Our president, Justin Petty, is an expert in the insurance claims industry who saw a need and decided to start a company to take on the niche market of niche insurance claims including Diminished Value, Subrogation Recovery, Auditing and Consulting.

Our Vice President and Director of Marketing, Jennifer Petty, holds a degree and a diverse background in media and marketing and adds that experience on the opposite end of the spectrum of running a business that is needed to be successful.

I remember the first time I was really nervous as an insurance adjuster.  It was a while back and I was just getting started as a liability adjuster.  I was handling first party collision and comp claims (like most newbie adjusters), always doing three to five total losses every week, but I happened to get a PIP claim come in that I could tell was going to be a headache from the get go.  I wasn’t very experienced handling claims (had only about a year’s worth of subrogation experience under my belt at this time).  Nevertheless, I could tell this PIP claim would likely take up a lot of my time because it had five passengers involved.  All of them were being treated at a chiropractor and I already had a couple of messages on the case from the irate mother of a couple of the passengers.

Here’s a brief of the situation. . . a young lady and her four children are T-boned by a little white car that fled the scene.  The police report is clear about the facts.  The time of the accident was noted as being about 11:00 a.m.  All of the passengers reported to the police that they had pain in their necks following the wreck.  The claim got assigned to me (round robin).  In fact, I think I even took the initial phone call on the report of the loss (back then that was common).

I inquired as to why all the children were not in school and sort of got “the run around”.  I couldn’t get a straight answer about the kids being in school, and I sort of chalked it up to the lady being “rattled” because of the accident and sincerely not being able to think straight to answer me.  People commonly seemed nervous when they were speaking with me.  Anyway, I moved my questioning into the damages themselves and requested to set up an inspection, which we did.  I also called the agent who sold the policy and asked for the photos they took (or were supposed to take) when the policy was written.  I never got any pre-loss photos, and when I got the estimate of damages, the damages seemed strange compared to the accident description.  There were yellow transfer marks and what seemed to be sideswipe style damages as opposed to T-bone.  Anyway, enough questions added up that I ultimately called the school to check on the kids attendance again, and to the knowledge of the teachers and principle, the kids who had been in the wreck, were in school at the time of the wreck.  Hmmm, I thought.  A very long story cut short. . . . before I could even get the case in front of the claims manager, the FBI had put me on notice they were involved in the case (that’s where I began to get nervous, lol), and before it was over, the owner of the claims company and I had been flown off and required to testify in a murder case!  Boy, talk about getting your feet wet quick!  I was just a second year adjuster at that time.  That experience really showed me how diverse and interesting insurance claims can be.  Since that little fiasco, I have had many others; some just as strange and others simply notable.

For example, a while back I was doing my best to organize and pursue a large amount of auto subrogation claims for a fairly large insurance carrier here in Texas.  During the course of my work, I just happened to recall seeing some similar claims involving a certain type of vehicle.  Before I had completed my service to the company, I had involved a supervisor of mine (an ex Navy Seal, lol he was cool), and we had gone out to a large salvage vendor and investigated our suspicions with a cause and origin expert.  What ensued was a big mess that involved Ford Explorers and Firestone tires that many in the insurance and recovery industry remember well and still deal with.  Well, I was one of the first to figure that one out, ha!

Another such story was the case of some inexplicable fires.  Coincidentally, the culprit vehicles were again Fords.  It seemed vehicles were spontaneously combusting.  Some would catch fire when going down the road, and others would catch fire after sitting in the garage for two hours.  It was a very strange issue.  Although I can’t claim to be the first, I did develop a very detailed process for investigating the matter and collaborated with engineers and experts to help nail down the cause of the fires as being a faulty cruise control deactiviation switch (some others were figuring it out at the same time, too).  Briefly: The switch always had live electricity fed to it and the design of the switch would wear out and in some cases cause arcing or flex failure in the housings.  Being usually situated under the master reservoir for brake fluid (highly flammable), any issue with brake fluid leakage or excess heat in the vicinity of the reservoir increased the likelihood of and cause many fires.  There are still claims being settled and created with this issue every day.

During my career working by contract and on the staff of various insurance companies, I realized that there is a wide open market for certain claim specialties.  I picked out the ones that were closest to my heart and have been consistently pushing to continue proving one can make a living doing what they are passionate about.

Over the last 15 years I have held the following titles:

Subrogation Specialist

Bankruptcy Specialist (student loan collections)

Total Loss Adjuster

Damage Appraiser

First party adjuster (PIP, Thefts, Vandalisms, Floods, Med-Pay, Collision)

Liability adjuster (property damage and injury)

Subrogation Team Leader

Claims Auditor

Claims Digital Interface Consultant

Complex Recovery Specialist

Small Claims Coordinator

Director of Subrogation

Corporate Tort Recovery Supervisor

Large loss consultant

And. . . . . . tada!

CEO of claims service company!

