The Gavnat Team

Jim Pierce

Founder, President and CEO

When Minnesota law changed and the role of public adjuster became a licensed position by statute, Jim was the first in line. He started Gavnat and Associates in 2010 to define an entirely new way for licensed public adjusters to advocate for the rights of policyholders. Jim prides himself on driving positive change in the industry with work that helps set new case law and he testifies in opposition to proposed insurance company sponsored bills that affect policyholder rights.

Jim is the president of the Minnesota Association of Public Insurance Adjusters and a member of the National Association of Public Adjusters. He is a licensed public adjuster in Minnesota and seven other states. Jim and his wife, Linda, have two children, Gavan and Nathan, who are the namesakes of his business. In his personal life, Jim enjoys ice fishing and is an avid waterfowl hunter. He’s also a volunteer for the Special Olympics and participates on the boards of youth sports teams.

Adina Bergstrom

Chief Operations Officer

Adina brings more than 25 years of experience to Gavnat with an insurance industry background across areas that include claims, staff counsel and insurance coverage litigator for policyholders. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Augsburg University and her J.D. from Hamline University School of Law. She is passionate about the claims handling process and working to ensure policyholders are treated fairly and equitably. From residential to industrial claims for fires, water, vandalism, storm, collapse, embezzlement, theft and more, Adina has deep experience helping policyholders reach fair settlements for covered losses. In her personal time, she enjoys volunteering for dog rescue organizations, hiking, adventure travel, CrossFit and spending time with her dogs and family.

Bob Martin

Chief Financial Officer

Bob brings 20 years of Finance Executive experience with customer focused high growth companies. He earned his Bachelors and Masters in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. He has a passion for taking companies to the next level of significant growth and profitability.

In his personal time, he enjoys charitable work with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities, taking in the outdoors with long cycling rides and traveling domestically and internationally.

Katie Ciani

Sales Manager and Licensed Public Adjuster

Katie is the leader of Gavnat’s sales team where she focuses on elevating team member capabilities and skills. She has 20 years of sales management experience and a strong background in the building materials industry. Katie has a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing from the University of Sioux Falls.

A fun fact about Katie: She worked at Sea World as a professional barefoot water skier when she was 18. Katie enjoys spending free time with her husband, family, and friends, traveling, home remodeling projects and getting out on the lake to water ski—with and without the skis.

Jessica Nelson

Director of Operations

Jessica manages Gavnat human resources and applies her extensive legal and business knowledge to managing administrative functions that ensure the business runs smoothly. She graduated with a BS in Individualized Studies Summa Cum Laude from Metro State University.

Jessica is a published writer and spent more than 10 years working as a paralegal. She enjoys a variety of hobbies including cooking, creating recipes, and fitness-related activities. She and her husband, Greg, have four sons who keep them busy with an active family life participating in hockey and a multitude of other things.

Rich McNevin

Administration Manager

Rich has extensive customer service experience and is happy to do whatever it takes to assist clients and co-workers. He has 20 years of administrative experience and describes himself as a jack of all trades with experience in administration, training and management.

Away from work, Rich enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters. They enjoy traveling and family vacations to different beaches and parks across the country.

Dan Wennerlind

Sales and Licensed Public Adjuster

Dan, with Gavnat since 2018, is a licensed Public Adjuster in the State of Minnesota. His main role is as a sales representative and client relations. He graduated from St. Cloud State University with a BA degree in General Biology with an emphasis on wildlife Management.

Dan has worked in construction and insurance since 2012 and has a deep understanding of the insurance claims process. He works with every client to make sure they get a “fair shake” and are compensated fairly for their loss. He truly enjoys hearing how happy and thankful our clients are at the end of the process.

Dan hails from Plymouth, is an avid hunter and he enjoys spending quality time with his two sons.

Jason Callais

Operations Manager

Jason is a public adjuster with a background in home restoration sales and in the construction business, which helps him identify damage and negotiate losses with insurance companies. Jason has managed hundreds of insurance claims, and he enjoys zeroing in on the details to help make a difference for his clients.

Jason appreciates a variety of sports, but especially football. He also enjoys traveling and spending time with his family.

Mike Pream-Anderson

Licensed Public Adjuster

Mike is a public adjuster with a background in sales and project management. He also worked as a contractor and has served on the Professional Roofing Advisory Council for more than seven years.

In his personal time, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and kids as well as participating in competitive sports including football, basketball, baseball and dart leagues.

Chris Skillings

Licensed Public Adjuster

Chris is a public adjuster with a background in sales, the exteriors industry and working as an insurance agent. His experience provides the thorough knowledge he needs to effectively represent property owners.

Away from the office, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife, children and two dogs. He is an active outdoorsman and likes to camp, hunt and fish. In the fall, you can find Chris in the woods, on a marsh, or lying in a field hunting wildlife.

Josh Miller

Business Development

Josh loves to help policyholders “level the playing field” in his work as public adjuster. He worked as a contractor for five years before joining Gavnat and has an Associate degree in Business Management from Century College.

Outside of work, Josh enjoys spending time with his wife and son. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, ice fishing in his castle of a fish house, camping and mountain biking.

