Recent Successful Claims

Manufacturing

Metal Seal Precision Ltd.
Mentor, Ohio

At the Alex N. Sill Company, our days are filled with the difficult task of providing accurate estimates to re-build buildings, oftentimes where none remains standing, to re-construct either personal property or business property inventories, where all that is left is ashes, and re-configure the profits that an enterprise would have achieved but for their disaster. And the result is that our work is immensely fulfilling when we can assist in the phoenix-like rising of great enterprises.

Such is the case with Metal Seal Precision, a very large manufacturer of precision metal components for a variety of end uses and end users in 12 countries, headquartered in Mentor, Ohio, that suffered what could have been a devastating fire to their primary facility. Immediately recognizing that the loss might be tremendous, Metal Seal soon came to realize that it was the largest fire in Lake County history! As such, Metal Seal reached out to its advisors who recommended that Metal Seal interview and retain the Sill Company.

Following the initial meeting with Sill, Metal Seal turned the loss over to Sill’s experienced team of former insurance company adjusters, expert building estimators, business personal property and machinery experts, and certified forensic accountants. The result was not only outstanding in terms of a final settlement to the insured, but immensely satisfying to the Sill professionals who saw their hard labors result in a new Metal Seal that would be bigger and better than prior to the fire. And we are proud and pleased to call the people at Metal Seal not only our highly satisfied client, but our new, good friends!

The story cannot be related any better than put in a letter to Sill by CFO, Rick Sippola:

“[The Sill Company] carefully examined the issues we would have preparing documentation for and negotiating our building damage, machinery and inventory loss as well as our business interruption which was quite complex…There were many times over the course of the following months when we reflected upon this decision as the very wisest decision we had made relating to the fire…the Sill Company adjuster who was assigned to our claim was extraordinary…[he] worked tirelessly as our advocate in the process to achieve the highest settlement possible…We definitely wouldn’t have received even a portion of the multi-million dollar settlement we received without the Sill Company. Having them handle our claim helped us to focus on the business and plan for the future…”

Rick Sippola, Chief Financial Officer

Carton Service
Shelby, Ohio
Andersonville, Tennessee

Extreme weather often causes extreme things to happen to buildings. Such was the case last winter when, due to the weight of snow and ice, the roof collapse in on the manufacturing facilities located in Andersonville, TN, to Carton Service.

A leading manufacturer of folding cartons since 1926, Carton Service is now in its third generation of ownership and management. When disaster suddenly struck with its roof collapse, thoughts of how does this business go on…went on with the Lederer family. Convinced that working with a public adjuster would allow it to focus on its operations, Carton Service immediately retained the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public adjuster and loss consultant, to adjust the insurance loss. Carton was right, and as it turned out, the decision to hire Sill, was later admitted by Reid Lederer to be essential to allowing Carton’s staff to continue managing its every day operations.

Utilizing its experienced staff of former insurance company adjusters, building estimators, and heavy equipment experts, along with its business interruption staff, made up of forensic accountants, Sill worked diligently to focus the adjuster from Travelers Insurance on the entire scope of the loss, eventually settling the loss for a meaningful 8 figure settlement, in excess of $20,000,000 (far greater than Carton imagined its loss to be valued at)!

As stated by President, Reid Lederer:

We at Carton Service, Inc./Pharma Packaging Solutions wish to express our appreciation for the support and guidance which we received by … Alex N. Sill, due to our manufacturing site roof collapse…The combination of experts who Sill allocated to our incident seemed to always be there at the right and necessary times, which enabled our company to focus on recovery plans and actions, and continuity of customer service.”

Reid R. Lederer, President

Hardy Industrial Technologies,
A Magnus International Group Company
Painesville Township, Ohio

Hardy Industrial Technologies (a Magnus International Group Company), the nation’s leading producer of natural animal feed ingredients and related products, suffered a devastating loss when an explosion and resulting fire decimated one of its manufacturing facilities and the equipment therein. Alex N. Sill Company previously assisted Hardy principals, serving as its public insurance claims adjuster in a significant prior matter.

One “issue” Sill Company occasionally faces with clients previously having experienced the claim process and seeing how smoothly we handle the loss adjustment is believing the new loss can be handled on their own. This is precisely what occurred in connection with Hardy.

Immediately following the disaster and assessing the damage left in its wake, Hardy chose to pursue recovery of its losses on its own. The Painesville Township, Ohio company soon learned the adjustment of a major commercial insurance loss is difficult, cumbersome and time-consuming. The process requires significant experience, expertise and an independent advocate . . . just as in its preceding claim.

The decision to once again retain Sill was made following the insurance company’s presentation of its damage assessment at a level far less than what Hardy considered even remotely satisfactory.

Scott Forster, Hardy’s Chief Operating Officer, expressed his thoughts about the process and re-engaging Sill. After three months of trying to resolve the claim on its own — including what Forster considered a very low appraisal estimate rendered by the insurance company — Hardy turned to Sill, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant. The decision allowed Hardy to return its undivided attention to running its business and meeting contractual customer obligations.

Sill mobilized its experienced in-house team of adjusters, property and building consultants, contents estimators and certified forensic accountants to provide highly detailed estimates and objective advocacy supportive of Hardy’s claim. Sill’s extensive and meticulous damage calculation and professional representation on behalf of Hardy before the insurer resulted in a loss settlement in excess of $20 million. This amount was approximately 300% higher than that offered Hardy by the insurance company before Sill’s involvement.

As recounted by Mr. Forster:

“Having partnered with Sill in the past, you made the adjustment process look so easy that we thought we could manage this claim ourselves. Not so. From the onset, you explained at length how the claim would evolve and also detailed the areas where we could expect pushback from and conflict with our insurance carrier. Although significant portions of one building and equipment were destroyed, your staff was able to evaluate our insurance policy, apply coverage where the carrier did not acknowledge there was coverage and recreate that part of our business on paper to resolve the claim to our satisfaction. Simply put, we would not have achieved the settlement we did without the Sill Company. And because of your involvement, we were able to return to focusing on operating our business.”

Scott Forster, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer

Rutland Plywood Corporation
Rutland, Vermont

The unthinkable occurred at the Rutland Plywood Corporation’s plant in Rutland, Vermont, when a spark ignited the manufacturer of hardwood composites and specialty plywoods.  A massive five-alarm fire engulfed the entire plant, eventually burning the facility to the ground, despite the efforts of six fire departments and 100 firefighters.

Founded in 1957, the family run business has occupied a niche in the hardwood composite industry and provided a stable environment and livelihood to many families over its 58+ years in operation.  Working with his attorney, Jack Barrett, company owner, initially attempted to handle the adjustment of the loss. They soon recognized the overwhelming demands and requirements of responding to their insurance company’s inquiries, attempting to calculate and document the damages incurred, and maintain the operations of the business. As a result, after three weeks of attempting to manage the claim on its own, Rutland turned to the Alex N. Sill Company.

Dealing with an insurance carrier which had never incurred a loss of this size, Sill provided a very experienced team made up of a former insurance company adjuster with over 30 years in the adjusting industry, a building expert with similar background estimating and documenting building losses, a forensic accountant with similar credentials and background, and an equipment specialist with vast experience in heavy manufacturing equipment. The issues were many, involved, and difficult, including policy interpretation, (terms such as “actual cash value” under Vermont law), and depreciation on an aging plant and to aging equipment in a rural region.

The final result was an overwhelmingly successful recovery of over 300% greater than what the carrier was offering to Rutland. As Mr. Barrett has told Sill:

“We couldn’t have done this without your help. To say that the claim was difficult would be an understatement…As the claim unfolded, the divide between what they thought the claim was worth and what we thought the claim was worth grew larger and larger. Because of the solid documentation prepared by [Sill] and because of your tenacity in dealing with the insurance company, we were able to settle that claim for a much higher figure than what the insurer wanted to pay…300% more…If anyone reading this letter is contemplating hiring your company for their loss, I can only say…’Hire the Sill Company as soon as possible’. We had no idea how much work went into handling such a large claim and in retrospect realize that us trying to do this without your team would have been disastrous…Finally, let me state unequivocally that your fee was more than absorbed (and then some) in the higher recovery we obtained.”

Jack Barrett, Owner & Chief Executive Officer

Premium Seafoods Group Arichat
Nova Scotia, Canada

One of Canada’s largest harvesters, processors and marketers of quality fresh and frozen seafood, Premium Seafoods Group, suffered a catastrophic fire which fully engulfed one of its processing plants in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada.

The community’s deputy fire chief assessing the damage said, “I’ve been in the fire service for 20 years and this is the worst I’ve seen yet.”

Rather than struggle on its own with a broad range of overwhelming circumstances and complicated issues stemming from the integration and application of multiple insurance policies, Premium Seafoods quickly decided to retain the Alex N. Sill Company as its public insurance claims adjuster to get its business up and running. Sill, North America’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant which has successfully handled major insurance claims since 1928, was retained to manage all aspects of the claims process.

Sill immediately deployed its in-house staff of adjusters, experienced building and property consultants, contents estimators and certified public accountants to advise Premium Seafoods on the best way to adjust the claim. The team of Sill professionals provided onsite analysis of the loss parameters and completed detailed claim loss estimates as well as meticulous support for each area of the claim. Sill’s effort as an adjuster and primary advocate resulted in an outstanding policy limits recovery for Premium Seafoods of nearly $7 million.

Edgar Samson, President of Premium Seafoods, elaborated on Sill’s scope of involvement and effectiveness on this insurance claim:

“After meeting with your firm, we decided to hire the Alex N. Sill Company to assist us with this claim. This decision, in retrospect, was the best move we could have made and to this day we are glad that we hired your firm. We were very pleased with the results. Throughout the claim you were there to help us analyze the coverages, properly assess the damages, figure out the best way of putting the figures in front of the insurer and fight on our behalf in order to ensure that we received the best settlement possible as a result of this fire loss. It is my belief that as a result of the higher settlement we obtained due to your involvement, you earned your fee 10 times over. We could not have done this without you.”

Edgar Samson, President

Creps United Publications, LP
Indiana, Pennsylvania

A devastating fire broke out at Creps United Publications when a paper break resulted in a printing press oven and thus triggering a negative air flow which “pulled the flames” out of the oven. The printing plant quickly was engulfed in flames that consumed one of the press buildings. Smoke and soot concurrently travelled through tunnels that connected to the balance of the manufacturing facility. Before the fire was eradicated by the local fire department, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, had experienced its largest fire loss in history.

