We're a young company underwriting a wide range of complicated insurance risks. There are plenty of opportunities to grow but finding the right people who understand our risks is a very difficult challenge, especially in our field where we deal in a specialized higher risk business.

On the unforeseen

Hurricane Rita. We clearly did not properly understand the magnitude of losses that may come from a class-three or class-four hurricane. We made some errors and had to correct our approach to property underwriting. On innovation

We're constantly asking how we can steal a good idea. I find it as easy as pie to go online and make travel reservations and I think that is so cool. It's hugely convenient being able to do it myself.

On North Carolina

There is no question in my mind the key issue is how we build a state where our children are well educated and our citizens have the best opportunities to earn a good living. We know an educated populace generates more jobs at higher wages and that can become a virtual cycle.

On incentives

I've never been a huge fan of incentives. I understand that we're in a competitive environment where if we don't apply them we may frequently lose. I worry about them and would much rather see us compete on what I see as more sustainable attributes. And incentives are never applied evenly. They're used frequently in high-profile cases for new companies but I don't believe existing businesses enjoy them as much. It's not the cornerstone of a good recruitment process. The good life is.

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