Chris Aldrich in The Public Adjuster Spotlight

Leadership isn’t just about holding a title—it’s about taking action, teaching, inspiring others, and leading by example, even when the formal role has ended. True leaders don’t step back; they step up. I have noticed that as a Past President of the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (NAPIA), Chris Aldrich embodies this philosophy in every way.

As the past president of NAPIA, he could have easily taken a back seat, but instead, he shows up all over the country at public adjuster events. He continues to give his time, energy, and expertise to the industry he serves. His unwavering dedication to public adjusting, his deep-rooted passion for helping others, and his relentless drive to improve the profession stand as a testament to what real leadership looks like. It’s not just about what you accomplish when you’re in the spotlight; it’s about what you continue to do when no one is watching.

I wrote about Chris when he first became NAPIA’s president in Chris Aldrich Becomes President of NAPIA. Here is my recent interview with Chris:

What is the history of Andrew Knox and Company from its founding to today?

Andrew K. Knox & Company was formed in 1958 in Toms River, New Jersey, by Andrew K. Knox. Andrew was a builder prior to becoming a public adjuster. He continually ran into people who struggled with insurance claims. This need is what led to the creation of our firm. 

Leslie Knox took over the firm in 1985 from Andrew. Les grew the firm and worked nationally in such notable storms as Hurricanes Andrew, Charlie, and Katrina. Les became the Director of Loss Consulting for the government of Kuwait to determine reparations from the Iraq war. 

Andrew Knox took over the firm from Les in 2015 when Les retired. I became the Vice President. In 2022, I became the President, and Andrew transitioned to CEO. Under our leadership, we travel across the country working on significant claims, all while maintaining our family-owned business with colleagues still based in Toms River. 

What was it like to work with Les Knox? What were the primary values you learned from him regarding public adjusting?

Challenging, but rewarding. Les Knox was incredibly demanding. I never understood why when first starting in the profession.  After spending 18 years around him, I learned what this career expects from you. Public adjusting is customer service-driven. You have to always be accessible. For example, a client called me one minute after New Year’s, and I answered the phone. The client needed help on what eventually turned out to be a $750,000 loss.  

Les was intensely detail-oriented. He paid attention to font sizes on letters and the format of estimates.  

Les was more than a boss and more like a father figure to me. He shepherded me through life and has given me great advice. He allowed me the opportunity to grow and taught me how to work on a national platform. 

Les and John Herrick taught me everything about the business. I tried to absorb every lesson I could. 

My first NAPIA conference was in 2013. I was hooked by the value of the conference and saw the faces of the stories told to me by Les Knox. The personalities of NAPIA members didn’t disappoint—the best of the best in the industry. I found them friendly and cordial. 

I’ve learned so much being involved with NAPIA, which Les supported. I love Les like he’s my father. I’d do anything for him.

How did you get involved with firefighting? What is your most significant memory fighting fires and working as a firefighter?

The TV Show “Emergency”! Since I was four years old, I always wanted to be a firefighter, and loved fire trucks. 

I have many memories, and many I would like to forget. In 2004, I ran my first incident, which was the notable “Oxygen Supply Fire,” which was a facility that filled and tested hazardous material gasses.  I almost died twice in 2018— once trying to rescue someone from the surf and the second in a flashover at a fire where I was trying to get into a house on fire to see if anyone was inside. These two incidents triggered C-PTSD, which I completely denied. After years of therapy, I am able to deal with it.

How has the science of fire and smoke combined with safety changed the way you conduct your post-fire cleanup, and what can public adjusters learn from that? 

Insurance company representatives and mitigation companies have a hard time arguing with someone “in the business.” Most fire departments utilize positive pressure ventilation, which basically charges a house and pushes soot and particles into places no one would think. Most people don’t understand the amount of carcinogens and toxins that occur and are placed into a structure during a fire. 

I first met you following Superstorm Sandy. What was it to be a first responder, and what was it like to be a public adjuster with a practice in the middle of that catastrophe? 

Superstorm Sandy took years off my life.  I was a fire coordinator, and my zone was not near a flood zone. A lot of other fire departments were destroyed or damaged. At 11 pm as Sandy was coming ashore, we were dispatched to almost 30 homes on fire. My team made it to the base of the bridge, where a home was sitting on the bridge. It prohibited us from getting to the island to extinguish the home fires. I felt helpless. 

When we returned, we got dispatched to Toms River with High Water Vehicles to rescue seven police officers trapped in a building on the barrier island. The water was so high the Urban Search and Rescue were launching boats from the middle of the highway.

We operated full-time around the clock, 24 hours a day for nine days, and then I returned to public adjusting. 