Creps’ ownership and management team enlisted the assistance of its outside corporate counsel who made a joint decision to hire the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant due to the breadth and depth if its in-house services and staff. The roster included in-house adjusters, building appraisers, contents appraisers and forensic accountants.

Creps was specifically influenced by the extensive experience Sill had in adjusting printing company losses as well as the extensive knowledge of Sill’s management of printing operations. Sill immediately went to work on behalf of the policyholder, persevering through the insurance company’s position that many of the presses and equipment could be cleaned and salvaged. Ultimately, Sill’s work resulted in a recovery in excess of $40 million for Creps, and as importantly, permitted Creps’ management to stay exclusively focused on getting its clients’ work produced at sub-contractor/printers, thereby maintaining its client base.

In summary, Jacob Creps had this to say about Sill’s contribution and adjustment:

“[My] company suffered a devastating loss that wiped out our printing plant in Indiana, Pennsylvania . . . Fortunately for us we decided to hire the Alex Sill Company to guide us and lead us through the lengthy and tedious claims process.

“The Sill team . . . were fantastic to work with, and I truly feel that they were able to maximize the dollars that we received from the insurance company. Looking back on the entire process, I don’t know how we would have managed without the Sill Company. That decision allowed me to focus my efforts on getting my business back up and running, not spending time putting together an insurance claim. Without hesitation, I would recommend the Alex Sill Company to anyone who has suffered a fire loss.”

Jacob Creps, Partner

Eltek Of Indiana
Batesville, Indiana

A large fire broke out from an enormous heating/drying oven during the plating operation at one of the Midwest largest plating manufacturing facilities, Eltek of Indiana. The fire caused damage to Eltek’s building and business property, resulting in the significant loss of income.

Eltek retained the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant. Sill deployed its experienced team of professionals including in-house adjusters, building appraisers, contents appraisers and forensic accountants to assist Eltek. Sill immediately began meeting the insurance company’s painstaking demands for information, resulting in a multi-million dollar recovery that was four times what the insured first imagined might be recovered.

Eltek’s Controller had this to say about the Sill Company’s work:

“I can tell you that without the assistance of the team at Alex Sill, I would have become frustrated and discouraged, likely settling for much less.

“I could never have imagined how an insurance company could make a claim so complicated and tedious. They requested mountains of information, scrutinized it for months, questioned everything multiple times, hired several consultants to challenge [Sill’s] documentation and changed their adjusters during the settlement. I think they wanted to wear us out so we would accept a much smaller settlement [emphasis added].

“However, you came through for us. You never wavered, you keep pushing forward, methodically defending our claim through to the end. This allowed [us] to concentrate on running our company, not working fulltime on an insurance claim. In the end, your services were invaluable and the fees you charged were earned many times over in the recovery you secured for us [emphasis added].

“I hope we never have to go through something like [this] again, but if we do, you will be our first call!”

Esther Feagins, Controller

Technicote
Miamisburg, Ohio

A devastating fire broke out during the dead of winter in one of Technicote’s manufacturing and distribution plants located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Technicote, one of North America’s leading pressure sensitive labeling manufacturers and distributors has nine facilities in North and Central America, including other facilities in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Georgia, Texas, California and Mexico.

Techicote initially believed its claim would be easy to document and adjust as a significant portion of the loss was to stock, for which there was significant documentation. Technicote soon realized that no loss is easy to adjust in this environment when large dollars are at stake and the insurer makes non-stop demands for substantiation of every single line item of loss.

The Sill Company, North America’s leading public insurance and claims adjuster and loss consultant, applied it extensive experience in the manufacturing arena, with specific industry-leading expertise in the printing industry, to aid Technicote. The Sill team included an experienced adjuster, building estimator, contents estimator, forensic accountant and attorney — all responsible for adjusting and negotiating the loss claim. The final result was a dramatically successful settlement on behalf of the insured in the mid to upper seven figure range.

Sill’s professionalism and expertise was praised by Technicote’s President:

“Initially we didn’t think we needed someone to represent our interests since we believed the loss and valuations were very straight forward. Three weeks after the fire, however, we hired Alex N. Sill Co. It was one of the best decisions we made. Not only did Sill relieve us from managing all the requests for information, they provided forensic accounting expertise, advised when we needed legal counsel and found additional coverages buried deep within the policy . . .

“Throughout the entire process Sill was professional, responsive, and easy to work with. In the end, they more than earned their fee. I would highly recommend anyone with a significant loss to hire Alex N. Sill Company the very day of the loss.”

Doug O’Connell, President

Besse Forest Products Group
Newberry, Michigan

One of North America’s largest producers of hardwood veneers, lumber and specialty plywood located in Michigan suffered a significant fire to one of its manufacturing facilities. The multi-millions dollar loss was the second major fire to hit one of its company locations during the previous 15 years. The manufacturer hired public insurance claims adjuster Alex N. Sill Company, with headquarters in Ohio, to manage the claims process. The Sill Company’s team of adjusters, building estimators, contents specialists and certified public accountants handling business interruption and income losses immediately went to work on behalf of the insured, resulting in a highly successful settlement.

According to Greg Besse, President and CEO:

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank [Sill] for the support you showed during our most recent loss . . . Your employees were able to mobilize a staff of individuals who knew our industry . . . We believe your company was able to maximize settlements with the insurance companies, which allowed us to rebuild our mills without compromise.”

Greg Besse, President & Chief Executive Officer

Glamos Wire Products/Donner Industries, Inc.
Hugo, Minnesota

Since 1899, the Glamos family has been perfecting the art and science of wire. Whether it is in the manufacture of tomato cages or wire plant supports or bale ties or specialty wire products, Glamos Wire Products is one of the oldest and most respected companies in the industry. . . and still owned by the same Glamos family.

What the Glamos’ weren’t though, were experts in the insurance adjustment of a devastating fire loss. Fortunately, the Glamos family immediately hired Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant. Sill, utilizing its in-house staff of former insurance company adjusters, building estimators, contents appraisers and certified forensic accountants, quickly evaluated Glamos’ insurance policy for coverage, and set forth providing detailed, line by line, item by item, building and contents estimates, setting forth Glamos’ loss claim. As a result of Sill’s work, Glamos Wire Products received nearly an eight figure settlement from its insurance company, allowing the family to rebuild its facility and re-equip its operations and continue its successful operations well into its second century of business.

As further stated by David Isberner, Chief Financial Officer for Glamos:

“When a family owned business experiences the type of loss that [we] did with the devastating fire last April, it is very much like having a loss in the family. It was a period of grief, shock and confusion as we sifted through the ashes of our business. You and your staff stepped in and provided the knowledge, guidance and reassurance we needed to work through the loss, the insurance claim and final settlement. We could not have done this without the exceptional professionalism that you and your group provided.”

David Isberner, Chief Financial Officer

Hall Aluminum Products, Inc.
Fort Wayne, Indiana

One of the Midwest’s leading manufacturers of commercial glass and glazing products, curtain wall, storefront glass, composite wall panels and aluminum windows and doors suffered a significant fire to its production facilities in Indiana. The immediate response by Hall Aluminum Products was to retain Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant, to assist with adjustment of the building, business personal property and business income loss. Sill, based in Cleveland, Ohio, along with its regional office in Indianapolis, immediately mobilized its staff of in-house building consultants, inventory specialists and forensic accountants to inventory and document the damage and present a claim to Hall’s insurance company.

As Hall’s President and Owner, Joe Schwieterman attests:

Sill’s immediate involvement in taking over the daily activity, preparing and presenting the claim allowed Hall, within 10 days, to lease two temporary spaces and begin fabricating. The result of Sill’s work and involvement was a successful settlement of the fire insurance claim in excess of $2 million.

As pointed out by Mr. Schwieterman:

“After we experienced a fire at our warehouse . . . your company was instrumental in helping me understand the process that insurance companies use to evaluate and settle a claim. Your company also assisted us in determining fair value on equipment and office furniture . . . Lastly, we were offered valuable help in dealing with insurance companies, adjustors and fire consultants in areas such as accounting, equipment inventory and depreciation schedules. I appreciate all that your company has done for us.”

Joseph Schwieterman, President

Leonard’s Big Valley Farm
Goldthwaite, Texas

A major United States pecan processing plant in Goldthwaite, Texas was ravaged by a fire, destroying the entirety of the facility and 100,000 pounds of pecans. Besieged by the tragedy of potential destruction of its business, in addition to its facility, Leonard’s Big Valley Farm hired the Alex N. Sill Company as its loss consultant and advocate for adjusting and presenting the damage claim to its insurance company. Although initially estimated as a $1MM loss by third parties, Sill’s adjuster, building expert, contents estimator, and business income loss accountant inventoried the damage, prepared comprehensive damage estimates and presented the detailed and overwhelming documentation to the insurance company. The result was a final loss settlement of nearly $3MM! As stated by Don Spitzer CFO of Leonard Enterprises and David Leonard VP of Pecan Tex LLC in a letter to Sill’s President:

“I wanted to write and “thank you” for all the work and effort you and your company did regarding our claim. I quickly realized that our company was not capable of filing an appropriate claim due to the size of our staff and the amount of details that had to be filed. After we did our due diligence on Alex N. Sill Company, we received very high recommendations! Hiring you and your company was the best executive decision I could make! Our success was outstanding. We could not be more pleased with 1) all the money which is paying for our new building and equipment, 2) the professional help we received, and 3) the overall approach that Alex N. Sill Company took care of.”

Don Spitzer, Chief Financial Officer

Victory White Metal Company
Cleveland, Ohio

Since 1920, the Victory White Metal Company has been furnishing its worldwide customers with the highest grade just in time engineered customized alloys for use in the automotive, housing, medical, electronics, ammunition and stained glass industries. In its nearly 100 year history, White Metal had never sustained a significant peril. That all changed when a massive fire ripped through the large 44,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Cleveland, Ohio. Within 24 hours, White Metal was in discussions with the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public adjuster and loss consultant, seeking assistance on how White could continue its business operations, while at the same time attempting to handle a large insurance claim.

