Rory Read knew he was in for a challenge when he joined ColumbiaInsurance Group five years ago. Top executives acknowledged themidsize regional carrier was in "extreme catch-up mode" and neededto make changes, particularly within IT, to remain competitive.

"We needed to get our applications out quicker, catch up withour competitors, and make it easier for our agents to do businesswith us," Read explains.

With Read's help and strong executive support, ColumbiaInsurance Group spent several years implementing innovativesolutions to improve productivity and efficiency, lower costs, andlevel the playing field. Along the way–and as an affirmation of itsefforts–the company received several IT awards.

Based in Columbia, Mo., the carrier offers 26 product lines inpersonal, commercial, and farm insurance. Its 2006 net writtenpremium was $211 million.

When Read was hired as vice president of IT in 2002, ColumbiaInsurance Group relied on a decades-old processing system,paper-based transactions, and a company Web site that was primarilyinformational. Read's mandate was to update infrastructure, improveoperational efficiency, and augment staff.

First, Read restructured the IT department by consolidatingfunctions into two areas: application services andoperations/network services. He appointed a manager for each areato be responsible for day-to-day operations. He also established abusiness analyst function and hired additional staff. Today, the ITdepartment consists of 28 employees.

Next, Read worked on upgrading the company's infrastructure. Hetransformed the carrier's voice and data telecommunicationsfunctions; implemented document management, imaging, and workflowapplications; reconfigured data center hardware and systemssoftware; upgraded the corporate intranet; and rolled outadditional real-time Web applications for agents.

"We've seen marked productivity increases, lower corporateexpenses, and greater application functionality through thesein-house and vendor-installed systems," Read says. "As a result ofthe contributions from these initiatives, our premium has grown byabout 70 percent with 25 percent fewer employees."

One of those initiatives is a straight-through processingsolution for the company's three business-owners policy (BOP)products for retail, garage, and contractors. Rolled out a fewyears ago, the application offers agents real-time quotingcapabilities. Since its introduction, Read says, the average timeto issue quotes has dropped from five days to one day and quoteactivity has more than doubled.

The straight-through processing solution also has garneredseveral awards for the carrier. These include IASA's inaugural 2005Technology Achievement Award, Celent's Model Carrier award in 2007,and A.M. Best's E-Fusion Award in 2004.

This year, Read and his team have worked on 17 major ITprojects, including building an in-house claims administrationsystem, implementing online processing for commercial lines andprivate passenger auto, and launching an online farm quotingapplication.

Initially, Read did not intend to pursue a career in IT. When hewas in high school, he wanted to become a scientist, investmentbanker, or economist. He began working in IT in 1969 at Allstatewhile pursuing his bachelor's degree in business at DePaulUniversity, where he also later earned an MBA.

"By the time I got my bachelor's degree, I had been in the fieldfor multiple years, so I just kept going," he explains.

Read stayed with Allstate until 1980, when he joined startupBankers Multiple Line Insurance, a subsidiary of Bankers Life &Casualty. He then worked in management at PMSC (now CSC) inColumbia, S.C., and as CIO of ICW Group in San Diego before joiningColumbia Insurance Group.

Although Read has accomplished much since he joined the carrier,he acknowledges that a lot of work remains. "We're still doing alittle catch-up in some areas, but we're a lot further ahead thanwe were five years ago," he contends.

Eventually, Read expects the company will need to overhaul itsentire legacy systems environment, a challenge he relishes. "Mostpeople don't want to be around when that happens," he says. "I, onthe other hand, would love to do that."

Sharon Baker is a freelance business writer based in Charlotte,N.C.