Cari Mohler of Naperville
Q. What did you do prior to joining Storm Guard?
A: Prior to Storm Guard I held many positions! I worked for the American Veterinary Medical Association as their lead claims management adjuster for their Professional Liability and Medical Malpractice department. After eight years of managing and settling Veterinary Malpractice claims I completed my Masters in Education and taught third grade. After staying home to raise my three kids, I went back to work in the hospitality industry and coordinated Convention and Meeting Management for medical corporations.
Q. What is your greatest accomplishment in the business to date?
A: I actually feel our reputation is my biggest accomplishment. We have built a positive reputation in our community and have allowed us to stand out in a very saturated storm restoration market. Our referral numbers have always been high and I take pride in helping foster that reputation.
Q. How do you feel about Storm Guard’s Executive Team and do you believe they want you to succeed?
A: Glenn and Shane Lynch (Storm Guard’s CEO and President) have been two of our biggest supporters. Storm Guard management is becoming stronger as we grow and continues to implement new resources, showing investment in our success. I feel that management understands each of us and personalizes their management role to meet our needs and differences. I 100% think they want us to succeed!
Q. How long have you been in business and what does your team look like today?
A. We have been in business since May 2015. When we started out it was Mark, a sales manager and I! Today we have a full team comprising of an office manager, three sales representatives, a production manager, a production assistant and a lead supplementer. Through experience and growth I began to understand what was needed in my team and knew that with our volume and goals we would need a team of individuals who had our same values, goals and work ethic. Luckily, we have found people who play a key role in our success. We have learned to be constantly recruiting and hope to continue to grow.
Q. Can you tell us about your family and the lifestyle you enjoy now that your location is up and running?
A. I am a very proud mother of three kids and two fur children. Jake my oldest is a Sophomore at Purdue University studying Electrical and Computer Engineering. My daughter, Kailey, is a junior in high school and is an amazing swimmer and golfer. My youngest, Ryan, is a freshman in high school and is a driven athlete who loves quarterbacking his JV football team and competing with the Varsity Wrestling team. All of my children have worked in the business which has been fun. The flexibility of ownership and the blessing of having a well run location has allowed us to enjoy family time together at our lake home in Michigan where we can wake surf, grill out and enjoy quality time together.
Q. As you evaluated franchise opportunities, what caused Storm Guard to rise to the top?
A. With my experience as a claims adjuster and Mark’s experience in sales and management we felt that our skills would lead to a successful Storm Guard location. We were intrigued by the opportunity to work within our own community and had personal experience with homeowners claims.
Q. What does the “Storm Guard Family” mean to you?
A. The Storm Guard Family is the added perk to owning a franchise. We were very lucky to train with an amazing group of owners. We helped each other as we were launching our businesses and have all grown into successful locations together. Outside of our training class, many other franchise owners have made a huge impact in our success and I feel that our family is very supportive. The pandemic of 2020 unfortunately affected our ability to get together in person for our National Conference, which was disappointing, because we all look forward to celebrating, collaborating and enjoying our ownership together at that event.
Q. What is your role in the business and has that changed over time?
A. My role is constantly evolving. At the beginning I handled all supplements and did most of the office management. I have worked as a sales manager, a sales rep, a production manager, and the supplementer! My role currently is to manage the sales team, work with our supplementer on insurance claims management and to drive our commercial sales. As the owner, I feel that I need to be able to be plugged into any position where I am needed.
Q. What do you enjoy most about the business/our business model?
A. I enjoy the flexibility of our business model. As a franchise, Storm Guard gave us a road-map. We were able to take that road-map and make it our own. I believe that Storm Guard has allowed us to scale and grow because
of their understanding of market differences, ownership styles and the ever evolving world of insurance.
Q. What advice would you give to potential franchisees looking to join the family?
A. Commit the time in the beginning to set up processes and a culture. Hire people who you feel will represent your location and value your culture. Be sure to invest in your employees and success will be your reward. And most importantly, know when it is time to take some time to yourself and turn off your Storm Guard hat so you can refresh and energize.