Alex Stanwick, President of White Metal, quickly came to conclusion that hiring Sill was the clear path to a successful loss adjustment and the continuity of its worldwide business.  Sill immediately deployed its in house staff of adjusters, building consultants, contents professionals, and accountants to help prepare the necessary documentation to present White’s loss claim to its carrier. The result was a very successful recovery for White Metal in excess of $5MM, and the continuity of a long-standing successful Cleveland manufacturing company!  As set forth by Mr. Stanwick:

“The one good thing in regards to the fire at the Victory White Metal Company was that we were able to meet and have the assistance of the Alex N Sill Company in accumulating the proper data in handling the experience of a total destruction by fire of our main building. Without your help it would have been a total disaster for us…”

Alex J. Stanwick, President

Real Estate

Mahogany Run Condominium Association
St. Thomas, USVI

Two category 5 hurricanes, Hurricanes Irma and Maria, struck various islands in the Caribbean during the fall of 2017, laying devastation to significant parts of many of those islands. One of the islands so devastated was St. Thomas, USVI.  And one of the properties significantly damaged was Mahogany Run Condominiums.

Adjusting a significant loss (or any loss) in the Caribbean islands carries with it particular challenges, such as difficult access to the islands, primitive living conditions during the adjustment, the limited number of carrier or independent adjusters located locally, the particular pricing of labor and materials on each island due to the local scarcity of both, the particular insurance adjusting laws in force at the time of the hurricane or promulgated in response to the hurricane, and the out of pocket costs incurred by an adjusting firm in managing a loss in the islands. In short, there are very few public adjusting firms in the Western Hemisphere qualified and substantial enough to effectively and professionally adjust such island loss claims.

Recognizing all of those challenges, the Mahogany Run Condo Board elected to retain Alex N. Sill Company, North America’s leading public adjusting firm, to assist with the adjustment of their very major claim following the hurricanes, based upon Sill’s long historical experience in handling hurricane claims in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Sill responded by chartering private flights for its adjusting and estimating professionals so that they could gain access to St. Thomas immediately following the hurricanes’ strikes in order to provide immediate response to its island clients. That proactivity provided Sill with a headstart on its adjusting activities, ultimately allowing Sill to quickly settle the Mahogany Run Condo claim for a mid-eight figure amount, to the high satisfaction of the Board, allowing the Board to timely begin the process of rebuilding!

As written by Angela Callwood, General Manager of the Mahogany Run Condominium Association:

“This team…was professional and aggressive and worked hard to deliver the highest possible settlement for the Mahogany Run Condo Association. We found the [Sill] team to be always readily available to meet us…[Sill] went above and beyond and even assisted after the claim was settled.”

Angela Callwood, General Manager

Axiom Properties
Lincolnshire, Illinois

With over 45 years in the real estate business, Axiom Properties manages thousands of multi-family properties in the Midwest. So, when one of their properties, Willow Creek Apartments in Portage, Indiana, suffered damage due to a storm, they recognized the assistance that a skilled and experienced public adjuster like the Alex N. Sill Company could bring. Sill, being the nation’s leading loss consultant and public adjuster, brings 85+ years of handling and adjusting first party insurance losses to an insurance claim. Led by former insurance company adjusters, Sill boasts a team of building experts, contents estimators, certified forensic accountants, and an attorney. Utilizing its full cadre of in house experts, Sill turned around a loss claim that was seemingly headed nowhere and successfully brought it to settlement.  As stated by Logan Johnson, Regional Manager for Axiom Properties:

“I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your hard work and willingness to go the extra mile for us. Recently I had the pleasure of working with the Alex N. Sill Company to assist with a large insurance claim for one of our properties. Throughout the entire process you and everyone else with your company were as helpful and thorough as possible. In the end, through your diligent work, we were able to overcome the insurance company’s resistance and collect a much higher settlement amount than initially offered. I will also be recommending the Alex N. Sill Company to others in the industry as you have set the bar for professionalism and customer service.” [emphasis added]

Logan Johnson, Regional Manager

Burton Carol Management LLC
Cleveland, Ohio

Super Storm Sandy is recognized for the havoc created up and down the east coast, especially along the New York and New Jersey shorelines. Unbeknownst to many, however, Sandy also caused meaningful damage along the shores of Lake Erie, affectionately regarded by Clevelanders as the “North Coast.”

Burton Carol, owner and manager of an extensive portfolio of apartment buildings, suffered significant damage to several of its high rise apartment buildings when the winds of Sandy swept over Lake Erie. Having had a pre-existing relationship with Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant, Burton Carol immediately reached out to Sill to help with its building and business interruption insurance claims. Sill, utilizing its in-house staff of former insurance company adjusters, building appraisers and forensic accountants, set to work putting loss estimates together on the multiple properties. Sill’s efforts resulted in significant recoveries by Burton Carol on all of its damaged properties.

Said Joy Anzalone, Burton Carol’s Chief Operating Officer, about Sill’s contribution and adjustment:

“For almost 20 years, we have been a client of the Alex N. Sill Company for any large loss we may incur. I can [say] without hesitation that we would never have been able to achieve the successful level of repairs and replacements without their expertise in not only working with our insurance carrier but in helping identify issues that may not be readily seen . . . [Emphasis added.]

“Sadly when a fire occurs, not all of the damage is visible . . . but they have the most professional team of experts that respond immediately and basically hold your hand through the long and arduous process of trying to get an insurance company to do what we pay our premiums for them to do. There is no way that going it alone without the Alex N. Sill Company would net us the same recoupment dollars they achieve for us . . . The Alex N. Sill Company deserves their fee every step of the way in our eyes!”

Joy Anzalone, Chief Operating Officer

Marion Centre Mall Realty Management LLC
Glen Cove, New York

It is something different every day in the public insurance claims adjusting business. In the dead of a recent winter, a vehicle skidded on ice and struck a fire hydrant outside the Marion Centre Mall in Marion, Ohio. The force of the accident caused a pipe to burst in the mall, resulting in four to six inches of water covering half of the 527,000 square foot mall, anchored by Sears and Elder Beerman department stores and accompanied by such other recognizable national brand retailers such as GNC and Bath & Body Works.

After attempting to adjust its loss, but failing to be satisfied by the insurance company’s response and offer, the New York based owner and management company of the mall was referred to the Alex N. Sill Company, a leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant. Sill’s staff of former insurance company adjusters, building appraisers, contents estimators and forensic accountants immediately stepped in to put together loss estimates on all the facets of the claim. Sill’s work resulted in a successful seven figure recovery that was significantly higher than previously offered by the insurance company.

One of the mall owner’s partners had this to say about Sill’s work:

“Throughout the handling of this, you have been there to answer our questions and to help guide us through this devastating event. After our mall was damaged by a substantial water loss . . . we retained Sill Adjustment Company to assist us with our insurance claim. That turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. When the insurance company wanted to move in directions not beneficial to the mall, the Sill Company was there to guide us and help us negotiate. They led the entire adjustment process, from generating the claim figures to securing the payment. Their attention to detail in both the building claim and the contents claim proved invaluable when claim negotiations began with the insurance company. Without reservations, in the unfortunate event of another loss experienced by the Marion Centre Mall, we would most certainly call on the Alex N. Sill Company again.”

Daniel Ghalchi, Partner

Arbor Properties, Inc.
Tallahassee, Florida

Arbor Properties, the owner/manager of a significant real estate portfolio consisting of luxury multi-family housing developments throughout the southeastern United States, suffered fires to two separate apartment properties in two different states — Tallahassee, Florida and D’Iberville (Biloxi), Mississippi — within a two month span. Arbor, recognizing its plate already was full with the range of responsibilities associated with overseeing its extensive portfolio and contending with typical daily operations, chose to consolidate handling of the two insurance claims with one national firm.

Arbor retained Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant, based on the depth and strength of its in house adjusting and estimating experts experienced with providing coverage and service throughout the entire United States. Sill immediately mobilized its team of professional adjusters, building estimators and legal counsel to both critically and objectively assess the extensive damages at both properties and then respond with in-depth, line by line loss appraisal estimates. Sill further acted as an advocate, representing Arbor before the insurer when articulating its position on the policy interpretation and during the course of eventual resolution.

Sill’s combination of experience, understanding, determination and decades of respect within the insurance industry was a key factor in working through complicated policy language. Sill was instrumental in aiding Arbor to work through a twist in the policy language which presented an obstacle to receiving full recovery. Sill, however, untangled the issue to the benefit of the insured and thus enabled settlements at full policy limits on both losses in excess $1.5 million.

As stated by Gordon Thames, President of Arbor Properties:

“Thank you and the Sill team for the great job you did in assisting us with two recent large fire losses that occurred at two luxury apartment communities we own and operate in Tallahassee, Florida and Biloxi, Mississippi. After surveying the large fire losses, I knew that having a qualified public adjuster like Sill Company to help adjust and press our insurance claim was going to be vital to achieving a fair resolution.

“Without Sill’s expertise and advice, we would have been much more likely to have just gone along with what the carriers’ adjusters initially asserted the carriers’ owed, which would have easily cost us over $250,000. My strong advice to any property owner dealing with a large loss and major insurance claim is to enlist the assistance of a high quality public adjusting firm like Sill Co. to bring much needed claims expertise and representation to help procure a fast and reasonable insurance claim adjustment. . . Sill can help level the playing field.”

Gordon Thames, President

Beachwood, Ohio

The adage that “improbable events happen all the time” was never more true than in the case of one of suburban Cleveland, Ohio’s most prestigious apartments, Sherri Park Apartments. The property includes two beautiful multi-floor apartment buildings. Within a six month period, one of the buildings suffered significant damage from a gas explosion and resulting fire while the second building suffered serious damage when it was caught in the path of the winds of Hurricane Sandy that swept across Lake Erie.

After consulting with its long time law firm, Baker Hostetler, the insured retained the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant, to prepare building damage and loss of income calculations and adjust both claims on its behalf. Sill’s team, composed of a former insurance company adjuster, a 40-plus year building appraiser and estimator and a seasoned forensic accountant was dramatically successful in its representation of the insured. Their efforts resulted in settlements on the two losses in excess of $10 million.

Sill’s work was lauded by the insured’s Chief Financial Officer, who commented below:

“I would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to Alex N. Sill Company . . . for your assistance with the claims process following these losses. Both losses were multi-million claims. Without the expertise of the Sill Company, navigating through the complexities of settling such large claims would have been extremely difficult. Your team was always responsive and looked for creative ways to ensure the best possible result for us . . .

“I would recommend, without hesitation, Alex N. Sill Company to those that have suffered a loss and require the service of a public adjuster.”

Michael T. Holowaty, Chief Financial Officer

Banyan Living
Avon Lake, Ohio

A national developer of multi-family apartment units suffered a major fire loss to one of its apartment buildings in Avon Lake, Ohio. The apartment owner retained the Alex N. Sill Company, nationally-recognized public insurance claims adjusters and loss consultant headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, to help estimate the damages and adjust the loss for building, contents and business income loss.

