How Continental Underwriters Can Serve as a Launchpad for Your Career

If you click on the Social / Culture section of our newsroom, you’ll see that we are very proud of the workplace we’ve created and the success of our teammates. 

While we are celebrating our place of work to a certain extent, the truth is that when employees are satisfied with their roles and fully invested in their responsibilities, the customer gets a far higher level of service. 

So, why are our teammates so dialed in on their jobs? It’s because we created a place where they can turn a job into a fulfilling career. 

If you don’t believe us, just ask Insurance Business, which has named us one of the Top Five Small Insurance Employers in the entire nation. That honor becomes even more relevant when you consider that the award is won according to results from anonymous employee surveys about their benefits, compensation, work culture, career development opportunities, and more.

So, for insurance job seekers considering the forest products niche, or for those considering a transition to insurance in general, we wanted to give you some real-life examples of why Continental Underwriters should be at the top of your short list for employers. 

Melissa Berry, Marketing Director, Executive Team
Originally hired as a Technical Assistant

Melissa Berry began her forest insurance career here at CU in 2014, starting at the entry level. Over the years, she was given the opportunity to grow her administrative skills, moving through a variety of key roles—ranging from front desk administration to loss control documentation to human resources. 

In positioning herself to take on new opportunities and responsibilities that emerged at the company, she earned promotions that led to her current executive position of Marketing Director. 

As Melissa says in her Employee Spotlight:

“Working for a company with an amazing culture and mentors who helped guide me to achieve things I didn’t know I was capable of has made me want to shout from the rooftops what we’re all about. I truly feel blessed to wake up every day. I’ll always be one of those people who loves what they do, the team they get to do it with and how they do it.”

Woody Stanchina, Production Underwriter, Structured Risk
Originally hired as an Intern

Nearly seven years ago, Woody began working for us as a college intern while completing his undergraduate degree in Risk Management and Insurance. In his last semester of college, he joined the Underwriting team as a full-time Assistant Underwriter. Over the next year, he learned the ins and outs of the business from Andrew Belcher, our Underwriting Division Lead, and started managing his own accounts. Over the next year and half, Woody displayed an impressive initiative, so we created a new Production Underwriter position that catered to his skillset in 2018. 

Many of our employees require continuing education (CE) for their licensure. Continental Underwriters doesn’t just cover the cost of the CE classes that our employees need, we encourage our employees to pursue the level of education that they personally aspire to. In Woody’s case, that meant an MBA. 

As Woody says in a blog post about our culture of career growth at CU: 

“Leadership gave me generous scheduling flexibility, taking Friday afternoons off every week and additional time when I needed it. But the whole team helped me reach my goal. When schoolwork started to build up, my teammates would help me manage my workload at CU.”

Andrea Green, Risk Assessment and Claims Director of Operations
Originally hired as a Claims and Risk Assessment Coordinator

Making a transition from another insurance vertical in 2018, Andrea applied for a Claims and Risk Assessment Coordinator position at Continental Underwriters During her interview, she was asked where saw herself in five years. Not one to hide her ambitions, she said she saw herself in a leadership and mentor role at the end of that timeframe. 

Over the next six years, Andrea consistently went above and beyond to be the best resource she could be for her teammates. Five years later, her hard work paid off and she was promoted to Risk Assessment and Claims Director of Operations, where she now co-leads the Risk Assessment and Claims Division.

As Andrea says in her Employee Spotlight:

“In my almost six years at Continental Underwriters, I’ve had the opportunity to serve as a mentor and resource for my team, be involved in hiring/training/onboarding of new hires and am now co-leading the Risk Assessment and Claims Division with Corey Bounds. Seeing those goals that I had almost five years ago come to fruition within a five-year timeframe has been really rewarding and exciting. I look forward to seeing where the next five years take me!”

Amanda Huang, President and COO
Originally hired as a Temporary Admin Assistant

After struggling to find employment with her bachelor’s degree in sociology, Amanda contacted a local temp agency and was placed at Continental Underwriters Her work ethic and drive quickly turned her temporary position permanent. 

Over the following years, Amanda focused on doing her work to the best of her abilities, learning as much as possible, and making the most of every available opportunity.

Amanda moved through the ranks to become our COO. Like Woody, she also aspired to earn an MBA and took advantage of the support our company provided. Today, she not only holds an MBA, but has also been promoted to President and COO.

As Amanda says in her Employee Spotlight:

“I never had my sights set on a specific role. I just showed up every day and did the best I could. I took advantage of opportunities as they presented themselves, I learned as much as possible, and I focused on doing good work.”

The journeys above are just a snapshot of our company’s commitment to nurturing talent and fostering career growth. Anyone who thrives in an environment that values mentorship, continuous learning, and seizing opportunities can move from an entry-level position to a leadership role, just like Melissa, Woody, Andrea, and Amanda.

Their stories showcase our dedication to creating a workplace where employees can turn jobs into fulfilling careers. If you want to be at a company that truly rewards hard work, ambition, and being a team player, keep an eye on our recruitment page—the next success story could be yours!