Mark your calendars now to join us for the SFM Foundation’s fall events.

The SFM Foundation is a nonprofit that helps families affected by workplace injuries by providing scholarships to children of workers disabled or killed in work-related accidents.

Up first is the third annual Bowling for Scholarships fundraiser in Iowa . It will be held Thursday, Oct. 30, at Spare Time Entertainment in West Des Moines.

Next is the Minnesota fall fundraiser – a bowling event at Pinstripes in Edina . This is a new event and new location for 2025. It will be held Thursday, Nov. 6.

More details will be announced as the events draw near.

Other SFM Foundation updates

Earlier this year, the SFM Foundation announced nearly $600,000 in new scholarships, a record since the organization was founded in 2008.

“We have seen a steady uptick in the number of applicants for our scholarship, so being able to award more students and provide more funding this year is amazing,” said Deb Zorn, the foundation’s Scholarship Director. “It’s so rewarding to see these young people follow their dreams with the support of the foundation community.”

This year marks the highest number of scholarships awarded in the foundation’s history – 19.

Also, the SFM Foundation’s summer golf tournaments generated $150,000.

“We are so grateful for the continued support of our agent partners, clients and others in the community,” said Linda Williams, President of the SFM Foundation. “Without their generosity, we wouldn’t be able to help as many students as we do each year.”

About the SFM Foundation

The SFM Foundation was created in 2008 by SFM Companies. The nonprofit is dedicated to easing the burdens on families affected by workplace accidents. Scholarships are awarded regardless of which workers’ compensation insurer was involved in the claim. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded 266 scholarships totaling $4.7 million. For more information, visit sfmfoundation.com .

The SFM Foundation is an affiliate of Kids’ Chance of America  in Iowa and Minnesota.

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Wes Spain has been with SFM since 2022 as a Subrogation Specialist & Special Investigation Unit (SIU) Manager. We asked Spain to share a little bit about his background and role.

Tell us little bit about your background.

I grew up in an insurance household. Both of my parents worked for insurance companies, so I watched them and how they handled insurance.

When I got out of college I worked for an insurance company, then at a rental car agency for a bit, then back in insurance for 19 years. I joined SFM in 2022 and got into subrogation. It’s been great and I really enjoy it here.

How would you describe your role in a nutshell?

To be a learner and a leader at the same time. Although I’m a leader of a team, I’m new to workers’ compensation, so I’m learning as I go. My main role is to work with my team, work with attorneys and outside surveillance vendors, handling subrogation claims, reviewing catastrophic claims for subrogation potential, as well as leading a team of SIU reps — being a coach and motivator for them, addressing any issues they have, and hopefully making life at SFM somewhat enjoyable for them.

How is SFM different from other carriers you’ve worked with?

SFM feels like your neighbors, like your family. It’s very closeknit. At other companies, you kind of feel like a tree in a forest. At SFM, you’ll have the CEO and COO asking about you and your kids and your weekend. We all know each other and have a great sense of community here.

Is there a time that stands out to you when your job was particularly rewarding?

Thursdays – I love Thursdays because that’s when we get our results entered. It is a real time measure of our success and it’s rewarding most weeks, because it’s a team effort. Many factors go into making a recovery that could reduce or eliminate our ability to recover so when you get the check it’s a good feeling.

What do you like about your job?

I like the ability to work with different people and different departments. I like working closely with my team.

We’re here to serve claims and I’ve always been a customer service guy. Any time we’re able to accomplish that though bringing back subrogation dollars or completing a strong investigation, that makes me feel like we’re getting the job done.

What’s most challenging about your job?

When I don’t know something — having to figure out who the right person is to get that answer. Being relatively new, I still don’t know exactly what everybody does. Plus, if I’ve done a process, it might have been just once. Figuring out things I don’t do very often and that aren’t in my wheelhouse keeps me on my toes.

What words of wisdom do you have for employers?

I would suggest that they treat their employees well and provide a good work-life balance.

Recognize talent early and make sure you hold onto them and reward them appropriately. Continue to push them up. The best companies have employees who mostly feel like they’re rewarded and recognized for what they do every day.

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The recording of SFM’s recent webinar, Preventing Strains and Sprains, is now available.

Click here to watch the presentation .

Our experts discussed a range of issues related to the topic, including how employers can help reduce the occurrence of strain and sprain injuries — the most common type of injury reported to SFM.

The webinar covered:

• What constitutes a strain or sprain injury
• How these injuries typically occur
• Manager and supervisor responsibilities to report
• How to identify individual workplace risk factors
• Why safety programs should cover ergonomics
• Legal aspects to a strain or sprain injury
• How to reduce the risk of litigation of a claim
• More, including a question-and-answer session at the end

Lastly, you can find previous educational webinars on our website.

