New CEO introduces himself to Pinnacol

On Monday Pinnacol employees got their first chance to see our new CEO, Phil Kalin, up close and personal. Phil made the effort to hold numerous employee meetings all day long, and as tiring as that must have been for him it was an effort greatly appreciated by everyone at Pinnacol. Phil mentioned that when the announcement first became public he saw hits to his LinkedIn profile soar so it was clear our employees were curious and anxious to learn about the gentleman tapped to lead our organization into the future.

Phil has a tremendous background, but acknowledged he has much to learn about workers' compensation insurance. One thing was clear - Phil brings to the table the same focus on providing exceptional customer service that our management team has been focused on for many years.

During the session I attended I was honestly watching my fellow employees as much as I was watching Phil. I was looking to gauge their reaction to our new boss. My takeaway was that Phil made a very positive impression. He comes across as a very approachable leader who has a strong business sense about him.

One of the things we do with our new employees is a new employee follow-up after they have been in their position for a month or two to see how life at Pinnacol is treating them so far. I had one of these sessions this morning with one of our new claims adjusters, Joe, who had started with us back in September. So far he's been very pleased with his assimilation into the company from the training he's received to how he's been accepted by his fellow team members. Joe also volunteered that he had attended one of Phil's sessions and had come away "excited and jazzed" about our new CEO. I always pay close attention to what our new employees are saying as they are often the bellwether of what is happening in our company. Joe's reaction to Phil is a good omen and I think it is safe to say the 600 employees of Pinnacol Assurance look forward to working closely with Phil in the years to come.