Matthew Holden
- Chief Operating Officer
- Goodville Mutual Casualty Company
School Information
School: Penn State University
College Major: Business
Years at College Works: 2005
Career Information
Working For: Goodville Mutual Casualty Company
Title: Chief Operating Officer
Industry: Insurance
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
Working for a small carrier I have the opportunity to be involved in many aspects of the property and casualty insurance business. I currently oversee all property and casualty loss operations – including actively handling complex claims, manage personal lines underwriting operations, analyze business results and engage in rate making and state rate and form filings for all lines of business offered by the carrier. I also have the opportunity to engage with our independent agency base and enjoy organizing and presenting at our agent conferences to help them better understand the opportunities they have access to in partnership with the company. I enjoy helping enable our employees and agents work effectively together to serve our mutual customers and enjoy directly serving our customers in their time of need through our claims handling process.
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?God has blessed me with a beautiful family and it is a joy to spend time with them every day.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
College Works Painting taught me how to be an entrepreneur – both the joys and the difficulties.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
While I certainly work in an ‘unrelated’ industry, all business is ‘related’. College Works Painting taught me how to manage a business. These skills have helped me in my job and continue to be refined and honed as time goes on. Incredibly valuable skills like time management, employee management and relations, managing expectations, setting and meeting goals, targets and deadlines, and other invaluable skills.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
My favorite client treated my painters very nicely. Each day Mrs. Wolfe would bring out a snack for the painters and several times made them lunch. I had to be a task master to get the job done. My painters didn’t want to leave. They taught me the value of a good customer relationship, both for the customer and for the business/employees. It’s a two-way street.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
Running a business is hard work!
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
My two painters are now my two best friends. I work full-time with one and married the other.
If you had to come up with a one line slogan for CW, what would it be?
Nothing like I expected…
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
It’s not easy. Being a successful entrepreneur is hard work. But, if you’re willing to put in the effort, the payoff is more than worth it.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
Business is business. If you can run a successful painting business, you’ll be able to succeed in any industry.
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
I found out one of my painters was color blind when the homeowner was trying to show him the spot he missed. He had no clue where the homeowner was telling him to paint and ended up repainting the entire peak. Think he could have mentioned that in the job interview?
Last words of wisdom?
Your summer internship will only be what you make of it. If you put little in, you will get little out. If you put in a lot of hard work, well… you get the picture.