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The SFM Foundation’s recent golf tournaments generated $150,000.

Held in Minnesota and Iowa, the events are the largest fundraisers for the SFM Foundation, a nonprofit that helps families affected by workplace injuries by providing scholarships to children of workers disabled or killed in work-related accidents.

“We are so grateful for the continued support of our agent partners, clients and others in the community,” said Linda Williams, President of the SFM Foundation. “Without their generosity, we wouldn’t be able to help as many students as we do each year.”

In total, 240 golfers came out for the two events, and sponsors helped garner more funding for scholarship recipients.

“We are proud of our efforts to support these families as they endure challenging times,” said Andy Gebhard, Chair of the SFM Foundation Board of Directors. “Helping these students reach their goals takes all of us working together — sponsors, agents and volunteers. It’s amazing to see how much the foundation has grown over the years. We’re proud of our mission and thankful for the ongoing support from everyone involved.”

New record for scholarship funds

Earlier this year, the SFM Foundation announced nearly $600,000 in new scholarships, a record since the organization was founded in 2008.

“We have seen a steady uptick in the number of applicants for our scholarship, so being able to award more students and provide more funding this year is amazing,” said Deb Zorn, the foundation’s scholarship director. “It’s so rewarding to see these young people follow their dreams with the support of the foundation community.”

This year marks the highest number of scholarships awarded in the foundation’s history – 19.

About the SFM Foundation

The SFM Foundation was created in 2008 by SFM Companies, a regional workers’ compensation insurance group headquartered in Bloomington, Minn. The nonprofit is dedicated to easing the burdens on families affected by workplace accidents. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded 266 scholarships totaling $4.7 million. For more information, visit sfmfoundation.com .

The SFM Foundation is an affiliate of Kids’ Chance of America in Iowa and Minnesota.

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The SFM Foundation recently awarded this year’s round of college scholarships, helping 19 new students totaling $596,000 in funding.

“It’s incredible to see how much our organization has grown over the years,” said Linda Williams, SFM Risk and Compliance Technical Specialist, who serves as the foundation’s president. “We are so grateful to all our donors and the volunteers who make our efforts possible.”

The SFM Foundation is a nonprofit that helps families affected by workplace injuries by providing scholarships to children of workers disabled or killed in work-related accidents.

Compared to 2024, the foundation awarded four more scholarships and more than $100,000 in additional funding this year. The SFM Foundation has now awarded 266 scholarships totaling $4.7 million since its inception.

“We have seen a steady uptick in the number of applicants for our scholarship, so being able to award more students and provide more funding this year is amazing,” said Deb Zorn, SFM VP of Regional Business and the foundation’s scholarship director. “It’s so rewarding to see these young people follow their dreams with the support of the foundation community.”

‘Gold’ status for SFM Foundation

The SFM Foundation recently reached Gold Level status from Kids’ Chance of America, recognizing top-tier excellence in nonprofit operations. One of the final steps to reach that status was creating a whistleblower policy.

“One of the other criteria necessary for Gold Level of Excellence is for the State Organization to consider having a paid executive director,” Williams said. “The SFM Foundation is fortunate to rely solely on volunteers to handle its operations, and no paid staff is needed, ultimately qualifying us for the Gold Level.”

In Iowa and Minnesota, the SFM Foundation is an affiliate of Kids’ Chance of America.

“It’s an honor to reach the Gold Level from Kids’ Chance,” said Lindsay Henningsgaard, Marketing Underwriter Specialist and the foundation’s executive director. “The new designation doesn’t change our mission of helping students who have been impacted by workplace injuries, but it is nice Kids’ Chance recognized the strength of our organization.”

June golf fundraiser

The SFM Foundation’s golf fundraiser in Minnesota is full. However, people can still attend lunch, dinner or sponsor. Note, though, that sponsors will no longer be listed in print materials (deadline was May 1).

The event is set for Monday, June 9, at Prestwick Golf Club in Woodbury. Find more information on the event page . The Iowa golf fundraiser was held May 19.

“We’re always so thankful of the support of our agency partners, clients and others who contribute to our mission,” Williams said. “These golf events are not only a way to raise scholarship funds, but they also allow those involved to connect and build a community.”

About the SFM Foundation

The SFM Foundation was created in 2008 by SFM Companies, a regional workers’ compensation insurance group headquartered in Bloomington, Minn. The nonprofit is dedicated to easing the burdens on families affected by workplace accidents. Since its inception, the foundation has awarded 266 scholarships totaling $4.7 million. For more information, visit sfmfoundation.com .

The SFM Foundation is an affiliate of Kids’ Chance of America in Iowa and Minnesota.