My experience in insurance claims, vehicle values and damages, and recovery techniques and methods makes me one of very few individuals qualified to be the CEO of a company like Petty Details, LLC that focuses in niche claim services others seem to overlook or simply perform adequately.

We stand out because we were meant to do this!

Let me start by apologizing from the get go - anyone who knows me well (or even not so well) knows that I can talk ANYONE under the table!  I am an aspiring author and it is hard to get me to shut up a lot of times!

My story is really about people and relationships.  I fought through a lot of hard situations to get to this position of Vice President and Director of Marketing of my own company and have learned a lot from the people I spent time with and the relationships I built along the way.  My past experiences make me a great fit to run a company that helps people through tough situations and also helps companies realize their potential when they use our services and processes.

Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to be in media somehow - I was mascot and spirit captain in marching band, a drummer and a person always trying to be different than the pack.  I knew that my career would have to be exciting to keep me interested!

I went to college at TAMU-Commerce  where I studied Radio/TV and Marketing and worked at a small radio station in Sulphur Springs called KSST-AM where I was mentored by one of the greats of the radio industry, Bill Bradford.  Click his name and read more about him because he is an extraordinary individual and a pioneer in radio!  He actually coined the phrase "This is a test, this is only a test" for the emergency broadcast system and helped develop the MARTI unit to allow radio stations to broadcast remotely (although he does not get credit for it).  Looking back, I think he really mentored me more on running a business.   He was everywhere at all times and was an extraordinary legend! He helped develop the technology that changed how media was used because he has a consistent hunger for knowledge.  He ran a family business where his wife worked the Administrative side of the business, his son-in-law headed up sales and his employees were people close to him that he treated like family.   When I worked for him and Patsy (his darling wife), they were generous, caring bosses who would offer up a room anytime if there was a storm rolling in and  would throw you into something new and let you learn to swim!  I was on-air from 3p-12m (lots of automation), I worked the cable channel 18 where Bill ran a show teaching the older folks in our community how to use their computer (among many other programs they slaved over), I produced commercials and answered the phones.  It was probably the best radio station job I could have landed because I learned that you have to wear a million hats to run your own business and Bill and Patsy taught me a lot about that!

In 1999 I graduated having already landed a job at 99.5 The Wolf in Dallas where I was a promotions extraordinaire!  I will tell you, I begged really hard and (barely) got my foot in the door by using a reference from a former student of my school who my professor Mr. Haskins hooked me up with named Tara.  She worked on what was only the biggest morning show in Dallas called The Wake Up With The Wolf show and her mention did get me an interview so I will be forever thankful to her for that!

The day I got the job, there was a Brooks & Dunn concert and all the promotions guys were out there working.  The cute little blonde bombshell running the show was named Tera Beall and she made time that day to give me a quick interview since I had been there several times to try to meet with someone.  We had a great meeting and at the end she asked me if I would be willing to go clean out the storage unit since everyone was  busy working and I said ABSOLUTELY!  That day I threw a Wolf t-shirt over my pant suit and cleaned that dang storage room out in one day!  That began my career in Dallas radio - I will tell you that career ended with a bang as well...more on that later!

I worked promotions for a good 2 1/2 years before I had to bite the bullet and get a full time job.  I interviewed and immediately got a position at a National Sales Firm called Christal Radio where I got to work under another motivational and caring boss named Mark Melchin.  I can't say enough good things about Mark.  When I worked with him he was patient, kind and fun as hell to be around!  Lots of people are fun to be around in the media industry but Mark really wanted you to do well.

I got a random call one day at the office from a guy named Dave Dillon, National Sales Manager for the six Dallas radio stations at CBS.  He asked me if I had ever thought of working in radio.....I was like "Um YES - that is the only thing I can think of!".  He asked me to come interview for a position as National Sales Coordinator for the CBS Dallas cluster of radio stations that day and I jumped at the opportunity and got the job pretty much at my first interview!  I was sad to move on from working with Mark and his employees because they were a great group of people but I knew what I wanted to do and Mark was totally supportive.  It was refreshing and was also one of the last times I felt someone wished me to succeed in that business.  There were a few more that have rooted me on including the boss I was moving on to, Dave Dillon.  We still have deep talks about running a business, etc. that I really value!

Dave had a lot to manage and also liked to keep a keen eye on his business so it made for hard work but we forged a great relationship that made it through the easy and hard times of working together!   I remember laying on the floor of his office when I first started, combing through files and getting things organized to start out on the right foot.  He took me to high powered sales meeting with the managers and talked to me more as a peer than a "student" and that has carried forward in our relationship to this day.  We have sat on the phone for hours more times than I can count on two hands just talking and I am thankful for his friendship!

