Known as an effective leader, Griff Rogers serves as the president of Crawford Catastrophe Services. His industry knowledge and initiative to lead others has made him an integral part of the Crawford family. This year Griff is celebrating not only 20 years in the industry, but also 20 years with Crawford.
After graduating from the University of South Carolina, Griff worked in sales for a magazine advertising agency. His father was involved in the insurance industry and told Griff about an opportunity at Crawford. He mentioned Crawford’s reputation for industry training and that the company liked to promote internally. Crawford’s mission and culture resonated with Griff, so he traveled to Atlanta for adjuster training.
After Griff completed training, he held various roles. He worked as an inside liability adjuster, a multi-line outside adjuster, an adjuster in charge, a Casualty supervisor, and a Property Supervisor. Later, Griff accepted a leadership role as a branch manager in New Mexico. Then he returned to the South to manage the Alabama Service Center before transitioning back to Atlanta where he was the Southeast Managing Director covering Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. After six years overseeing the Southeast region, Griff was elevated to president of Crawford Catastrophe Services.
Griff never imagined where his career would take him. He admitted that his initial goal was to become a branch manager, as the idea of leading his own team was an exciting opportunity. Humbled by his career's direction, Griff credits his success to the people he has worked with from the start.
“There’s a risk involved with every position,” he said.
“You want success to follow you, but you have to start fresh. I’ve been fortunate to be able to experience success with my colleagues and team.”
- Griff Rogers, President of Crawford Catastrophe Services
Griff’s leadership style is focused on relationship building and connecting with his team. His aim is to build trust and respect. Starting out in his career, he wanted validation and acknowledgment from his supervisors. Now in a leadership position, Griff offers that same level of encouragement. He has made it a priority to recognize and praise the individuals on his team not only for their accomplishments but also their contributions.
Griff believes that it is important to have a diverse group of people on a team to offer different perspectives and knowledge. “I don’t have all the answers,” he admitted. “I don’t pretend that I do. I have to stress that it has always been ‘we’ not ‘me.’”
When it comes to the obstacles faced in his career, Griff explained that Crawford is in the “obstacle-solution industry.” He sees hardships as opportunities for growth. During catastrophic events, the pressure to meet expectations while also dealing with the sensitivity of loss can be incredibly challenging. These challenges are what push Griff and his team to success.
“We’re in the obstacle solution business,” he shared. “Our job is to turn what might be seen as an obstacle into an opportunity to create solutions.”
Griff credits his 20-year journey with Crawford to its family-like culture and its people. He believes that this sense of family has remained a part of the company culture despite its growing scale. The sense of belonging he feels at work supports his belief in Crawford’s purpose of restoring and enhancing lives, businesses and communities. Something he make sure is shared internally as well as externally.
“My number one enjoyment from my job has been and will continue to be the team I am privileged to work with,” he said.
Griff stresses the importance of exposing oneself to new opportunities and new people in the insurance field. He describes the adjusting industry as having many pockets to explore and advises others not to limit themselves. For leadership roles, he suggests networking internally and externally and recommends that team members be genuine in relationship building and continue to make themselves marketable.
Outside of his role at Crawford, Griff loves spending time with his wife and three children. He enjoys being outdoors and is a fan of mountain biking, road biking, hiking, camping, and backpacking. For him, being in nature is not only physically rewarding but also mentally restoring after a long work week. Griff has had a rewarding career and is grateful for the opportunity to be the leader of the Catastrophe Services team.