I remember the day we met at the Office Lounge for lunch.  You were in a suit.  I was in a hoodie, tactical pants & work boots after a morning of crawling through destroyed properties. 

Superstorm Sandy hit October 29, 2012. My first day off was Christmas Day. 

Sandy became a learning lesson for National Flood Insurance claims. It also began my relationships with the Altieri family and Wes Baldwin, who worked with us for almost two years. The Superstorm Sandy claims seemed like they would never end, and I worked nearly exclusively on those claims for three years. 

I see you all over the United States. You are now a past president. Why do you keep doing all this work for NAPIA?

The presidents before me are still involved. I still enjoy working with the relationships I’ve gained over the years, and it’s in my given nature to help people. I have projects I am working on that started before and during my presidency. I am trying to complete those. 

NAPIA is an amazing organization. To be able to sit in the room with people who have settled billions of dollars of claims and learn how they’ve done it, how could you not want to be there? For me, the members are the Gold Standard of public adjusters. I wanted to be one of those guys. 

I worked diligently in the organization. To be part of the board of directors and the ladder to president is a significant time commitment. 

I love our industry and am committed to improving it. Jim Beneke sets a great example. He was president decades ago, and he’s still significantly involved. If Jim’s still doing it, I need to keep doing it. Our industry needs more Jim Benekes. 

Former NAPIA president Clay Morrison said, “I just want to leave the place better when I’m done.” I appreciate that sentiment.

What do you see as the three biggest issues facing the profession of public adjusting? What can be done to address these?

Anti-public adjuster endorsements. This is an enormous threat to our industry. It’s one that not many people are aware of or not concerned about enough. If this isn’t fought, it could end our profession. It would eliminate policyholders’ ability to have someone knowledgeable to advocate on their behalf.  NAPIA and the Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters (FAPIA) have joined forces to work on attempting to eliminate this. 
I see lots of adjusters who forget the basics. They try to manage their clients by utilizing texts or emails instead of phone calls or in-person meetings. Most people still crave human contact. 
Property Insurance Companies- It seems like every carrier today is doing everything they can do to deny or delay claims. From hiring engineers, hygienists, or mitigation specialists, the property insurance adjusters today have zero authority or decision-making ability. When I started, certain adjusters had authority and literally had checkbooks. We would meet on-site, agree on scope, estimate the loss, and walk out of there with a check for our client and their customer. Today, it is difficult to get an adjuster in the field to agree to anything about scope or to make a decision. This lack of authority has made losses extremely difficult to settle fairly or in a timely manner. Commercial time element losses and the need for immediate payment seem to be lost on the vast majority of commercial carriers.  

You see other public adjusting firms all over the country. What are the most common traits and practices of the most successful public adjusting firms and public adjusters?

I will say the most impressive firms are members of NAPIA. You can always tell: They dress well, speak well, and their training and education show in the settlements of their claims. 

Some of the noticeable traits are having great and aggressive sales teams willing to go out and knock on doors, make phone calls, and obtain significant losses. If you want to have a successful public adjusting firm, you cannot sit back and wait for the phone to ring.   

Successful public adjusters are polite, professional, honest and likable. They do not over-promise to obtain business. They explain realistic scenarios, speak factually and, in the words of the late Chief Alan Brunacini of the Phoenix Fire Department, “Talk to people the way you would want someone to speak to your mother.”

What would you do differently in your practice of public adjusting if you could do it all over again? 

I would’ve started being a public adjuster when I was 18. I love my job. I love the David vs Goliath scenario. I met one of my best friends, Tim Woodard, because of NAPIA and working in this industry. 

Andrew Knox & Company has had a long-time competitor down the street forever. How should public adjusters treat fellow competitors? 

Jesse Sipe is three blocks away. And we’re friendly. By and large, we’re respectful of one another. The big lesson with competitors is to respect one another and be honest.  

What is the future of Andrew Knox & Company, and what is in your future as a public adjuster? 

The future of Andrew Knox & Company is hopefully to continue to our 4th generation with my children and Andrew’s children to take over from us. My kids like what I do. My oldest son Christopher is already following in my footsteps in the fire department. James aspires to be one once he finishes college. 

The older I get the more challenging this business is becoming for me. With AI, as long as I can make a difference, I don’t see an end to working as a public adjuster.

Most successful people are not overnight successes. The hard work and dedication are simply not noticed by others until the payoff from that effort finally materializes. From my perspective, I do not see Aldrich slowing down because he is showing up all over the country more today than ever. He is also a better and accomplished public adjuster because he has put in the hard work and effort.

Thought For The Day

“It takes 20 years to make an overnight success.”
—Eddie Cantor