Like all good things, this one ended abruptly when Dave's position changed on a whim  and all the sudden I was thrust into new management with the seemingly impossible task of fitting in with a group that already had great relationships from another radio group.  I will say that I conformed to what was needed of me in all the positions I held but it was never really about where I was going but about how I could fit in and help them get their job done.  After 9 years of promises, job juggling, promotions and heartache, I took a position that was promised to be much different than what it actually turned out to be and I was thrown in a small office with another of my peers who was also promised "big things" where we built a lasting friendship and sisterhood among ourselves and a few other girls that were being strung along as well.

The harassment started with a couple of sales girls going into my brand new boss and griping about not getting their last minute projects handed to them on a silver platter (you know who you are and I HOPE you read this).  That began the downward spiral of my career in Dallas radio.  Lots of people who knew the truth could have saved my job - lots of people who did nothing because they were so scared to lose their job and scared of this woman that had a weirdly-disproportionate amount of power for the position she held as head assistant.  That woman called me in to her office one day and had written me up for some unspeakable things including but not limited to PANHANDLING.  That's right, PANHANDLING.

Now if you are like me, you had no idea what I was referring to as an offense committed inside the office place because it is unheard of and normally takes place on a street corner but I will define it to you like it was put to me:  it was the PERCEPTION that I demanded things above and beyond my pay to complete projects for my salespeople.  Hmmmm I wonder where that came from - well I KNOW but you will have to read my book for that info!

The meeting I had was an official HR meeting where I had to sign the letter and everything with one exception:  there was no HR official present, and as a matter of fact, the big boss was out of town and my supervisor was acting as HR since they blindsided the HR employee we had for like 25 years with a pink slip.   After being given a copy of the letter, she told me that no one had seen this letter and I could prevent it from going in my file if I would just "straighten up" and do what she says.  She also told me to tell NO ONE of our meeting, not even my direct boss.  Of course, she would never admit to that but I will tell you that I have a copy of the letter that I will be publishing in my book when it is complete and our legal department did some pretty big scrambling when I told them I had a letter from said supervisor reprimanding me for some outlandish things that had never been discussed by the higher powers in HR.

To make a long story a little shorter, my main boss told me to go to corporate when I told her about my disturbing meeting the next day and I stood up for myself against accusations that any honest, hard working person would stand up and fight against.  Corporate HR never talked to any of my peers or the sellers I worked directly for, they still made me report to the woman who was harassing me for six months and then they came back after many attempts from me to get resolution with a ruling of NOTHING.  That was when I realized that corporate America will NEVER have your back.  But I did fight. And I got laid off. Conveniently. Along with the other two girls who actually did stand up for me.  Well actually one of them was forced to quit a week later by the same supervisor.  Her story will be in my book as well.  All three of us had been with the company for going on 10 years or more - we had a meeting of the minds that day where we drank wine at the pool and stroked each others' egos! lol

That was June of 2009 and that leads me to today. What a blessing to be forced out of a terrible situation and left to "swim" on my own!  That is really the only way I would have left so it was just fine with me.   Justin and I have worked long hard hours to develop new services and reinvent traditional ones using technology to make us the most effective and efficient and we have succeeded in that mission!  Those years of blood, sweat and tears assisting, marketing, and promoting people who would never do the same for me has taught me monumental lessons in running my own company.   I have learned Guerrilla Marketing, Web Design, Graphics Design and Bootstrapping and Insurance Claims from the best source there is - EXPERIENCE!  I hope this website that I have slaved over for most of 2011 provides you with the great FREE resources you have been Googling for!  We want you to find the answers you need to navigate through tough times in your life like auto accidents and insurance claims.  I also hope you call us for help because, without you, where would we be?

Exciting times are upon us at Petty Details because businesses are looking to us to set the standards in up and coming fields like Diminished Value and traditional areas of insurance like Subrogation Recovery and our consulting services are in high demand!  Consumers and companies are using our diminished value reports to level the playing field between the two when dealing with claims and we are happy to be the ones setting standards and taking names!

With a degree in marketing and over 15 years experience managing & monitoring vasts amount of sales and technical data in the advertising and media industry, the diverse duties I was responsible for have prepared me well to head up the marketing team at Petty Details, LLC.  My experience as the office manager for a top market radio conglomerate in the competitive Dallas/Ft. Worth market lends me the ability to efficiently manage and motivate employees as well as hit deadlines.  My portfolio of work during nearly 10 years of service to CBS Radio includes creating and distributing logos, sales presentations and marketing materials for CBS's Texas market is very diverse and unmatched.

From coordinating multi-million dollar marketing events and promotions for CBS including the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament and The North Texas Irish Festival, to providing assistance and direction to the market's director of sales, I have proven my ability to train employees while producing innovative and professional tactics and material that brand our company within the desired markets.  I am also lucky to have the ability to meld together beauty and practicality in my proposals and marketing plans and my experience developing marketing strategies and coordinating large marketing events has really prepared me for picking up the reigns to set our company apart from the rest. I hope you agree and I can't believe you read this far! hahaha

Email me any time with questions or opportunities - I am always available for a great idea!