"That's a terrible idea. What time?" and 9 Questions with Jeff Engel

Question 1:
When you worked in manufacturing, what did you build?

Jeff Engel:
I helped build airplane fuselages at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas. My role was process improvement and efficiency, and I held various positions at Spirit for about eight years.

I'd actually been in food manufacturing before that, so you have officially met somebody that has been a night shift superintendent at a sausage manufacturing plant.

Question 2:
Which is worse to see get made, legislation or sausage?

Jeff Engel:
Legislation, by far.

Jeff and Beth with their children, Madelyn, Olivia and William.

Question 3:
What’s your background?

Jeff Engel:
I'm from Wichita. I was born and raised right around here. I met my wife during my sophomore year of high school, and we've been together since then.

After I got a degree in industrial engineering from K-State, I spent a couple of years in food manufacturing. In that industry, they promote you and move you every year. After I was getting ready for my third promotion and move in three years, I decided I wanted to go somewhere where I could have career mobility, but not have to move physically.

So, we came back to Wichita, and I spent eight years in manufacturing at Spirit.

Eventually, I decided I wanted a complete life change. I had 160 employees between Kansas and the state of Washington. I was traveling 60 days a year and I was stressed out.

I wanted to go into a business where I could help others and solve problems. That’s my passion in life: solving problems.

Somebody told me, "You'd be really good at insurance." I laughed and said, "You're out of your mind." Even my best buddy said, "You really should look at commercial insurance."

So, in 2013, I met the owner of Madrigal & Associates. We had a good conversation and I thought, “I can actually do this!” So, I left Spirit and went to work at Madrigal & Associates. It was a complete life change for me and probably the best thing I ever did.

Jeff and Beth through the years.

Question 4:
You’ve gone from food manufacturing to aircraft manufacturing to insurance. What keeps you in insurance?

Jeff Engel:
The biggest thing is, I get exposed to a variety of industries.

I love learning how entrepreneurs got started and how they figured out how to make money at whatever it is they're doing. Then I get to help solve problems in their businesses.

When I was in aircraft manufacturing, we were making 42 Boeing 737s a month.  I was the quality leader for the organization, and I was also a safety focal, so I saw all of the all the reports of all the crazy stuff that could go wrong.

I thought that job kept me on my toes with variety.

I never would have guessed that eight years later, I'm sitting here saying that there's actually a wider variety of “you never know what's going to happen” in insurance and commercial insurance than there is in aircraft manufacturing.

Question 5:
How can data, and companies like AgencyKPI, help insurance agencies?

“Can you tell I love animals?”

Jeff Engel:
One of the most important things in trying to grow an insurance agency is to step back from the day-to-day problems, renewals, outstanding bills and claims and look at the business from a 30,000-foot view.

What technology companies can do—if they do it right—is give you the whole picture in one spot.

That's one of the things that I love about AgencyKPI. Now, we have a dashboard that is feeding data directly from the carriers.

It lets you start slicing and dicing the data to find out where your opportunities are so that when you do expend energy and try to make a change, you're doing it on the right thing. You're trying to change the right sequence or activity. You're focusing on the right thing where you're going to get the largest bang for your buck.

Question 6:
How much do you like the Dave Matthews Band?

Jeff Engel:
Obsession would be an understatement. I probably listen to Dave Matthews Band at least 2 to 3 hours a day.

It started in the 8th grade. I was hanging out with one of my buddies and his older brother. We were in the car and a song came on. His brother says, "Oh, this is that new one from the Dave Matthews Band."

It was a couple of days before the “Under the Table and Dreaming” album came out. I bought it the day it was released at Best Buy, and the rest is history.

My wife, Beth, is a major fan too. We've seen them 14 times in concert—way less than I would prefer. She's not quite as nuts about them as I am, but she’s gone to every show with me.

Jeff and Beth at the Dave Matthews Band Concert at Mile High Stadium in Denver on July 25, 2000. Here is the set list.

Question 7:
You like smart devices and automation. What's the smartest thing you've set up in your house?

Jeff Engel:
When my furnace gets below a certain percentage of air quality, it orders its own replacement air filter directly from Amazon and shows up at my door two days later.

Question 8:
Do you like to do science experiments?

Jeff Engel:
Yes. I enjoy experimenting with a little bit of everything. If I think I can improve things in any way, shape or form, whether it's at home or at work, or somewhere in-between, I'm going to try it.

A saying I love is, "That's a terrible idea. What time?"

We have a home theater in the basement. I read on a blog that you can buy certain types of paint, mix them together and create a better paint that is like what the $2,000 screens are made of.

Three months ago, I collected very, very special ingredients and probably spent $250 on paint to cover my 100-inch screen.

It ended up just looking like dog food. I mean, horrible.

So now, I have a new screen hanging in front of the horrible attempt that I did.

Question 9:
Should “The Martian” have won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2016?

Jeff Engel:
Yes, and more importantly, Matt Damon got screwed out of best actor. I mean, that movie is incredible.

I love to solve problems, so that movie is my ultimate enjoyment to watch as Matt Damon’s character has insane problems thrown at him and he has to solve them through the whole movie.

If you ever get 4K at your home, I highly recommend getting the 4K Blu-ray for “The Martian” and watching it. It's one of the more incredible films to watch in 4K.

It's an incredible movie. Six nominations and no wins. They all got screwed. So yeah, best picture ever.

CAA, ici.insurance, Jeff EngelLisaAgencyKPI Blog