On Wednesday, June 3, 2009 during the 13th Annual ACE America'sClaim Event, John Foster accepted his award for being named the2009 Claim Professional of the Year. The award, which is sponsoredby New England law firm Smith & Brink, P.C. and ClaimsMagazine, recognizes overall excellence in the claim-handlingarena.

Recipients have demonstrated an earnest commitment in upholdingthe integrity of solid industry practices while actively seekingways to improve claim processes. A glowing nomination form and animpressive track record of innovation indicated that Fosterembodies these ideals, and Lauren Wilkins, shareholder and managingdirector of Smith & Brink, and Eric Gilkey, editor in chief ofClaims Magazine, were all too happy to bestow this honoron such a worthy individual in front of a full crowd in the RomanBallroom of Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.

"I'd like to say that selecting this year's Claim Professionalof the Year was difficult," said Gilkey. "However, John's record ofimplementing customer service and continuing education initiatives-- not to mention his ability to create a dynamic and engaging workenvironment -- positioned him as the candidate to beat from thebeginning of the process. His leadership and dedication serve as anexample for others in the claim industry to follow, so we're verypleased to recognize his efforts with this award."

Foster is the vice president of claims at Farmers AllianceMutual Insurance. His career in P&C claim management hasspanned more than 20 years, and he has attained both AIC and CPCUdesignations. While at Farmers Alliance, Foster has illustrated howone person with a passion for continuous improvement, efficiency,fair and ethical handling, and customer-centric operations canimprove processes and leverage resources for carriers of evenmodest sizes and budgets.

In the nomination letter, Brian Schmidt at Farmers AllianceClaim Department said that Foster has raised the bar for claimhandling by working smart, leveraging resources, including tools,technology, and people, to transform Farmers Alliance's claimdepartment from a paper-based organization to one that is nimbleenough to adopt and leverage technology for faster, more efficient,accurate, and customer-centric claim management.

"John is always staying ahead of the curve," Schmidt said."Adoption of various technologies has created a comprehensive viewof all claim information and tasks, so adjusters can now managetheir day-to-day action items, perform financials, documentactivities, and manage contacts and vendors without duplicativeentry or accessing a number of confusing and disparate systems.Automated business rules, action items, and notes now do the simplebut time-consuming tasks, freeing Adjusters to make the rightdecision for the customer quickly, accurately, thoughtfully, andfairly. This is but one example of the many ways John usestechnology to improve claim handling. His willingness to assumerisks, compel others to see a new way of doing things, and do morewith less have resulted in significant savings. In some areas, thishas meant reducing the amount of time spent on non-value addedactivities by half."

Schmidt went on to mention that Foster has been instrumental inthe creation of a separate subrogation unit, which helped toprovide focused attention on subrogation opportunities and resultedin increased recoveries.

"Claims in any company of any size is always looking for ways toimprove efficiencies, effectiveness, and accuracy," Schmidt added."John has made this vision a reality through his exceptionalability to find opportunities, put people first, and create anenvironment for us all to excel."