The Gavnat Team

Jim Pierce

Founder/Owner of Gavnat and Associates

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James Pierce founded Gavnat and Associates in 2007 and has been working tirelessly ever since then to advocate for the rights of insurance policy holders. Jim is a licensed public adjuster in a multitude of states outside of Minnesota as well including Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, Montana and Ohio. In addition to his work in public adjusting, Jim has extensive experience in the Insurance Appraisal process having participated as an Appraiser or Umpire on over 1,000 appraisals to date with more involvement every year.

He has obtained a solid reputation in the industry as a name people can trust. Jim prides himself on making changes to the industry as a whole having helped set new case law through litigation and testifying in opposition of proposed insurance led bills that would affect policyholders. Jim is also the president of Minnesota Association of Public Insurance Adjusters and a member of National Association of Public Adjusters. His goal is always to assist each and every policyholder in obtaining the insurance award they deserve.

In his free time, Jim likes to spend time with his wife, Linda, and their two kids, Gavan & Nathan, whom he named his business after. Jim enjoys ice fishing during the winter months with his boys on Lake of The Woods and is an avid waterfowl hunter in the fall. Jim actively contributes to the Special Olympics and volunteers regularly as well. He also participates on the boards in varying areas including youth basketball sports, church, and other businesses when time allows.

Justin Metz

Claims Coordinator

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Justin was born and raised in Eagan, MN. After graduating from the Academy of Holy Angels he attended the University of North Dakota. He started in the industry as a roofing salesman in 2013. His work with Gavnat began as an estimate writer before transitioning to the role of a claims coordinator working side-by-side with the Public Adjustors to assist clients in handling their claims. Justin is married to the love of his life, Jill and enjoys spending time at his family’s hunting land in northern Minnesota. Justin also enjoys passing on his knowledge and love of the game of hockey by coaching for his children Harrison and Elsie and their teammates.

Dennis McClay

Licensed Public Adjuster

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Dennis is a Minnesota native and attended the University of Minnesota. In 2006, he began his work in documenting storm damage in the field for contractors before venturing into insurance adjusting in 2009. Dennis has been working alongside Jim since 2009 in the early years of Gavnat and continues to be a vital member of the growing team. As a Public Adjuster, Dennis has had experience in all facets of the industry and prides himself on having knowledge in a multitude of areas. Dennis likes to spend his free time with his wife Diana and their three children.

Dan Wennerlind

Sales/Licensed Public Adjuster

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Dan grew up in Plymouth, MN and graduated from St. Cloud State University. He has worked in the insurance and construction industry since 2012. Having seen a multitude of perspectives in the insurance claim process, Dan understands the great need for Public Adjuster services across the board, from the residential claims to the large commercial complexes. His Goal is to make sure each and every client receives a “fair shake” and is compensated properly for their loss. Dan believes that Gavnat offers the resources, experience and reputation in the insurance industry to properly indemnify and enforce each and every client’s settlement no matter how big or small the value of the loss. Outside of work, Dan is an avid hunter and enjoys quality time with his two wonderful little boys, Brandt and Luke.

Jason Callais

Licensed Public Adjuster (Hail and Wind Specialist)

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Jason is a Minnesota Native, born and raised in St. Paul. He started his professional life as a teacher and a coach for ten years. He then made a career change into home restoration sales. Jason began as a salesman and has managed over 250 insurance claims as a contractor. Jason transitioned to Gavnat in 2019 as a Public Insurance Adjuster where his previous contractor knowledge helped him excel at identifying damage and negotiating loses with the insurance company. Jason lives by the motto “No detail is too small” which helps him take the time and identify details others may overlook, whether it be a dent from hail in a windowsill or a minute detail in an insurance policy. In his spare time Jason enjoys a variety of sports to include football, traveling to new places, and spending time with his family.

Brian Smith

Licensed Public Adjuster

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After attending Concordia College in St Paul and St. Cloud State University, Brian began working in construction in 1990. He became a “jack of all trades” doing everything from landscaping, heavy equipment operating, building decks, siding, framing and roof repairs. In 2005 his focus became storm restoration and lead him to his first insurance appraisal work in 2008. He joined Gavnat in the fall of 2020 combining his years of construction and insurance appraisal experience. Brian now specializes multi-family associations, single family residences and commercial claims serving both as an Appraiser and Public Adjuster. Outside of the office, you will find Brian with his wife of over 20 years and two teenage kids. His family are multi-sport athletes and outdoor enthusiasts. Aside from his devoted family life, Brian has a passion for teaching sales techniques and business skills and enjoys motivational speaking. His goal is to help others become everything they were created to be.

Cody Thurman

Licensed Public Adjuster

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Cody grew up in Maple Grove, MN and has been in this line of work for 5+ years on the restoration side. He obtained his Public Adjusting license in 2020 and is constantly expanding his knowledge to become the best asset he can to the team. He prides himself on making sure clients get the best experience here at Gavnat possible. In his free time, he coaches youth hockey and is pondering the thought of being the next Gavnat employee to have a canine companion.

Jessica Nelson

Administrative Services/HR Specialist

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Jessica graduated from Metro State University in St. Paul, MN in 2016 (Summa Cum Laude). She is a published writer and spent over 10 years in the legal field doing paralegal and drafting work before running her own business for the past 5 years. With her extensive legal and business knowledge, she joined Gavnat in 2020 and maintains all aspects of the human resources and administrative responsibilities. Jessica ensures the internal framework of the business runs smoothly so everyone at Gavnat can thrive. In her down time, Jessica enjoys a variety of hobbies including cooking, recipe creation and fitness related activities. She spends most of her time with her husband Greg and their three sons (Landon, Bodhi and Sutton) participating in family activities, managing youth hockey and creating new adventures for her children.

Mike Pream-Anderson

Licensed Public Adjuster

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Mike was born and raised in Coon Rapids, MN. He comes to Gavnat with 12 years’ experience in sales and project management and has assisted in managing over 1,000 insurance claims to date. Mike previously worked in the role of contractor before obtaining his Public Adjuster license. He spent the last 7 years on the Professional Roofing Advisory Council for the Midwest region. Education has always been and continues to be very important to Mike not only for himself but for his peers and clients. He leads his career with this is mind and believes it has contributed to much of his personal and professional success.

During his personal time, Mike enjoys time with his wife Jessica and their children Liam and Kora. He enjoys watching as well as participating in competitive sports such as football, basketball, baseball and dart leagues. He lives by the motto “live each day like it’s your last”.

Keith Johnson

Claims Coordinator

After spending over 7 years at St. Cloud Technical College taking courses in a multitude fields, Keith started working as a sales representative for a local roofing company. In addition to sales experience, Keith focused his time on administrative support including developing and processing collections systems for the businesses he has worked for. Keith brings to Gavnat solid work experience and a strong desire to help Gavnat provide the best possible service to our clients.

Keith spends all his free time with his beautiful wife Janelle and their two little girls, Hazel and Juliette. He also enjoys the softball life, church and time away from the big city. Family is everything to Keith and he considers his close friends to be family as well. Keith has several tattoos, and all have a very important meaning in his life. He lives by the saying, “Without failure you would have no success”.