BIGGS THE
By Jean-Paul Damé Communications Director
G
iven the task to write a short article about Keith Biggs was by no means a small endeavor. How do you write a short essay about a man who has spent the last forty-one years in the logging insurance industry? The previous two decades as the current President of Forestry Mutual and an influential business and industry leader in one of the world's most dangerous professions? First, let's start peeling back the onion that is Keith Biggs. Here are a few details I could extract (yes, it's like pulling teeth getting him to talk about himself) while we spent a day visiting clients in Virginia. Keith was raised in Williamston, North Carolina, and enjoys hunting and fishing. He's the oldest of three siblings and played football in High School, and had a scholarship to NC State until a leg injury ended his athletic career. A teacher who knew Keith in High School, Bill Cale, gave Keith some direction and farm work. Little did they both know that their relationship as student-teacher-mentor would last a lifetime.
After graduating High School, Keith attended East Carolina University and majored in Industrial Technology that focused on engineering principles, productivity improvement, operations management, cost, and project analysis. Skills that he has applied throughout his career.
STORY
Keith and Coy Baker in loss control as it was more cost-effective than subbing out the insurance service to Hewitt/Coleman. In 1988 Keith left the field as a loss control representative and moved into the office full-time as he took on billings and underwriting. He says, "it was the best move I ever made," and prepared him for taking the helm as President at Forestry Mutual a decade later. In the two decades with Keith at the helm, Forestry Mutual grew from providing workers' compensation insurance coverage in North Carolina to expanding services to South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and now Mississippi. To say there were no growing pains, obstructions, and hard times would be a lie. Forestry Mutual and its exceptional team tackled each obstacle that came along and turned them into opportunities.
Under his leadership, safety in the logging industry improved tremendously across the United States. His continued focus on personal relationships with regional forestry associations and the loggers set Forestry Mutual apart from other workers' compensation companies. In Keith's opinion having loss control representatives working with loggers on their job sites is crucial to keeping the logging industry safe and insurance rates low.
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During his time at college, his former high school teacher, Bill Cale, left teaching and took a position with Hewitt/Coleman as their loss control representative. He told Keith that they needed another loss control representative, and in 1980 Keith joined Bill and started his career in the logging insurance industry after graduating college.
In 1985 Bill became the Executive Director of the North Carolina Self-Insurers Fund. In 1986 Bill hired
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FMIC 1ST QUARTER 2022
Travis Myers, M. M. Wright Logging and Keith Biggs, - Gasburg, Virginia