The result was a highly successful settlement with the insurance company, as stated by Phil Philippou.

“I wanted to . . . compliment you and your staff on a job well done with respect to the fire I experienced . . . The loss was well over $2 million and involved complex construction and financial issues. The insurance company was difficult to deal with . . . [Your] team navigated me through the maze of roadblocks that the insurance company [threw] at us, and . . . succeeded in making us whole . . . our company was well represented by Alex N. Sill Co.”

Phillip Philippou, Principal

Equity Property Management, LLC
Merrillville, Indiana

This story is all too familiar for an insured incurring hailstorm damage. Castleton Manor Apartments in Indianapolis, Indiana, found itself in an “insurance adjusting nightmare” better known as “Insurance Catch-22” when several of its apartment buildings suffered damage to roofs due to a hailstorm.

Consider the facts: Several years earlier, Castleton suffered damage to the roofs as a result of a hailstorm. The insurance company retained an independent adjuster, which retained an engineer, which issued a report that stated that the damage to the roofs as a result of the hailstorm was not enough to warrant roof replacement and the carrier would only pay for downspouts and gutters.

A couple of years later, Castleton again was hit by a hailstorm. This time the insured hired an independent adjuster which hired an engineer which reported that the insurance company did not have to reimburse the insured for this loss, because the damage was caused by a previous storm!

So, here was an insured that had its previous claim limited for insufficient damage and the current claim denied as a result of the damage being caused from a previous loss that was limited. Sounds like “Catch-22?”

In a quandary, the insured retained the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjusting firm and loss consultant with offices, among other places, in Indianapolis. Sill’s expert claims adjuster re-educated the carrier so that it understood that there was liability on its part . . . either for the first loss or the second. The result: a significant insurance recovery allowing the insured to replace the roofs.

As stated by the Executive Vice President of Equity Property Management (owners of the Castleton Apartments):

“When faced with extensive damage to the majority of our roofs at one Indianapolis location we were rebuffed by the insurance carrier, their adjusters and engineering consultants following two distinct yet successive claims for damages to the same roofs. Without Alex N. Sill Company’s assistance, and in particular the work of your Executive General Adjuster, we would not have successfully resolved the claim and obtained a settlement in an amount that allowed EPM to make the repairs in a proper manner.”

Kevin J. Donohoe, Executive Vice President

Krantz Management
Cleveland, Ohio

Tragically, many insureds have never heard of the business of public adjusting or the experience, skill and services public insurance claims adjusters provide that can aid and improve an insurance recovery.

That is precisely what Stuart Krantz, President of Krantz Management, a Cleveland, Ohio based real estate management firm, came to learn during two recent insurance losses, including one which resulted in an increase of nearly 300% due to Sill’s work.

As so often happens, after going a very long time without any claims, Krantz Management was hit by two sequential losses to two different properties from two different causes. First, the company suffered a fire to one of its apartment buildings. Next, Hurricane Sandy’s winds swept across Lake Erie and lifted a roof on another of its apartment buildings along the Gold Coast of Lakewood, Ohio.

In both cases, Alex N. Sill Company sent its expert team of adjusters, building loss estimators and certified public accountants to document and present Krantz’s fair claim for damages to the two separate insurance companies. In both instances, Sill’s work resulted in significantly greater recoveries than the two carriers had presented Krantz during the initial estimates.

As provided by Stuart Krantz:

“My family real estate management company recently had cause to retain Alex N. Sill Company on 2 separate losses . . .  We had never heard of the Sill Company, had no plans to use them, and weren’t even aware that there were companies like Sill out there. Our insurance company, State Farm, said the damage was somewhat limited and to just a small area of the building and offered us $75,000 to settle the damages. I then learned about the Sill Company, hired you, and you ultimately settled the loss for approximately $200,000 more than State Farm’s offer! We . . . would have been lucky to get ½ of the recovery that Sill got for us.

“I will not hesitate to hire Sill again. They were excellent in communicating, returning calls, and taking the reins throughout the entire adjusting process.”

Stuart Krantz, President

Marlborough Building
Freeport, Grand Bahama

Hurricane Matthew swept through a very narrow path that included the Bahamas and parts of the eastern seaboard of Florida, including the Daytona Beach area, in the fall of 2016.  With experience handling significant international insurance claims (including non-domestic policies with language that is literally, foreign to American adjusters), the Alex N. Sill Company was called to the Bahamas to assist in the property damage claim adjustment for numerous insureds. One such insured, the Marlborough Building, located in Freeport, Grand Bahama, had its roof almost entirely destroyed due to the strong winds and ensuing rains.

Recognizing that their expertise was not in valuing damages to building and putting together an insurance claim, within days of the hurricane damage, the Marlborough principals retained the Sill Company to “step into its shoes” and handle the claim for them.  Despite the international language contained in their policy, and despite working with an adjuster whose home base was not the United States, utilizing its in-house adjuster and building estimator with experience in the Islands, Sill was able to achieve a very quick and beneficial settlement for the insured.  As stated by Steve Raad, Managing Director of The Marlborough Building:

“We knew we had insurance, but our immediate concern was being able to negotiate with the Insurance Company to obtain a fair and equitable assessment…We can say without a doubt that the Alex N. Sill Company team…[was] very helpful and professional, and acted in our best interest. They managed the difficult process of negotiating with the Insurance Company to our great satisfaction. Thank you Alex Sill Company for a job well done.”

Steve A. Raad, Managing Director

Hong Nguyen
Watoma, Wisconsin

As North America’s leading public insurance adjuster and loss consultant, we enjoy being the guys wearing the “white hats”. And once again, the Alex N. Sill Company was able to ride to the rescue, when an Illinois woman, who had purchased an older schoolhouse in Poy Sippi, Wisconsin, at a deep discount, for conversion and investment purposes, received serious push back from her insurance company following an overwhelming fire. This “push back” was in addition to a slight language barrier issue that the insured had, as a result of English not being her original primary language.

First, her insurance claimed that the fire was “set”, and held her as a possible suspect in the alleged arson. As a result, she turned to the Sill Company for help, recognizing that attempting to adjust a loss in another state would be next to impossible, especially one that had as many hurdles to jump as this loss did.

Once retained, Sill Adjusting helped overcome the issue of the alleged insured arson.  Next, the insured was faced with an issue regrading vacancy and occupancy. Again, Sill successfully countered the insurance company’s “vacancy allegation”, with the defense that the building was under lease to a tenant, and therefore, not “vacant”.

Then, utilizing its team of adjusters, building appraisers and forensic accountants, Sill went to work appraising the damage to the structure as a result of the fire, smoke and resulting water damage. In relatively short shrift, Sill was able to direct the adjustment in favor of the insured and obtained a remarkably positive loss settlement of nearly seven figures with the insurance carrier.

As stated by the building owner, Hong Nguyen:

“The morning of the fire I was completely overwhelmed with not only the emotional aspect of losing my plant but also needing to deal with reporters, local police and investigators. I knew I was going to need an experienced insurance adjuster to understand the complexity of my situation and the major damage to my building. I hired The Alex N. Sill Co., to represent me. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made…The Alex N. Sill Company fought in negotiations for me and in the end was able to obtain a very fair settlement…It was truly a pleasure working with [Sill] throughout this entire process and would highly recommend your company with complete confidence.

Hong Nguyen, Owner

Point Pleasant Villa Owners Association
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Hurricanes Irma and Maria laid waste to selected Caribbean islands last fall. The US Virgin Island islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix sustained significant damage in selected areas, as did the islands of St. Maarten and Puerto Rico.

Handling property losses on hurricane ravaged islands involves significant and different challenges than those on domestic losses. Travel to the islands during the winding down of a hurricane can be hazardous, and is accompanied by a lack of creature comforts, such as adequate housing, food, water and electricity. Fortunately for our insured clients, the Alex N. Sill Company, North America’s premier Public Claims Insurance Adjusting company, has years  of experience managing and overcoming these issues in servicing our clients’ hurricane losses. Hurricanes Irma and Maria were no different. Utilizing various means such as private helicopters and private planes, the Sill team of adjusters, building consultants and contents estimators, accessed the islands even while the hurricanes were still raging, and immediately engaged with our clients on the ground.

One such client, the Point Pleasant Villa Owners Association on St. Thomas, had incurred significant damage to the various condominium structures on the property. Immediately after being retained, Sill swung into action, employing its adjusters, accountants, and attorney to review and summarize the provisions and limitations of the insurance policy, and its building consultants to prepare an exhaustive and detailed estimate of building damages.

The result was that a settlement for building policy limits was quickly obtained for the Owners Association. The results could have been a lot different, as we have heard through the grapevine from other losses in the islands where Sill has not been involved.

As stated by Susan Meisenhelder, Vice President of the Point Pleasant Villa Homeowners Association, in a letter to Sill:

“I want to express our sincere appreciation for your firm’s expert services regarding our insurance claim for damages to our property caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. Your team developed a detailed loss analysis and advocated on our behalf resulting in a settlement that far exceeded our expectations. We could not be happier with the outcome…[Y]our firm helped us fulfill our duties as a board and minimize owner problems, which can predictably arise anytime scores of individuals are involved in an insurance claim…Having gone through this process it’s apparent to us that Alex N. Sill is highly respected in the insurance industry. You leverage your firm’s reputation and relationships to your client’s advantage to ensure timely attention to the claim and aggressively negotiate and escalate it within the insurance carrier’s organization to maximize and accelerate the settlement process.”

Susan Meisenhelder, Vice President

Hospitality

Rodeway Inn & Suites
Milford, Iowa

Hotels, motels, inns, and various hospitality venues are frequent victims of insurance losses. The Rodeway Inn & Suites of Milford, Iowa was no exception, as a fire started in rooms directly over the indoor swimming pool. The fire ultimately caused those rooms to come crashing down into the indoor swimming pool, and spread smoke damage throughout much of the hotel. Not being familiar with the insurance claim process, Andre and Soon Frigo immediately hired the Alex N. Sill Company to assist with the adjustment, presentation, and negotiation of their insurance claim, recognizing that, in addition to the significant building damage suffered, there would be a complex business interruption claim to calculate that they simply were not qualified to compute and present.

