentation skills.

If this sounds of interest we would love to hear from you! Please express your interest via our company website.

For those of you who may not be familiar with LEAN, which was originally developed by Toyota, the following video gives some sense of what it's all about...

Everyday Wellness program continues to flourish

Barbara and Logan cut the ribbon
on the new Pinnacol Walking Route

This week at Pinnacol saw some exciting additions to our Everyday Wellness program. A new wellness portal called Virgin Pulse was rolled out to all employees and this morning saw the official ribbon cutting on our half mile walking route inside our building. Good timing for all of this because the recent weather hasn't been conducive to much beyond skiing, snowboarding, and shoveling snow.

I jumped the gun and did the walk first thing this morning. With a step counter tracking my every move I actually clocked six tenths of a mile but that's because I got lost (I forgot the map) and also stopped to talk to folks along the way. Our building has four floors and though I think I'm in fairly decent shape the walk still got my attention so it actually will be some real exercise for folks who normally walk only as far as the coffee or copy machine. It's a real challenge for office-bound folks to get the exercise they need during the day and the new offerings from our Everyday Wellness program should help. A special thanks to Barbara, Logan, and the Everyday Wellness team for keeping us motivated and excited. In the meantime, I've got to go as I still have another 8,000 steps to accumulate today...

What better way to start the New Year...

Than with jobs, jobs, jobs. On this not so beautiful, but oh so snowy, Denver morning the Chinese stock market is down but Pinnacol hiring is up. Here are some of the positions we are currently looking to fill in early 2016 (the Year of the Monkey according to the Chinese calendar):

• Medical Case Managers - we are looking for several Registered Nurses who will work with claims staff and other internal/external stakeholders to bring medical and claims issues of injured workers to an expedient and cost-effective resolution and to provide our Company and our stakeholders with best in class medical case management. A current Colorado nursing license is required and candidates must be willing to attain and maintain case manager certification (CCM) within 3 years of hire. Five years’ experience in nursing strongly preferred.
• Healthcare Contract Manager - our Medical Operations and Provider Relations team is growing and one of the current opportunities is for an experienced Healthcare professional who will be responsible for contracting, implementation, administration and monitoring of new large system and high volume contracts. This position is accountable for providing a full range of operational support around existing large system contracts with additional focus on re-contracting and collaborative opportunities for lowering claims costs, improving levels of service and the quality of care. Bachelor’s Degree in health care administration, business, or related field strongly preferred although relevant work experience may be substituted for the bachelor's degree.  Minimum of 5-years’ experience in progressive network management including contracting and network administration is required along with proven experience negotiating workers’ compensation or commercial reimbursement contracts with complex hospital systems and large physician groups.
• Medical Operations Quality Manager - we are looking for an experienced Healthcare or Insurance Manager who will provide direct management of one of our high-performance teams responsible for the overall quality of medical payment services functions. A Bachelor’s Degree in business, healthcare or related field strongly preferred. As mentioned in the position above relevant work experience can be substituted for the bachelor’s degree. A minimum of 8 years’ experience in healthcare, insurance or workers’ compensation is required. Exceptional written, verbal and presentation skills are also required as are exceptional analytical and decision-making skills. A minimum of 2 years formal leadership experience is strongly preferred.
• Business Assistant Medical Operations & Healthcare Strategy - this is a pretty cool opportunity and new to our organization. The Business Assistant will assist both our Associate Vice President of Medical Operations and our Senior Medical Director in performance of their executive duties, including providing administrative support, project management, marketing/customer issues, internal and external communications to our stakeholders, office management as well as assisting other Medical Operations staff. A minimum of a High School Diploma or GED required and we are looking for folks with at least 3 years of related executive administrative work experience in a high volume environment required. Health care or insurance industry strongly preferred. Advanced PowerPoint and Excel experience is also required.
• Software Developers - we can't forget our IT shop as we'd be lost without their efforts. We have several opportunities in this area: first we are looking for Oracle Forms\Reports Developers to develop and maintain our internal applications. You’ll collaborate on assignments with a Product Team while working under the guidance of the Application Resource Manager to meet Customer/End User needs. Ideal candidates will have extensive SQL and PL\SQL experience, familiarity with Oracle Forms, Service Oriented Architecture concepts and their implementation, the ability to work within an agile framework, understanding of Insurance or Healthcare systems a plus, the ability to elicit requirements and work with customers, and be able to manage priorities between project work and maintenance. We are also looking for full stack Developers to develop multi-tier application programs that combine web browser, application server, and database functionality, using front-end technologies such as HTML5, XML, Javascript, CSS, and Angular with a Ruby (Rails/API) back-end on Linux-style operating systems. You’ll collaborate on assignments with a Product Team while working under the guidance of the Application Resource Manager to meet Customer/End User needs. Our technical must haves: Extensive SASS/LESS experience, familiarity with CoffeeScript, extensive Ruby experience, comfortable with online testing frameworks, possess an understanding of source control systems (Git), be able to work within an agile framework. Nice to have skills include: experience using RESTful API services.

If some of these positions are of interest to you we would love to hear from you! Please let us know of your interest through Pinnacol.com.

Hopefully the Year of the Monkey (which in the Chinese Calendar actually begins February 8th) will be auspicious for all of us. And if you were born in a Year of the Monkey (1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004) here are some things you might want to be aware of...

Lucky numbers: 4 and 9

Lucky days: the 14th and 28th of any Chinese lunar calendar month

Lucky colors: white, blue, gold

Lucky flowers: chrysanthemum, crape-myrtle

Lucky directions: north, northwest, west

Lucky months: Chinese lunar months 8 and 12

Unlucky colors: red, pink

Unlucky numbers: 2 and 7

Unlucky directions: south, southeast

Unlucky months: Chinese lunar months 7 and 11

Pinnacol Earns A- Rating from A.M. Best

Pinnacol Assurance has received an A- (Excellent) rating with a stable outlook from the global credit rating agency A.M. Best. This is the first time Pinnacol has been rated by A.M. Best. Pinnacol received the rating as a result of its appropriate surplus level, substantially improved underwriting and operating performance, and leading position in the Colorado workers’ compensation market. A.M. Best also recognized Pinnacol’s effective claims management and loss control services, and its local expertise.

“This rating is a testament to our financial strength and the diligence of our employees,” said Phil Kalin, Pinnacol’s president and CEO. “It’s a statement to our policyholders and injured workers that we are positioned to fulfill our commitments to them for the long haul.”