Roots Part Two: A Garage and a Nutty Idea
Big Decisions and the Unknown
So where were we? Ah yes, Kirk and Rob had a BIG decision to make. After another successful deployment working Hurricane Gustav claims, Kirk Belz and Rob Brown decided to do something, many others had attempted previously, but few had succeeded at.
They attended a HAAG Certification Seminar in Kansas City, MO in February of 2009, where they finally decided to take the leap.
Starting with mostly Catastrophe Response, and some daily assignments peppered in, the firm wasn’t more than a few adjusters running out of a garage.??
Fun fact:? Acorn was actually started under the name Mid-America Adjusting Services (MAAS).
The focus on quality was paramount.? So much so that they didn’t want just any adjuster working with them. Rob personally traveled to meet independent adjusters around the country to ensure they were the right fit for their roster.?
Rob would climb roofs, shimmy in crawl spaces, and literally shadow any adjuster wanting to join the company.? Kirk was handling the day-to-day operations and business-side to keep things moving.??
It would have been easy to take on any IA that could put together a resume, but their focus was long-term success.? They knew insurers would be hesitant to partner with a startup firm unless they knew they could be trusted.
Scrubbing Toilets and Making Moves
Kirk and Rob were used to doing work, but as they started to grow from a handful of CAT adjusters into a small company, they began adding staff and looking for an office.
The early days meant Kirk and Rob were doing it all from scrubbing toilets and emptying trash, to making calls and taking meetings with insurance executives.? From 2009-2018, the company saw some serious highs, and lows.
The company’s small footprint allowed added flexibility to insurers that couldn’t be matched by the larger, more-established players in the industry.?
Managing claims has a lot of unexpected surprises, and we pride ourselves on being able to flex with our client's needs on the fly.? Our adaptability has been a key factor in our success for many years.
Surging Ahead
The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season was a memorable one.? The National Hurricane Center introduced a new storm surge tool to warn residents of impending watches/warnings.
With 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and 6 major hurricanes, this was the season that didn’t know when to quit.??
Hurricane Harvey struck near Port Aransas, Texas as a Category 4 storm.? Catastrophic flooding impacted areas, with some areas seeing more than 50 inches of rain in a few days as the storm stalled over Southeast Texas.
Hurricanes Irma and Maria also caused devastation and destruction to the United States.
The company’s reliable work for their insurer partners was standing out and creating more opportunity.
Kirk and Rob were adding more staff, building company structure, and looking toward the future.
They continued to build a culture of integrity, empathy, and doing what’s right.??
Wait, what? A 1930s Company?!
After 9 years as Mid-America Adjusting Services, Kirk and Rob wanted to alter the name and branding of the company.??
Mid-America Adjusting Services implied they only handled middle America, which wasn’t the case as their roster of independent adjusters was now coast-to-coast.
After looking at what had to be millions of logos and branding, Kirk and Rob kept coming back to a simplistic logo of a small company Southwestern Bell (AT&T) acquired many years ago.?
That was the inspiration for the logo design, but what drove them to name the company Acorn?
According to Kirk, it’s because “You’ve got to be nuts to get into this business,” but truly there’s more to it.
We don’t consider ourselves ultra-deep thinkers, but there is something about an Emerson quote that inspired the choice of our name.??
Ultimately, we weren’t just creating another adjusting firm, we were doing something different.
When they ran across the quote, it really stuck with them:?
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one Acorn.”
To think a small, simple nut can sprout life and provide support to so many is wondrous.
Depending on who you ask, the acorn is a symbol of abundance, life, patience, and good luck.
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And so it was, ACORN was unveiled at the PLRB National Convention in Indianapolis.?
The Next Phase
In 2018, Acorn added Stephen Brewster to the team as Chief Operations Officer.
His unrelenting work ethic, immense claims experience, and knowledgeable leadership helped expand service offerings, build new relationships, and grow Acorn in numerous ways.
Acorn was able to add:
The 2018 Hurricane Season was another deadly and destructive year for the United States.?
2 major hurricanes in particular caused tens of billions in damages.
In September, Hurricane Florence brought widespread flooding to North and South Carolina, killing several people and setting records for flood levels in numerous areas.
In early October, Hurricane Michael was the first Category 5 storm to hit the US since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.? Damages are estimated to be in excess of $30 billion, and some areas are still working to rebuild and recover 6 years later.
Acorn continued to grow, but still never waning from the foundations Kirk and Rob had laid.? It all seemed to be going very well until…
The Year the World Stood Still
2020 was nothing short of an extraordinary year in many ways.
Acorn’s Headquarters had only?just moved from Ozark, MO to Springfield, MO after outgrowing the prior space.??
After a few weeks of getting settled, the office was temporarily closed due to remote work restrictions.? This left Acorn in a unique and precarious position.
Kirk and Rob navigated it all with poise and calm, keeping the teams apprised of what they knew, and the direction we were headed.?
Thankfully our team is experienced in remote work, so this transition was just a bump in the road, but still presented many unique challenges.
When we were finally able to return to office, we worked quickly to establish protocols for navigating the pandemic face-to-face.??
They were always sure to keep the safety, health, and wellness of everyone at the front of their minds.? The resiliency shown by everyone in the organization was impressive.
Despite overwhelming odds, Acorn began the post-pandemic era.
A New Normal
Handling daily claims and catastrophe events with different guidelines and rules was quite an adjustment.? From quarantine periods to official documentation for traveling, things were wild.
Even today, we’re still experiencing the effects that the pandemic had on the world.?
Increased material and labor costs, social inflation, employment struggles, logistics struggles, and just about any other kind of struggle you can think of.?
After hundreds of thousands of claims, dozens of catastrophes, and 15 years of making a difference, we’re still passionate about what we do with a hunger for more.??
All of the adversity and challenges we’ve overcome so far have been integral in forming what we are today.? A company out to make an impact.
The Future Looks Bright
Our team continues to grow with talented, driven professionals that align perfectly with our company’s values and goals.? People that show Integrity, Motivation, Passion, Accountability, Collaboration, and Transformation.?
In 2023, Acorn welcomed Dester Terry as the new Chief Operations Officer.? Dester has more than 30 years of experience in the P & C Industry, with a track record of proven leadership and success.
One of his focuses is to expand Acorn’s service offerings even further to include Casualty/Liability Insurance Claim Solutions, in addition to continued growth and prosperity.
We’re proud of the company we’ve become, and thankful Kirk and Rob have been able to weather the storms literally, and figuratively.??
Their role in building and maintaining a solid foundation is stronger than ever, and we’re excited for what the future holds for Acorn!
Field Operations Claims Manager at ICAT Boulder Claims
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