Ryan Wagner

Licensed Public Adjuster

Ryan has managed hundreds of insurance claims and his experience as a public adjuster offers service excellence to the property owners he works with. He has a background in the construction industry as a contractor and production manager as well as working as a sales manager for a large local builder.

Ryan enjoys spending time with his two daughters and he likes outdoor activities including fishing, camping and hunting.

Tim Fisher

Commercial/Industrial Specialist

Tim has vast experience in the commercial and industrial market, with experience as a partner and CEO himself. He also has experience as an Umpire and Appraiser in the insurance claims process, which gives him additional insight into commercial and industrial claims. Tim has an MBA in international business from Washington University/Temple.

In his free time, Tim enjoys spending time with his wife and their 11 grandchildren. He can also be found swinging a hammer on remodeling jobs and building treehouses for his grandchildren.

Keith Johnson

Senior Claims Coordinator

Keith oversees the claims and confirms all agreed payments being made from the carrier. He trains new coordinators and assists in many nuances with the claims. He has experience working as a sales representative for a local roofing company and in administrative support roles where he developed processing collections systems.

Keith spends all his free time with his wife and two little girls. He also enjoys softball, is active in his church and likes to take time away from the big city. Family means everything to Keith and he considers his close friends his family, too. Keith has a degree from St. Cloud Technical College.

Deb Krug

Claims Coordinator

Deb is a Minnesota native and has lived in California and North Carolina. A Special Education Teacher for 21 years she transitioned to a construction company prior to joining the Gavnat team. When not at work, Deb enjoys entertaining with family and friends. She loves to garden and spend time outdoors enjoying nature.

Torr Legvold

Claims Coordinator

Torr is an accomplished Claims Coordinator with four years of experience in managing and resolving claims, bolstered by a decade of expertise in customer service. Outside of his professional life Torr enjoys a bustling home life, chasing after his three young children and cherishing quality time with his wife.

Cydney Wallace

Claims Coordinator

Cydney is a seasoned professional with expertise in property management and insurance claims. She studied psychology with a concentration on social interaction. She brings a unique perspective to her work, combining analytical skills with a deep understanding of client needs. Cydney is a basketball enthusiast and a dedicated mother of four.

Jason Sjoberg

Senior Operations Coordinator

Jason excels at providing excellent customer service and his attention to detail is the ideal fit for handling the complex nature of claims in the appraisal process. He has over 25 years of experience working in recovering unpaid debts. Jason believes passionately that respecting peoples’ situations and helping them find solutions without sacrificing integrity and respect is a top priority.

Jason enjoys playing sports and spending time with friends and family, especially his two adult sons. He also likes spending time in nature, painting, landscaping and volunteering as much as possible.

Ryan Allgood

Accounts Receivable Specialist

Ryan is a recent graduate of Winona State University with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He’s an avid Minnesota sports fan, especially cheering on The Timberwolves and The Vikings—Skol! In his free time, Ryan enjoys the great outdoors fishing and playing golf.

Pam Morrison

In-House Accountant

Pam works in our payroll and accounts payable departments where she provides fast and accurate services for several functions. She also actively manages process improvement opportunities in this area of the business. Pam has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from University of Delaware and a master’s degree in engineering management from National Technological University.

Pam grew up in Delaware and has lived in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. She moved to Minnesota in 1999 and is an avid fan of the Minnesota Wild. She and her husband are also superfans of the University of Iowa’s Hawkeyes where her daughter recently graduated. Pam’s interests also include Devon Rex cats and all things about Japan.

Jasen Johnson

Public Adjuster

Jasen is an experienced public adjuster with an in-depth background and knowledge in construction, storm damage claims and supplemental claims. He’s earned multiple industry certifications and has experience training and managing claims teams.

Aaron Jorgenson

Public Adjuster

Aaron is new to public adjusting, and he brings several years of experience as a property inspector to his work. He’s passionate about advocating for policyholders to help them reach fair settlements and outcomes. In his free time, Aaron enjoys cycling and sports including hockey, football and baseball.

Nathan Pierce

Public Adjuster

Nathan joined Gavnat in 2017 as an intern after graduating from the University of Nebraska with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He began working as a public adjuster in the spring of 2023 and has earned significant experience serving policyholders with hail damage claims. In his personal time, he enjoys wake surfing, trading crypto and fantasy football.

Jack Edgell

Public Adjuster

Jack has a background working as an inspection specialist for a storm restoration contractor and worked as a field adjuster for an insurance company specializing in fire and water. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota in molecular biology. He’s happy he changed his path from microbiology to a trade where he followed in his father’s footsteps to become a public adjuster. He enjoys helping to inform and guide people through a convoluted process—and being outside climbing steep roofs is more appealing to him than a biology lab any day.

Sean Geelan

Business Development

Sean has nearly a decade of experience in the insurance industry working as an insurance agent and a corporate risk specialist. He has an in-depth knowledge of insurance policy language to help policyholders understand their coverage. Sean has a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern College where he also played baseball. When not at work, you’ll find Sean spending time with his wife and son, enjoying the great outdoors and doing activities that include golfing, hunting, fishing and boating.