It was especially important to the Frigos that this loss claim be handled expertly and quickly, because, in addition to being their business, this inn was their home. The Frigos lived in the hotel! Sill’s team of adjusters, building consultants, contents estimators, and accountants quickly prepared damage estimates in each of their respective areas of expertise. The result was a very successful recovery in the seven figures for the Frigos, allowing them to re-construct the current Rodeway Inn displayed at www. Rodewayinn-okoboji.com. As written by the Frigos:

“We are writing to let you know that your services are wonderful, and that we could not have made it through this without you. Each and every department that we worked with were professional, courteous and diligent in providing us with the best possible service…Because we were able to rely on you, we were better able to focus on our rebuilding efforts.”

Soon & Andre Frigo, Owners/Managers

Econo Lodge
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Cold weather oftentimes results in property claims issues, as was the case when the Econo Lodge of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania suddenly caught fire in the heart of a winter night. After briefly attempting to resolve the significant loss on its own, the hotel/motel owners turned to the Alex N. Sill Company to handle its insurance claim, selecting Sill based on Sill’s longtime experience in and sterling reputation in successfully handling hospitality insurance claims.

The Sill Company turned to its staff of in house adjusters, building consultants, contents estimators, and forensic accountants to evaluate the insured’s policy for coverages, and prepare damage estimates in regards to the building, the business personal property, and the business income loss.

Despite strong push back from the insurance company on the scope and extent of damages in all of the areas, the Sill adjuster’s persuasive position, backed up by the solid damage estimates, prevailed.

As a result, the insured successfully recovered the full extent of its damaged property amounting to nearly $1,000,000.

As pointed out by the hotel Manager, Shashi Sakaria:

“I want to thank you and your company for the work in adjusting the loss at the…Motel. I appreciate Alex N. Sill Co.’s prompt response to my initial call, patience with the process, professionalism in communication with me and my partners and the insurance co., detailed inspection and analysis of the fire loss, and always having helpful staff available to work on this project. Your results were very successful.”

Shasha Sakaria, Manager

Econo Lodge
Warrensville Heights, Ohio

Water and burst pipes go together in the insurance claims industry. Binta Patel, owner of the Econo Lodge of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, found that out, as burst pipes caused water to rush all over his hotel. The Alex N. Sill Company, quickly on the scene, warned the insured that the restoration contractor, who was already wielding ax and shovel, hacking away at the hotel, was doing work that may not be in his best interest. That some of the work being done might not be covered by the insured’s policy, might not be necessary, and might, therefore, have to be paid out of the insured’s own pocket. Recognizing that Sill’s advice was in his own best interest, Mr. Patel put a halt to the reckless restoration work and immediately hired Sill to take charge of the claims adjustment. Sill sent in its team of adjusters, building experts, contents estimators and forensic accountants to handle the claim. Mr. Patel was thrilled with the help provided by Sill, as well as the final result, recovering more than 2x what he anticipated the loss damages originally to be.

As stated by Mr. Patel:

I would like to extend my thanks to you and the wonderful staff you have. We had water damage that completely destroyed our hotel rooms and furniture. I can’t say enough good things about everyone that helped us with this loss. [The Sill staff] are gentlemen…Any questions that we had were answered. Everyone was on top of our situation and was there to make this as easy on us as possible. I would recommend Alex N. Sill Company in a heartbeat to anyone that has experienced a loss and is looking for a professional company to help them negotiate on their behalf with the insurance company. This is what they do and they do a great job. I would be more than happy to speak with anyone regarding the services that Alex N. Sill Company provides.”

Binta Patel, Owner

Jekyll’s Kitchen
Chagrin Falls, Ohio

There is no good time for a fire to any business. In the days and weeks leading up to Christmas, Jekyll’s Kitchen, one of Cleveland, Ohio’s most beloved and picturesque restaurants (and a part of the nationally-recognized Hyde Park Group of restaurants with multiple locations in four states), which overlooks the Chagrin Falls, suffered a devastating fire, literally leaving almost nothing of the restaurant remaining.  With near panic in the minds of the restaurant owners and their 40 employees, Jekyll’s turned to the Alex N. Sill Company for help, after having two “very good success[es] on two small insurance claims in the past.”

Sill dispatched one of its teams of in-house experts consisting of former insurance company adjusters, building and contents appraisers, forensic accountants, and attorney, who worked on the adjustment. No large loss adjustment is simple, and this one was no exception. Between the building that had been reduced to rubble; the business personal property, including very expensive wine collection, that was (as we say in the industry) “out of sight” or gone due to the fire; and the difficult calculations surrounding the business income loss, due to the seasonality of the hospitality business, the loss adjustment required sophisticated and experienced adjusters familiar with complex losses this size.

The final result was a very successful negotiated settlement of several million dollars.  As written by Richard Hauck, co-owner of the Hyde Park Group:

“In the end, the Sill Company got a large settlement for us, which covered our income loss, out of pocket costs and the complete rebuilding of the restaurant. The restaurant is nicer than it ever was before…”

Richard Hauck, Co-Owner
Hyde Park Group

Famous Dave’s of America, Inc.
Hayward, Wisconsin

A devastating fire destroyed one of America’s most beloved barbeque restaurants — The Original Famous Dave’s in Hayward, Wisconsin. This landmark restaurant situated on Round Lake was the birthplace of the Famous Dave’s chain. The beauty of its natural setting, authentic timber construction and popularity hosting as many as 6,000 diners per week made it one of Wisconsin’s most photographed restaurants.

Unfortunately, a conflagration engulfed the property and completely destroyed the building crafted from hand hewn logs, as well as the interior, which contained many artifacts custom made by local craftsman. The restaurant, nestled in the heavily wooded northwestern portion of Wisconsin also contained a trove of antiques representative of the area’s Native American heritage and lumberjack industry.

Just two months prior, Famous Dave’s experienced a horrific storm with 100 mile per hour winds and four inch golf ball sized hail. On the initial wind-hail-water loss, David Anderson, the Founder of Famous Dave’s, decided to try and adjust the loss without professional assistance.

“I did not hire a loss consultant like the Alex N. Sill Company and I personally tried to negotiate all of the losses myself with my insurance companies. I had a heck of a time arguing the true value of the losses our restaurant suffered with our insurance company. I felt that I was woefully unprepared to deal with the insurance companies who seemed not to be helping me despite all the years I religiously paid my insurance premiums,” remarked Mr. Anderson.

When the devastating fire hit Famous Dave’s, Mr. Anderson knew he needed to again enlist professional adjusting help.

As Mr. Anderson remarked: “All the folks who came to discuss their company’s expertise in working with us to negotiate our losses . . . did a good job, but one company stood out and that was . . . Alex N. Sill Company.”

Sill immediately launched its team of former insurance company loss adjusters, building experts, contents estimators and forensic accountants to inventory the damages (much of which was no longer in existence) and document and present its extensive insurance claim to the insurance company. The result was a highly successful loss recovery in excess of $3 million!

Mr. Anderson added:

“I am happy to report that we received 100% of all the money that we could have received from our insurance company. Because of the ‘one-of a kind’ hand-made building and antiques, we had a very tough time identifying all that was lost. This process was made easier by the professional experience that was provided to us by the Sill Company. The documentation alone was huge . . . thick books with huge volumes of research . . . were sent to the insurance company.

“If you’ve just experienced a devastating loss, I would highly recommend that you listen to what’s ahead of you, what’s involved in a huge loss and how the Alex N. Sill Company can help you . . . What you pay in fees to the Alex N. Sill Company will come back to you many times over and there is no question in our minds that they totally paid for themselves—absolutely no question about this. The relief after receiving our last check meant enough to me that [I] would be more than happy to share my personal experiences with you and am giving Alex N. Sill Company permission to give my personal phone number out . . .”

David Anderson, President

Myron and Phil’s Restaurant
Lincolnwood, Illinois

As stated most succinctly by our client, “It all started in the middle of the night. The fire began when nobody was around. A phone call from the fire department and your business is up in smoke.” So began the saga of Myron & Phil’s Steakhouse, a family owned institution in Lincolnwood, Illinois which had served Chicago’s best steaks for nearly 40 years and now in need of recovering from a major fire.

Similar to many fire losses, restoration company contractors quickly swarmed Myron & Phil’s owners. Upon referral, Myron & Phil’s met with the Chicago office of the Alex N. Sill Company, North America’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant. Myron & Phil’s was immediately at ease, ensured by Sill about what its team of professionals could and would accomplish. Myron & Phil’s retained Sill to adjust the loss. The Sill team of in-house professionals was led by a former “captive” insurance company adjuster, a 46-year veteran building estimator and a 33-year contents estimator. An in-house forensic accountant responsible for calculating the business income loss and an in-house attorney responsible for evaluating the policy provisions rounding out the team.

The result was a seven-figure settlement for the insured, an amount far in excess of what the insurer had preliminarily proposed.

As further summarized by the restaurant’s owners:

“How does one read the insurance policies, interpret what they really mean as far as a fire loss is concerned, how does the whole process begin?

“[The] team from Alex Sill Company, [the] professionalism, the emotional handling of the situation, and dealing with the devastation of the items of inventory were handled above and beyond the call of duty. The negotiations with the insurance agent were professional yet firm. We always felt as though he had a personal investment in our business to make everything right and just . . . We highly recommend [the Sill Company] to those of us who do not have the knowledge of how to negotiate the insurance claim process and how to maximize your claim and minimize your loss.”

Mark & Ellie Freedman, Owners

Katz Club Diner
Cleveland, Ohio

One of Cleveland, Ohio’s best known, respected and loved restaurateurs, Doug Katz, suffered a catastrophic fire to one of his restaurants, the Katz Club Diner, as a result of what was determined to be a set by a third party. The loss provided unique issues in calculating the building damage and repair or rebuild cost inasmuch as the restaurant consisted, in large part, of a vintage railroad car.

Within a week of the fire and after struggling with the assistance of an attorney to get his hands around all the issues involving the loss and claim, Katz retained the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant, to handle the preparation of the insurance claim. Sill’s staff of building consultants, inventory specialists and forensic accountants immediately set forth to prepare loss estimates for presentation to the insurance company.

Working quickly to ensure that Katz could get his facility up and running again, Sill engineered a highly successful settlement with the insurance company which enabled Katz to complete his restaurant plans. As Katz remarked to Sill’s President Michael Perlmuter (who also commented that in all his years as a businessman, he cannot remember a client coming into the office to hug him in thanks):

“As a recent client of the Sill Company, I wanted to write and convey my sincere thanks for all you did to help with my insurance loss. The arson at my diner was devastating to me and to the entire staff. The Sill Company was there from day 1 and assisted me with every possible need. Their expertise and attention was a true gift at a deeply stressful time. I have dealt with many companies with regard to my restaurant businesses, but have never worked with one that exhibits more professionalism, customer support or reliability…The Sill Company made the entire process manageable. Every stress was handled, and the Sill Company actually made the experience pleasurable.”

