Who We Are

Who We Are

We are P&C industry veterans with a deep bench of testing, automation, BPO experience and expertise. We have earned a reputation for solving the most difficult system challenges by delivering customized software and business processing solutions on time and on budget.

Our History

Origins

In December 1999, Doug Vatter and John Jerger shared a common goal—to provide back-office insurance solutions to companies writing mobile home policies in Florida. They formed West Point Underwriters to fill that need. Next, they identified a gap in the systems available for MGAs, so they developed one to meet their specific requirements and help customers rate, bind and invoice a declaration page on-demand.

Growth

From the writing of our first mobile home policy in September 2000 to today, we’ve built upon our solid reputation to reach into other states, support additional lines of business and expand our market share. We strive for increased innovation, transparency and best practices to give our clients more control.

Today

Now rebranded as West Point Insurance Services, our team of 50-plus specialists manage more than 250,000 policies.

Our Strengths

Mature Business Process

Developed and refined over 50 years to help you improve your daily operations.

Transparency

Giving you more involvement, oversight and control of business processes.

Annual Independent Verification

Providing you confidence through independent yearly updates of our processes, infrastructure, and technology.

100% On-Shore Resources

We help you achieve speed to market – and remove language or geographic barriers – by relying on our home office team in Pinellas Park, Florida.


Our Core Values

Customer Service

We’re dedicated to your needs and will strive to provide superior customer service at every opportunity.

Accountability

We stand behind our promise to deliver the highest quality products and services by embracing a culture of accountability.

Innovative Solutions

We pledge to champion new ideas and turn them into innovative solutions to serve your needs.

Efficiency

We provide effective and efficient solutions, solve problems and remain fiscally responsible.

Leadership

We pride ourselves in making our industry experts available to your requirements and needs.

Our Team

Doug Vatter - President & Co-Founder
Doug Vatter – President & Co-Founder

Doug has more than 37 years of experience in insurance underwriting and operations, the last 20 years with West Point Insurance Services. He co-founded the company in 2000, designing the claims system and growing the $21 million MGA and policy services business, and guided the company to become a leader in insurance testing, automation and business process outsourcing.

He also founded Mount Beacon Insurance Company in 2014, a Florida-based P&C homeowner insurance company where he recruited and managed a team of executive-level leaders in charge of day-to-day sales and operations. Prior to starting West Point, Doug served in several senior leadership roles in the insurance industry. He earned his bachelor’s degree in management and a minor in economics from Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York.

T. John Jerger, Jr - COO & Co-Founder
T. John Jerger, Jr – COO & Co-Founder

John has nearly 30 years of experience in insurance underwriting and operations, the last 20 years with West Point Insurance Services. He used his knowledge and expertise to design and build West Point’s on-line quoting, rating, policy issuance, and inquiry system. This system prevents data entry errors and incompleteness on the electronic application, with 95 percent of issued policies requiring no human intervention at the inception of the policy.

Prior to co-founding West Point, John held various roles for the Jerger Companies, which specialized in support for the Florida insurance industry. These roles included Director of Marketing and Assistant Vice President, as well as Personal Lines Underwriter and Operations Manager. He also serves as President of American Traditions Insurance Company and TJ Jerger MGA.

Lisa Crater - Chief Financial Officer
Lisa Crater – Chief Financial Officer

Lisa is a Certified Public Accountant who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from University of South Florida and has more than 30 years of experience managing financial operations and reporting.  In addition to attaining corporate revenue performance targets, Lisa prepares monthly financial statements, oversees compliance reporting, client accounting for billing and premium refunds, and works closely with the IT Department to identify and improve efficiencies.

Prior to joining West Point, she served for 25 years as a Manager/Controller for Eagle Asset Management, Inc. which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Raymond James Financial.  Eagle Asset Management, Inc. provides institutional and individual investors with a broad array of equity and fixed-income products.

Steve Hildebrand - Sr VP of Operations
Steve Hildebrand – Sr VP of Operations

Steve has more than 35 years of experience in insurance underwriting and operations, the last 20 years with West Point Insurance Services. Since 2011, he has served as the company’s Senior Vice President of Operations, directing all back-end operations, including underwriting, customer service, data processing, all print, and fulfillment services for West Point clients. He also leverages leading-edge technology to deliver transactional capabilities, superior client service, and leads and motivates key management teams to peak levels of performance.

Prior to joining West Point, Steve was employed by the Jerger Company, which specialized in support for the Florida Insurance Industry.

Valerie Grodman - VP of Underwriting & Customer Service
Valerie Grodman – VP of Underwriting & Customer Service

Valerie has served as the Vice President of Underwriting and Customer Services at West Point Insurance Services since 2014, developing and implementing long- and short-term underwriting strategies, and strategic business planning activities designed to increase the company’s market presence and effectively achieve profit and performance objectives for clients. She also manages and provides oversight to the regional underwriting staff on portfolio management and strategic underwriting decisions.

Prior to joining West Point, she was employed by Allstate for 12 years, including six years as a Regional Sales Support Leader. In this role she managed a team of 50 charged with supporting all aspects of the company’s regional sales distribution operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the State University of New York, and has both Property & Casualty licenses and a Surplus Lines Broker license.

Bobby Norvell - VP of Business Development
Bobby Norvell – VP of Business Development

Bobby has been in the insurance industry since 2012 but has been in in the IT industry since 2005. Bobby joined West Point in 2014 and has served in a few different roles including Sr. Business Analyst, Project Manager, Product Manager and Customer Success Manager since joining the company. He was promoted to VP of Business Development in 2021.

Prior to joining West Point, Bobby spend 7 years at Raymond James Financial within their IT department at their home office in St. Petersburg, FL. Bobby graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Management and Information Systems.

When Excalibur looked to launch into the southern Louisiana homeowner market, it chose West Point Insurance Services. “They were the only ones who could do it within 120 days,”

Tony Scognamiglio, Chief Operating Officer, Excalibur