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Nathan Gaffaney has been with SFM since 2001, holding a variety of roles during his tenure here. In 2024, he was promoted to Team Leader. We asked Gaffaney to share a little bit about his background and role.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

My first job out of college was at SFM. I started with a claims training program and worked as a claims adjuster for three and a half years. Then I transferred to premium audit and the finance department — at that time, those two departments were combined. I worked in those areas for several years.

Then transferred to our North team as an underwriter until January of 2024, when I was promoted to the team business leader position.

Why have you stayed at SFM as long as you have?

I’ve had great managers along the way — they’ve probably seen things in me that I don’t see in myself and encouraged me to try different things.

I was also part of SFM’s Aspire program, which looks to identify people as future leaders. That was almost 10 years ago. But I’ve enjoyed the ability to have different roles at SFM the flexibility to try different things and stay with a company that’s great to its employees.

How would you describe your role in a nutshell?

In my current role, I’m overseeing three different disciplines for the North team — medical-only claims, loss prevention and nurse case managers. And I continue to have an underwriting/marketing role where I’m out talking to different agencies.

Is there a time that stands out to you when your job was particularly rewarding?

I’ve always enjoyed the relationships that I’ve been able to build with my agents.

When I ended up in the underwriter role and the marketing piece of the job, I really developed lifelong friendships with some of the people I worked with as clients. That’s been one of the most rewarding pieces.

What do you like about your job?

The people. I know that’s cliché, but the coworkers and clients I work with, the leaders I’ve had, they’ve all been great people and were always looking out for me.

I also like the vision of the company and what we’re doing and trying to do it well. We’re always focused on doing the next right thing, like Terry (Miller, SFM President and CEO) says. That’s big for me.

What’s most challenging about your job?

For me, in my current role, I hadn’t managed people before — so it’s been a lot of learning the nuances of managing people and their different roles and how you can assist them and be an advocate for them even when you’re not an expert in that particular role. So that’s been the hardest piece of it for me.

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CompOnline users for the same policy must now have different email addresses. CompOnline® is SFM’s web-based claims portal for policyholders.

Administrators can no longer create a new user if another user is already assigned the same email address for the same policy.

We added this requirement to prevent admins from accidentally creating duplicate accounts, and in preparation to allow users to log in with their email address later this year.

If you have any questions about this change, please contact us.

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SFM regularly holds educational webinars to help policyholders manage the complexities of workers’ compensation issues.

The next webinar, set for 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, June 25, is Preventing strains and sprains, an SFM webinar for policyholders. View the recording .

Our experts will explore how employers can help reduce the occurrence of strain and sprain injuries — the most common type of injury reported to SFM. Additionally, the webinar will cover several other aspects of strains and sprains, including:

• What constitutes a strain or sprain injury
• How these injuries typically occur
• Manager and supervisor responsibilities to report injuries and during the claim process
• How to identify individual and workplace risk factors
• Why an organization’s safety program should include ergonomic training
• Legal aspects to a strain or sprain injury
• How to reduce the risk of litigation of a claim
• Much more, including a question-and-answer session at the end

Need some tips for preventing these injuries before the webinar? Here are related resources about the topic:

• Prevent strains and sprains through proper ergonomics
• Muscular injuries: How to combat common ergonomic challenges

Also, you can check out previous SFM webinars on our website.

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SFM Mutual Insurance Co. announced today that its Financial Strength Rating of “A- (Excellent)” and Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” have been confirmed again by AM Best Rating Services, Inc.

Following a detailed analysis of SFM’s balance sheet, operating performance, business profile, innovation initiatives and enterprise risk management, AM Best reaffirmed SFM’s standing. Also, before publicly disclosing the rating in April 2025, AM Best conducted a thorough review of SFM’s finances and operations.

“In our annual review with AM Best, we were pleased to once again demonstrate how our commitment to service excellence delivers strong results,” SFM President and CEO Terry Miller said. “We consider the organization’s assessment to be a key indicator of SFM’s long-term financial strength and stability.”

About AM Best

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com .

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SFM recently hired Dr. Andrew Wilkins as Chief Medical Director.

In his role, he will assist in the management of complex claims, serve as an educational resource, and lead strategic initiatives to better understand what is driving a rise in medical severity and how we can best address it.

“I’m looking forward to taking a holistic approach to complex claims and trying to find solutions that best benefit the patient, the policyholder and SFM as a whole, backed by good medical practices and literature,” he said.

By way of background, Wilkins attended medical school in Arizona, followed by a residency in Emergency Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia while on active-duty service. Wilkins then joined the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, providing medical care as a Battalion Surgeon in the Middle East, Europe, and at Fort Campbell, Ky.

After transitioning to civilian practice, Wilkins most recently was a staff physician at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. He serves on the state Medical Services Review Board, is board certified in emergency medicine, and has special interests in medical education and health care leadership.

Wilkins joined SFM in November 2024.

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