Team: Talent Spotlight
Five Questions with Robin Amstutz
As Associate Vice President in the Surety Practice, Robin places and manages surety programs for Integro's commercial surety clients. Commercial surety encompasses a wide range of industries, including healthcare, real estate, financial institutions, retail, and manufacturing.
Why did you join Integro?
The idea of starting a surety department from scratch was very exciting to me. My prior experience focused on middle-market contract surety. Joining Integro allowed me to branch out into commercial surety on a national scale.
What does service mean to you?
Service means giving clients not just what they want, but all of the things they don't know they need. Unless there is a problem, surety is never at the top of a risk manager's list. It's my job to make sure they do think about it and utilize their surety program in the best possible way.
What has been your favorite assignment?
I really enjoyed designing the workflow for commercial surety. Orchestrating change in an existing program is very difficult, but at Integro, I was given the reins to create a brand new program. I instituted the correct practices and procedures from the very start, which ultimately improved the level of service for our clients.
What's the best advice you've ever been given?
The three C's of surety underwriting are Capital, Capacity, and Character. One of my instructors from the National Association of Surety Bond Producers told me, "Don't overestimate the first two, and never underestimate the last one." From this, I concluded that sometimes the best thing you can do is to get your client in front of the surety. When an underwriter is on the fence, firsthand knowledge of the client could be the ultimate difference between yes and no.
What do you do when you're not working?
I'm a newlywed, so much of my free time is spent with my husband and our families. We met while playing volleyball, and now play on a team together. I've also dragged him into my fanaticism for the Chicago Bulls and we get to as many games as possible. I'm also a foodie. I love cooking, watching cooking shows on TV, and hosting dinner parties.