Douglas Katz, Chef/Proprietor

Trout Club
Newark, Ohio

The Trout Club in Newark, Ohio suffered a major fire in its cart garage that spread and did excessive structural damage to two levels of the club. The facts that: 1) the structure was made up of precast panels that were integrated into an old farmhouse built in the mid-1800s, 2) there was a significant amount of inventory and business personal property spread over the 7000 sq. foot building, and 3) that club had not even been operating a full year, so there was very little business history to show for its business loss claim, made this claim especially daunting for Trout Club owner, Brent Dewey.

Immediately recognizing these hurdles, Mr. Dewey retained nationally recognized public adjuster and insurance consultant, the Alex N. Sill Company, to estimate the damages to his building, inventory and appraise the damage to the business personal property, establish a business interruption claim, and negotiate a settlement with its insurance company.  Mr. Dewey understood that this effort would be overwhelmingly beyond his capabilities, recognizing that the “insurance companies have their own adjusters…so now we had ours!”

The result of hiring Sill was a major recovery in 7 figures for the Trout Club!

As set forth by Mr. Dewey in his thank you letter to the Sill Company:

“Mike Hickle with the Alex Sill Co. was our representative throughout the entire process and was there from beginning to end for us. He was great in keeping me up to date on where we stood in the claim process…He was able to get us money quickly within a few short days after the fire. This was important as we still had payrolls and normal bills to pay…Mike and the entire team from Alex Sill Co. are an amazing group of professional people that work well together…I can’t imagine going through a major claim like this without them. I was able to focus on rebuilding my building and my business and they took care of the details!”

Mr. Dewey-we are pleased that we were there to be able to help you!

Brent R. Dewey, Owner

The Night Owl Food & Spirits
Evansville, Indiana

As Greg Ardisson sadly found out, insurance claims (even those that seem no-brainer, straight-forward, policy limits claims) are far more difficult to manage and resolve than an insured could ever anticipate. A disastrous fire struck The Night Owl Food & Spirits restaurant and lounge that not only threatened the Ardisson family livelihood, but, in fact, threatened to change their whole lives. As Mr. Ardisson commented: “Our family depended on those businesses for not only our livelihood, but it was indeed our lives. My two sons were born and raised during my tenure as a small business owner and our plans were for them to carry on the family business…”.

Like so many other insureds that the Sill Company meets with following a disaster, Mr. Ardisson initially believed the resolution of his claim would be quite easy, and frankly had never heard of the public adjusting industry or Alex N. Sill Company. And again, he commented:  “I knew for sure I wouldn’t need your service because my building was a total loss. There was no way I wouldn’t reach the limits of my actual cash value policy.” Further, both his agent and the insurance company adjuster warned him of the “evils” of using a professional consultant that solely represented his interests.  As the adjustment of his loss progressed, , however, Mr. Ardisson soon realized that without an advocate in his corner, the insurance company (and agent) that he had been paying premiums to for many years, were not representing his interests or resolving the loss claim as Mr. Ardisson believed it should be resolved. As Mr. Ardisson further commented:  “As it turns out, you knew in advance how things would likely go. I remember the overwhelming feeling of betrayal, loss and confusion as to which way to turn once I figured it out for myself.”

Turning to Sill after approximately 45 days of failing to resolve what seemed to him to be a simple matter of his insurance company paying policy limits, Mr. Ardisson retained Sill to appraise the damage to his building, his business personal property, and his significant business income loss. Using its in-house team of experts, Sill immediately turned the tables on the insurance company, ultimately settling the entire claim for nearly 7 figures. As finally stated by Mr. Ardisson, after the less than positive experience with his insurance company for what seemed to be a relatively simple claim of policy limits:

“[Hiring Sill] was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Combine that with the sense of resolve I had to see this thing through was a winning formula that has made possible for myself and my family to move forward…Without your help, that wouldn’t have been feasible…I’d like to thank the Alex N. Sill Company…for making us whole again.”

Greg Ardisson and Family, Owners

Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools
Willoughby Hills, Ohio

The Board of Education building for the Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools caught fire, as many fires start, in the middle of the night. Several local fire departments were called in to fight the fire, but soon, due to its ferocity, they had to withdraw from the building and just fight it defensively from ladders on the outside of the building.

After unsuccessfully attempting to resolve the insurance claim on its own for over 3 months, the Willoughby-Eastlake Board of Education turned to Alex N. Sill Company for claims assistance as a result of Sill’s expertise and experience in adjusting large school and governmental building losses.

The Sill team, spearheaded by a former insurance company large loss adjuster, along with a building appraiser and contents estimator, quickly turned the claim negotiations around to the right direction, resulting in the Board of Education managing to achieve a successful walk away multi-million dollar settlement.

As stated by Superintendent of Schools, Stephen L. Thompson:

“With the assistance of your firm, our district was able to increase the original settlement offer by nearly 45%. We found the work completed by [Sill] to be meticulous, swift and impeccable. [Your adjuster] was responsive, hard-working, knowledgeable and conscientious. Regardless of [his] workload, we always felt that our claim was his first priority. I would like to recommend the services of Alex N. Sill Company to anyone in need of claims assistance.”

Stephen L. Thompson, Superintendent

The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio

The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, a charitable human relations organization dedicated to eliminating bias, bigotry and racism (the successor to the National Conference of Christian and Jews) experienced a significant flood that resulted in the destruction of some of its business personal property and the interruption of business operations. After unsuccessfully attempting to resolve the loss claim with its insurance company, The Diversity Center turned to the Alex N. Sill Company’s Cleveland office to help settle the claim. The Sill Company’s team was able to dramatically increase, by 261%, the property and business income settlement over the last offer by the insurance company prior to Sill’s involvement.

Peggy Zone Fisher, President and CEO of The Diversity Center, comments:

“I wanted to express my deepest gratitude for the outstanding guidance and assistance that the Sill Company provided us on our recent insurance claim…we contacted you, but declined to retain you immediately, hoping that we could resolve this matter without professional assistance. Ultimately [after concluding] that it might be wise to hire you, your team was able to structure the claim in such a fashion as to include several costs and expenses that the carrier previously refused to include in the claim . . . Needless to say, we were very pleased with everything about the Sill Company and our settlement.”

Peggy Zone Fisher, President & Chief Executive Officer

Ursuline College
Cleveland, Ohio

Winds topping 110 miles an hour struck Ursuline College, the first women’s college established in Ohio and one of the first established in the United States, causing devastating damage to several buildings. Among the buildings damaged was the O’Brien Center, the centerpiece of intercollegiate athletics on the 100 acre campus in suburban Cleveland, Ohio.

After unsuccessfully attempting to resolve the loss claim from the tornado with its insurance company, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland retained the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjusters and loss consultant, to help evaluate its options under its insurance policy. Sill was charged with calculating its building, contents and business income losses and to present the findings to the insurance company. The Sill Company quickly and successfully appraised the loss resulting in a very successful loss settlement on behalf of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland and Ursuline College.

“Your firm was quick to extend an offer of support to us at this important time and helped us to assess our insurance options. After joining our cause, Alex Sill provided us a well experienced and professional support team. Your team worked seamlessly with the staff of the college and was dedicated to restoring the college to full operations quickly.

“After tough negotiations with insurance representatives, supported by detailed analysis and facts that your team assembled, your experts were able to negotiate a fair settlement and timely payment of our claim. Based upon our experience, I can confidently recommend the services of Alex Sill to colleagues that encounter unfortunate insurance losses such as ours.”

David S. Steiner, Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Lake Local Schools
Millbury, Ohio

A devastating tornado struck the Lake Local Schools in Toledo, Ohio, the day before the planned graduation ceremonies, ripping through and destroying most of the high school. Superintendent Jim Witt established the goal of getting things back to normal as soon as possible, including re-building the school and having students back into the facility.

Mr. Witt recognized the insurance loss claim was huge and complex. After consultation with and approval from the school board, Superintendent Witt quickly made the important decision to retain the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant, to spearhead adjustment of the loss. Utilizing its in house staff of insurance adjusters, building appraisers and contents estimators, the Sill Company immediately took charge of the claim, calculating damages to the building and property and measuring the claim with Lake’s insurance carrier. Despite the enormity of the destruction and loss, the Sill Company quickly and methodically worked through the claim, finally settling the loss for approximately $26 million.

As stated by Superintendent Witt:

“Our high school was destroyed by a tornado and one of the first moves that we made, in the aftermath, was to hire a public adjusting firm to represent us in the resulting insurance claim. In retrospect, it was possibly the best decision that we made in the last twenty-six months. In my opinion, the team of experts that we worked with from Sill maximized our insurance claim and in an incredibly timely manner [emphasis added]. The Sill Company communicated regularly with us, they offered advice, encouraged us to ask questions, and understood our dilemmas and the challenges facing us with a professional and caring attitude. It is without hesitation that I would recommend the Alex Sill Company as a public adjusting firm.”

Jim Witt, Superintendent

God’s Re-Creation Christian Center
White Oak, Pennsylvania

It can be fairly stated that Alex N. Sill Company answered their prayers.

That’s what Pastor Priscilla Dixon of the God’s re-Creation Christian Center in White Oak, Pennsylvania said when talking about the Sill’s involvement in the church’s fire loss insurance claim.

Winter brought severe weather to the East and Midwest, including increased chances of fire.

A fire started in the church organ and quickly spread causing significant damage.  Within days of the fire, the church located near Pittsburgh retained Sill to assist in the adjustment of the insurance claim. Documenting and presenting a claim for building and contents damages, Sill was quickly able to settle this claim to the great satisfaction of the Pastor and church hierarchy.

It cannot be recited any better than provided in a letter from the Church Administrator Denise Robinson:

“When our church experienced a fire in January . . . , we had no idea as to how to proceed . . .  We were very fortunate that Martin Sachs . . . explained your company’s ability as a recovery company to intercede and be our representative with the insurance company. He was definitely God sent. From that time forward until our final payout from the insurance company, we received nothing but expert and personal care.

“Even though we are a small church, we were treated like a mega ministry. Our representative . . . stayed in constant communication with us . . . They brought in the best building inspectors . . . to verify our loss. Without [Sill’s] persistent and relentless fight with the insurance company, we probably would not have received one tenth of the replacement cost for our church. The insurance company did not want to pay us what was due us . . . [Sill] made sure that we received every dime . . .

