Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/833859
Insurance & Financial Services INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT › 48 Doing Business in Connecticut | 2017 with companies like Uber. ey're working on climate change, terrorism, cyber-security. at paradigm shi has occurred." Hartford Steam Boiler provides an apt example of that shi. As a 150-year-old company that was founded to insure the boilers used to power steam-powered equipment during the U.S.'s post-Civil War industrial boom, Hartford Steam Boiler (HSB) now uses drones to carry out inspections. HSB began considering the use of drones in 2014. But at the time, the Fed- eral Aviation Administration required that anyone who flew the drones for HSB had to be a licensed pilot, said Jay Jablonski, a loss- control vice president at the company. More recently, that rule changed, and HSB has sent several employees through an FAA certifica- tion program, which has allowed HSB to add staff without requiring pilot's licenses. e firm now has four drones, Jablonski said. "We started looking at how is it a more effective use of time?" Jablonski said. "Is it safer than someone on a ladder, or on a roof? Is it more time efficient?" It turned out using drones was all of those things and more. "It's faster, it's more effective, and we get different information than we get from our engineers. With the kind of data we get, we can build 3-D models and look at different elements. You're working with more information and data than you used to be able to." HSB's drones are equipped with visual and infra-red cameras and they're used to inspect not only buildings, but dams and hydro-electric power plants, solar panels and other properties. "is industry doesn't necessarily move quickly on things, but I've seen a lot of ac- ceptance of technology because it means employees are safer and more efficient," Jablonski said. Insurance companies ap- proach technology like drones in a couple of ways. Many, like HSB, have their own drones and hire people to fly them. Others con- tract for individual jobs with independent drone services. "When I can convey that these com- panies are working on those things on a daily basis, students say, 'Okay,' " Winkler said. "Someone has to understand the Uber proposition as it relates to the protection of the driver, the passenger and the vehicle. Everyone has some kind of cyber-security, or ID-the story. e world is in geopolitical unrest. is is all real stuff, and these compa- nies are very much in there." Selling insurance careers State Insurance Commissioner Katharine Wade said the sector's ability to look forward has helped solidify its position in Connecticut in recent years. For every job the insurance industry creates, 1.88 related jobs are created. "We're making progress at the colleges and universities, and students are excited to go into the industry. We're getting the next generation interested in insur- ance," Wade said. e companies themselves play an important role in that, according to Wade. "ese companies are very good at looking to the future, and asking, 'How can we manage our business more effectively,' or, 'What's the world going to look like if we get to driver- less cars?' at has an impact on what goes on here. Young people are interested in the technology, the IT infrastructure, predictive modeling, in how to leverage technology in the way they do business and how to better understand and design things." Still, technology isn't the only thing bringing broad and important changes to the industry. e workforce's attitude toward careers is changing, and it's imperative that the industry adapt, said Barbara Fernandez, director of the state Department of Economic Jay Jablonski, a loss control vice president at Hartford-based Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Co. > Continued from page 47 ' Our ranking is No. 1 in insurance employment in the U.S., and we hold that title dearly. ' — SuSan Winkler, executive director, connecticut inSurance and Financial Service cluSter PHOTO/HARTFORD STEAM 1,415 The number of insurance en es doing business in the state. 57,734 The number of insurance carrier and related full- me employees. $32.4 billion The value of direct wri en premiums wri en in Connec cut. 2.7% Insurance career employment as a percentage of total employment. Source: CT Insurance Market Brief Connecticut Insurance Industry By the Numbers