How Can I Help?

A lot of material has been posted on this website in the time that it has been in existence.  Some of that material has elicited comments and questions.  I would like to reiterate that I’m here for just that purpose.  I know that some of you that read this blog have questions about how to handle an incident that has affected you or someone you know.  Many of you have never been through a property claims process and don’t know what to expect.  Times are changing and it’s not like the old days when an adjuster came to your home or business.  Although some companies have not completely automated yet, many have incorporated electronic adjusting.  That is, you send your carrier pictures or other proof of your loss and they will determine how to settle the claim.  In other cases, drones are used to survey vehicular or structural damage.  Some things haven’t changed, like fires, water losses, and automobile accidents.  Property damage and personal injury are still going to occur.  And some of those things are going to be caused by defective products.  That’s where I come in.  If you have any questions about claims, defective products, investigations or engineering in general, please let know.  You can contact me via the comment section on this website or email me directly at rjhill@rjhill.com.

 

Changes

A private practice, whether it be a legal, medical, or engineering, is a business.  It’s a big mistake to assume that just because you are a professional, business will automatically come to you.  It’s nice when that happens but, the reality is that you have to work at attracting clients.  That means that you have to know what your potential clients need and then filling that need.  Changes come when anything that affects economic activity causes business to increase or decrease.  When business changes, adjustments sometimes have to be made in personnel, methods, management, and product.  This list is by no means all-inclusive.  Marketing is one of the most important functions in any business.  As business fluctuates, sometimes adjustments have to be made in marketing strategy.  Where direct mail campaigns were once enough to stimulate orders, direct contact with clients might now be necessary to bring in those orders.  However, marketing a professional practice is a little different.  The product is a service.  When I first started, marketing to potential clients consisted of making phone calls and direct mailings.  As business increased and time became more precious, the marketing strategy changed to a quarterly newsletter  that was mailed (not emailed) to clients.  That strategy worked for several years.  From client feedback, the strategy worked because the time interval between mailings seemed to be very acceptable to the majority of the recipients.  As a result, the name of the business was kept in front of the client and at the same time, the client was learning of news that potentially affected the client.

Scholarships Available for the 2014-2015 academic year

Although we are about through January, it is not too late to apply for one of two scholarships.  Both are $500 awards.  The first scholarship is intended for award to any Tennessee high school student who intends to study engineering at any Tennessee public university.  It is also open to any Tennessee college student majoring in engineering at any Tennessee public university.  The second schloarship is intended for award to high school students from El Paso High School (El Paso Texas) who intend to pursue higher education at the University of Texas at El Paso.  This scholarship is open to any field of study.  The details and instructions are shown below.

Scholarship Instructions for Tennessee Students

Scholarship Instructions for EPHS Students

R.J. Hill Consulting Announces Scholarship Awards

R.J. Hill Consulting has announced the award of two $500 scholarships to two students from Tennessee Technological University. The scholarships were intended for award to graduating seniors from any Tennessee public high school or currently enrolled engineering students from any Tennessee public university. Applicants were required to submit a letter of introduction expressing their interest in applying for the scholarship, an essay of not more than 500 words describing what they were going to do with their degree, transcripts of grades and their ACT scores. Judging of the applications was primarily based on the essays, then on grades and ACT scores. This year is the first year that the scholarships have been awarded. This year’s award winners are Caitlin Richey and Autumn Douthitt. Caitlin is a senior majoring in civil engineering and wants to work in construction. Caitlin is also a 2009 graduate of Battle Ground Academy in Franklin Tennessee. Autumn is a freshman majoring in chemical engineering. Autumn also wants to work with alternative fuels but also has interests in nanotechnology with applications in pharmaceuticals. Lastly, Autumn is a 2013 graduate of Montgomery Central High School in Clarksville Tennessee.

For application information about our scholarships, please visit our website at http://www.rjhill.com.

Congratulations to both students and best wishes for successful careers.