“Without the intervention of the Alex Sill Company, we would have probably suffered a total loss and would not be where we are today! Back in our church building!

Denise M. Robinson, Church Administrator

School of Prophetic Ministry
Freeport, Grand Bahama

Hurricane Matthew missed being the totally catastrophic event that was predicted. Don’t tell that that to the people of Grand Bahama Island.

Matthew, a Category 4 hurricane swept through the entire Bahamas range of islands, causing the greatest amount of damage to Grand Bahamas, devastating homes, businesses and churches. Pastor Frank Hagan, the Pastor of the School of the Prophetic Ministry, did not escape its force. Both his home and his church incurred significant damage during Matthew and subsequently turned to the Alex N. Sill Company, the leading Public Adjusting firm in North America and the Caribbean Islands, to help him and his church so that he could focus his attention on assisting his community following the passage of the hurricane.

The Sill team, comprised of an experienced, former insurance company adjuster with significant Cat experience, an expert and seasoned building appraiser, and an experienced contents estimator, combined to swiftly resolve both his homeowner claim and his church insurance claim to a level beyond his expectations, allowing him to focus his work on the greater community.  As stated by Pastor Frank Hagan:

“[The Sill] team made certain that I could continue to focus on my duties as a pastor and…work[ed] diligently and swiftly to resolve any issues regarding our home and church building. On behalf of The School of Prophetic Ministry, my wife and I, we wish to send a heartfelt thanks to your company. May God continue to bless you.”

Pastor Frank Hagan, Senior Pastor

Americare Systems, Inc./Eureka Nursing Home
Eureka, Kansas

Tornado season can be rough through the “breadbasket” of America. So, when a tornado swept into Eureka, Kansas during the summer, no one was surprised. What caused concern though was the fact that the tornado “swept away” an entire wing of the Eureka Nursing Home. Recognizing the nursing home’s dual-faceted goals of: 1) Getting up and running the full nursing facility with the least amount of disruption to their normal daily schedule (in order to continue to serve their patients’ needs), and 2) ensuring that they fully recovered all of the damages incurred by the home, almost immediately following the storm, despite the fact that the nursing had previously handled all of its property insurance claims, albeit smaller claims,  internally, Eureka reached out to the Alex N. Sill Company, North America’s leading public adjuster and loss consultant.

Launching a team made up of a seasoned professional adjuster, who formerly worked for a major insurance company, along with an experienced building appraiser, and a skilled forensic accountant, the Sill Company quickly estimated the building damages, as well as the lost business income. Facing an insurance company that didn’t want to recognize any loss of income, Sill was able to overcome every objection and successfully settle that portion of the loss, along with recovering a sizable amount on the building damages.

James E. Reiker, Senior Vice President of Finance for the parent company Americare located in Sikeston, Missouri, wrote:

After a discussion with the owner of our company, we decided that we would place a call to Alex N. Sill Co. to assist us with the claim…In the past we had handled all of our claims internally, but due to the size of the claim and the fact that there would be a large loss of income amount, we felt it best to use a professional to help us in the process. Michael Hickle began working with us from the outset of the claim and made the whole process as easy as it possible could have been. The entire Sill group was professional in their contacts with us, as well as their interactions with our insurance company. Not only did we receive all we should have on the actual property claim…we also received more than we believed we would on the loss of income claim. This was due to the staff at Sill.” 

James E. Reiker, Senior Vice President of Finance

Tom Papoutsis Trust (Strip Store Center)
Palos Hills, Illinois

Fires to insured buildings with coinsurance clauses in their insurance policies are always challenging loss claims for insureds to attempt to manage on their own, because, by their very definitions, coinsurance clauses mean that an insured share in the insurance risk alongside of the insured.

While the Alex N. Sill Company universally believes that it brings value to an insured as the insured’s sole advocate without a conflict of interest, it is absolutely imperative that an insured retain Sill as its representative when there is a 100% coinsurance clause in the subject insurance policy.

Fortunately, Tom and Vicky Papoutsis took this advice in retaining the Sill Company for a fire to a strip center they owned, in which their policy included a 100% coinsurance clause. The day after the fire, Sill mobilized its team consisting of a former insurance company adjuster to review and analyze the insurance policy and meet with the insurance company adjuster to attempt to reach a quick understanding on the scope of the loss, an experienced building estimator to construct a detailed, line by line, item by item estimate to rebuild the building, and a forensic accountant to calculate the loss of rents (in a format that the insurance company accountants would accept) that the strip owner would experience.

The final result was that Sill was able to navigate through the coinsurance language to resolve the building claim for 100% more than the insurance carrier originally offered (even after the coinsurance penalty reduction), and also meaningfully increased the loss of rents claim to the insured’s claim.
As written by Tom and Aglaia Papoutsis:

“…and despite some initial skepticism, and after some discussions with other past clients, we decided to engage your company. Your adjuster and building estimator were knowledgeable, professional and efficient, and their work resulted in us doubling our recovery from what the insurer originally offered on the building…despite a coinsurance penalty…We honestly recommend that any other insured use your services!”

Tom & Aglaia Papoutsis

Laundry King, Inc.
Akron, Ohio

It is difficult to phrase it more accurately and succinctly than the very words penned by one of our clients/insureds, the owner of the Laundry King facility, as he writes: “To those who have just experienced a large insurance loss: If you are reading this then something wrong has happened…”

For Zachary Burkons and Laundry King, that “something wrong” was a significant fire to his commercial laundromat in Akron, Ohio. Although Mr. Burkons also is a contractor with strong knowledge about the cost of building or rebuilding a structure and additionally frequently serves as an appointed receiver for properties by the court, he quickly discovered the difficulties in contending with insurance claims. Specifically, during preliminary discussions with his insurance company he was besieged by the incredible demands for documentation and proof required as part of the insurance settlement process.

Following a referral, Mr. Burkons retained the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant. Sill’s in-house staff of former insurance company adjusters, building appraisers, contents estimators and forensic accountants quickly began putting loss estimates together on the building, contents and business loss, ultimately resulting in a recovery that was meaningfully higher than the numbers originally discussed with the carrier.

Mr. Burkons commented on Sill’s involvement:

“Close friends of mine, including one who used to be an adjuster at a major carrier counseled me that I would not see a payment on this loss in excess of $500,000, leaving me still at a loss to cover my debts. Through several months of hard work of the Sill team, they were able to settle the claim for almost $900,000. I can tell you that without the assistance of the team at Alex Sill I would have become frustrated and discouraged, likely settling for much less. The Sill team came through, maximizing recovery and minimizing inconvenience for myself so I could get back to running my life, not this claim.”[emphasis added]

Zachary Burkons, Owner

Alberta Central LLC
Portland, Oregon

For Alberta Central of Portland, Oregon, one particular July 4th was no day for celebration. A stray flare from an Independence Day fireworks display landed on the roof of the retail center that Alberta Central had recently re-purposed with re-cycled and re-usable materials causing a major fire.

The partners of Alberta Central quickly determined that they needed professional assistance with the insurance claim, especially because they wanted to ensure the satisfaction of their tenants. They turned to the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant, with offices in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington.

Employing its staff of former insurance company adjusters, building appraisers and forensic accountants, Sill set to work putting loss estimates together on the building and business loss. Initially, the insurance company’s estimate for damages was just a fraction of what the Sill Company had set forth as the loss. Ultimately, after several go-arounds, the insurance came up to Sill’s numbers, resulting in a seven figure recovery for the insured.

Nathan Celko, one of the members of Alberta Central, LLC, had this to say about Sill’s work:

“[Following the fire,] we made our standard calls to our insurance carrier and broker. And we made calls to our attorneys. It became obvious that the insurance carrier was tight lipped and had self-motives. Our broker was just that . . . a broker. Our attorneys offered some help, but more in the form of lease agreement enforcement and casualty event procedure . . . What was then clear, we needed an advocate who could speak and understand insurance policy verbiage and act on our behalf . . . [The Sill Company] were the only ones that didn’t have other motives.

“Over the course of the next five months, Alex N. Sill was instrumental in our company’s ability to retrieve the insurance dollars needed to reconstruct . . . In no way, would we have ever reached the proper settlement without their help . . . I think it’s important to fully recognize the value of a public adjuster as your complete advocate and manager of a casualty event. There is no other profession out there that can help you like they can.”

Nathan Celko, Member

General Theaters Management Co. (Parma Theater)
Cleveland, Ohio

The historic Parma Theater, longstanding neighborhood single screen, 1,500 person movie house which opened in 1936, suddenly caught fire and experienced significant damage to the interior of the theater. The management team included one of the Cleveland areas’ best and most successful insurance attorneys, who, utilizing his background and understanding of negotiating with insurance companies, received an offer from the insurance company to settle the damage claim on the theater.

In order to obtain a second opinion on the scope and damages to the theater, he reached out to the Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjusting and loss consulting firm. The Sill Company sent in its team consisting of a former insurance company adjuster and seasoned building and contents appraisers to review the damage estimate prepared by the insurance company. The bottom line result was a dramatically increased appraisal on both the building and contents loss and a significantly increased settlement for the insured, as clearly stated by Howard Mishkind.

“After exhausting my expertise in negotiating coverage under the insurance policy maintained on the premises, I turned to your company for further guidance and assessment of the total fire loss. I found . . . you to be extremely professional, cooperative and friendly to work with. Your expertise in resolving the balance of this claim far exceeded my expectations . . . While I am an attorney that has 33 years of experience in representing individuals in various claims involving various types of insurance disputes, I found that your expertise and attention to every single detail greatly enhanced the outcome of the matter. I would not hesitate to recommend your services to others now and in the future that have the misfortune of a serious claim . . .”

Howard D. Mishkind, Esq.

Delta Sports Center
Delta, Utah

A single devastating fire wiped out 31 years of hard work and effort that the Bogues family put in to build the successful Delta Sports Center in central Utah. A well-known sporting goods store selling everything from guns and ammo to fishing gear and ATVs to clientele from all over Utah and the west, Delta Sports Center quickly burned to the ground on that summer night.

The owners, hoping that the insurance company to which they had been paying premiums for many years would treat them appropriately, believed they could manage the adjustment of the loss themselves.  As stated by the Bogues: “Of course, we had insurance and thought we could handle everything . . . Within a month of the run around we realized they had their own agenda.”

The Bogues quickly realized what many insureds discover after a loss — that providing financial support for the loss that is acceptable to the insurance company and meets the required burden of proof is too burdensome and difficult for an inexperienced claimant. Soon thereafter, the Bogues decided that their only viable course to recover the fair value of their loss was to hire the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjusters and loss consultant.  As the Bogues further stated:

“We did some research on our own and believed the [Alex N. Sill Company] were a good fit for what we needed.”

Utilizing its in-house, experienced staff of former insurance company adjusters, building estimators, contents appraisers and accountants, the Sill Company quickly resolved the loss claim, recovering the million dollars plus that Delta Sports was entitled to for its building, business personal property and income loss.  The Bogues remarked as follows:

“To our shock and disbelief, the insurance company was not helpful or quick. At first the insurance company seemed willing and helpful. Within a couple of weeks things slowed down . . . They would request paperwork and we would submit paperwork and then again more paperwork, only to be told later it was on the wrong form. We decided we needed someone that had our own best interest at heart and decided to hire Alex N Sill Company . . . .This was the best decision we made. We wish we would have done it sooner. We truly believe that if we had not hired Alex N. Sill we would not have received all of our full benefits.”

Kevin & Julie Bogue, Owners

Midwest Motors, Inc.
Lake Zurich, Illinois

As reported in the Lake Zurich Courier, “When a fire destroyed a portion of the building that Midwest Motors operates out of in March, founder and President Ben Ripstein was terrified it was the end of his business.”

Midwest Motors, nationally recognized as one of the leading dealers of pre-owned, low mileage, luxury and exotic vehicles in the country, suffered a devastating fire when a heated gutter wire in its newly remodeled building sparked the event. Mr. Ripstein, self-defined as a “very skeptical” person, immediately following the fire believed like so many other insureds that he could handle the loss with the help of mitigation and board-up companies. He soon felt like he was being taken advantage of and retained the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant.

Led by its Chicago, Illinois office, Sill Company immediately set to work with its own in-house staff of former insurance company adjusters, building estimators, contents appraisers and certified financial accountants. As a result of Sill’s efforts adjusting the fire insurance claim, Midwest Motors received a seven figure insurance settlement.

The next step for Ripstein was reconstruction of his facility, which when completed, was feted with a magnificent celebratory event. So, good emerged from bad for Midwest Motors.  Said Ripstein:

“Public adjusters have a bad name, but I vetted them, and Sill helped me negotiate with the insurance company to make sure I was treated fairly. And that, right there, is what kept me in business. I don’t know how to fully express my gratitude . . . I accredit you and your company for educating me, keeping me informed, and diligently working to make sure my claim was handled in the most efficient way . . . In fact, I regret not hiring your firm on the spot. It might have mitigated some other problems that arose in the beginning, prior to me retaining your company.”

Benjamin Ripstein, President

Riverside Wine & Imports
Kent, Ohio

Just two weeks from celebrating its 20^th anniversary, a well known wine and import store was the victim of a mishap by the electric company causing a fire, which began on the roof, and quickly spread to the store below, causing extensive smoke and water damage to Riverside Wine and Imports in Kent, Ohio. In addition to structural damage to the building, the contents, the wine, was destroyed.

The owner, Robert Morson, had never experienced a fire before. His first call was to his insurance company, but not until a fireman asked him “who was going to do his board up” and a restoration company was already on site. This incident was quickly becoming a nightmare.

Through fortuitous means, very shortly thereafter, Mr. Morson met with the Alex N. Sill Company, generally recognized as the leading public adjusting firm in North America. Immediately, the need for his own advocate clicked. He hired the Sill Company, and, as it is written, the rest is history! Using its in house team of adjusters, building estimators, contents estimators, Sill quickly settled the fire loss very successfully.  It cannot can be better put than by Mr. Morson, the insured, himself:

“This is what I learned. A public adjuster is the only licensed entity that can negotiate for you (the insured) against the insurer, your insurance company. Alex N. Sill has been in business since 1928. Their staff understands the insurance business. They understand …depreciation of the contents that are destroyed. They understand what can be replaced or just cleaned by your insurance company. They can and will document everything to help you get the most from your insurance dollars and that you have coming to you and that you are covered for. They will negotiate, argue, fight for you. My question to anyone who doesn’t meet with a public adjuster, and my choice and only choice would be Alex N. Sill, is this; How can you the insured go up against the insurer, your insurance company and get the maximum you deserve without having a clear understanding of what they can and will pay? That’s how I made my decision. It’s the best decision I could have made.” 

Robert Morson, Owner

Westlake Reed Leskosky
Cleveland, Ohio

One of the world’s leading and oldest architectural firms with offices in Cleveland, Ohio; Phoenix, Arizona; Washington, D.C.; New York, New York; and Los Angeles, California, recognized for its inspirational and cutting edge work both throughout the United States and in Europe, suffered a significant water damage event to its corporate offices. With a referral from its outside legal counsel, the nationally recognized architectural firm retained the Alex N. Sill Company, the nation’s leading public insurance claims adjuster headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, to help evaluate its insurance policy for coverage of the loss caused by damage from the burst water pipe.

Sill’s efforts included evaluation of important aspects such as valuable papers coverages, other associated business income loss provisions and extra expenses as a prelude to calculating the losses to business personal property and income. The Sill Company immediately took over the entire management of the claim process, allowing the architectural firm to concentrate 100% of its efforts towards meeting deadlines on projects in process. The result was a highly successful settlement with the insurance company.

“Thank you and the colleagues of Sill for the extraordinary work and leadership you expended to resolve our claims related to the water damage event that occurred in our office this summer. We had a most positive experience working with you and would highly recommend you to any parties that would find themselves in a similar situation.”

Paul Westlake, Jr., Managing Principal

Medical Imaging Diagnostics, LLC
Boardman, Ohio

Fire is not the only catastrophe that requires the assistance and expertise of a public insurance claims adjuster and loss consultant as realized by Medical Imaging Diagnostics, a doctor’s group in Boardman, Ohio, when burst pipe sent water cascading throughout its medical office and imaging facility.

Medical Imaging, after unsuccessfully attempting to fully settle the insurance claim with its insurance carrier for seven months, retained Alex N. Sill Company to assist in the adjustment of the claim. The basis of the claim was the damage to the very expensive and highly sensitive imaging equipment impacted by the water. Utilizing its staff of former insurance company adjusters and expert business personal property estimators, Sill was able to engineer a dramatic increase in the offer that the insured had previously received from its carrier. The payout, in excess of seven figures, was due in meaningful part to Sill utilizing expertise in the radiology equipment field.

As stated by Dr. Bleggi, President of Medical Imaging Diagnostics:

“On behalf of all the employees and myself, we would like to recognize a job very well done. Through the hard work and dedication of the Alex N. Sill Co . . . we were able to settle a very difficult and complicated 13-month claim with Travelers’ Insurance Co . . . Your expertise in the insurance claim business came thru when needed most. For all the above and more, I personally would like to thank you, and would never hesitate to recommend you in the future to others who [may need] similar assistance.”

Dr. Albert M. Bleggi, MD, President/Owner

Homeowner
Pepper Pike, Ohio

Property losses suffered by homeowners may be lesser in amount in actual dollar damages than major multi-million dollar commercial claims, yet they are often just as time-consuming and difficult to adjust.  In addition to the actual loss suffered, the homeowner often is displaced from their residence into a hotel as well as emotionally distraught. And, of course, the homeowner is alone when contending with the daunting task of facing the insurance company professionals thrusting the carrier’s self-interested loss numbers at them.

Such was the case when Aliza Falk and William Wilson suffered a water loss at their home in exclusive Pepper Pike, Ohio. A plumbing fixture suddenly burst in their home, flooding the first floor and raining down into the basement. Ms. Falk and Mr. Wilson were referred to the Alex N. Sill Company and immediately retained Sill to assist in the adjustment of this loss. The Sill team, including an adjuster, building consultant and contents estimator, quickly took over the burden of proof of itemizing the damages to the home.  Their efforts resulted in a very prompt and successful recovery.

As stated by Ms. Falk and Mr. Wilson:

“Will and I want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us through our insurance claim process. When our damage occurred…we felt so helpless. After retaining your help we felt as if we had control over a situation that initially seemed so out of control. You spent so much time negotiating with our adjuster on things we didn’t even know we had a right to have an opinion on.

“Without your help we would have been at the mercy of a company that truly did not have our best interests in mind . . . I could not imagine the stress or the outcome of going through this or any insurance claim without you or your company. You cared about our home and our situation and you fought for us.” [emphasis added]

Aliza Falk & William Wilson

Homeowner
Pepper Pike, Ohio

Homeowner insurance claims are universally very difficult and stressful for their owners. The rule was the case for homeowners Ken and Sheri Sacks when an exterior drainage line was crushed causing water damage in their suburban home.

Although Ken is a seasoned real estate development professional, owning significant amount of commercial property with experience in previous claims, he recognized the potential issues involved in attempting to adjust a claim, especially a water claim, to one’s own home. Hence, he hired the Sill Company. Sill’s team of adjusters and building estimators documented the damages and presented the claim, on behalf of the Sacks, to its insurance company. The result was a dramatic 700+% increase in recovery over the carrier’s offer prior to Sill’s involvement. As stated by Ken:

“I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how pleased I am with the job that Ryan Wittensoldner did with the adjuster on my house…Ryan reassured us all along that this would be settled in a satisfactory manner. He was professional, courteous and thorough. I would certainly recommend your company again.”

Kenneth & Sheri Sacks

Homeowner
Cleveland, Ohio

Homeowner insurance claims often come during the winter months when ice and snow dam on roofs, resulting in water entering at the joinder between the walls and roof.

Such was the case when a longtime commercial client of Alex N. Sill, David Orlean, one of Cleveland, Ohio’s leading commercial developers and builders, found water running down the walls of his living room, caused by snow and ice damming on the roof of his home.

Having previously relied on Sill to successfully manage insurance claims, Mr. Orlean immediately involved the company’s professional team of adjusters and building consultants to appraise and document the damages to his Cleveland home.

Sill quickly resolved the claim very successfully for Mr. Orlean.

As stated by Mr. Orlean:

“I recently availed myself of your company’s services in connection with an insurance claim related to flooding at my home due to backup of ice and snow. I was very pleased with the services that Sill provided, and Sill’s involvement spared me the difficult task of evaluating whether my insurance company had considered the full scope of the damage that I suffered and whether the dollar amount established for the repairs would be adequate.

“As I am sure is true in the case of many similar insurance claims, the amount of damages we suffered was not readily apparent . . . you don’t always know what you don’t know . . .

“I would use Sill again if I were ever to sustain another loss of significant nature.”

David Orlean