Vice President, Risk Management and Insurance
General Manager, TradeForce Division

Through Enterprise Risk Management, Mr. Fred Pachón has helped to save The Select Family of Staffing Companies close to $200 million of what could have been a costly liability. That’s how important Risk Management is to Select’s bottom line. It is the company’s second-greatest expense after payroll. Along with sales, Risk Management plays a major role in driving the company forward.

Fred originally joined Select in 2001 on a short-term assignment as a Workers’ Compensation Consultant. Soon after delivering his initial risk assessment report, the company offered him a full-time position as Corporate Risk-Insurance Manager. Fred now leads a Risk Management department with over 60 safety, claims, and underwriting professionals.  His program is considered the most sophisticated and successful risk program in the staffing industry and among the best in the nation.

Under Fred’s direction, Select has implemented an innovative Risk Management program that encompasses the very essence and principals of this doctrine; risk avoidance, risk detouring, risk transferring and risk reduction. Some of his most innovative initiatives include the development of a risk dashboard, attorney performance benchmark, investigators performance reports, TPA quarterbacks, etc. This program touches almost every part of the company and it includes key activities, such as comprehensive review and purchase of insurance policies, review of contracts, safety training, safety incentives, and in-depth claims management. The programs have been extraordinarily successful, reducing injuries and dramatically decreasing the number of workers’ compensation claims filed by the employees. In addition, the program has had exceptional results in the area of general liability and other insurance lines.

In 2008, Select's Risk Management program was recently awarded Risk Innovator of the year by Risk & Insurance magazine and National Underwriter-NCCI award for Excellence in Workers’ Comp/Risk Management. The following year, Fred was awarded the industry's top award - Risk Manager of the Year from RIMS and Business Insurance magazine. And in 2010, he was most honored as one of the LexisNexis Workers' Compensation Law Center’s Workers' Compensation Notable People for 2009.  

Today, Fred is responsible for managing all of Select’s insurance matters, including 12 lines of coverage, from workers’ compensation to general insurance. He is also the General Manager of Select’s TradeForce construction-focused division, where he is involved in everything from pricing to selling.

Fred has over 20 years of experience in the insurance field. He has worked as a Claims Adjuster for Republic Indemnity (Great American), an SIU Investigator for Industrial Indemnity, a special investigator for the department of insurance, and a Unit Claims Supervisor for Crum & Foster. He was also employed as a Disability Manager for Western General, a Regional Safety-Claims Manager for Monarch Life, and a Consultant for Heritage Life & Disability. Additionally, Fred has worked on a contract basis for several insurance carriers, including Hartford-ITT Insurance, Royal Macabees, Pen-Mutual, Lumberman Insurance Company, and Monarch Life Insurance, successfully negotiating hundreds of claims for each carrier.

In 1986, Fred served as the Risk/Claims Manager for OneSource, a staffing agency with more than 45,000 employees nationwide. He was instrumental in reducing the company’s losses from $33 million to $17 million over a period of 24 months.

In addition to Fred’s extensive work experience, he has acquired key professional designations. These include CPDM (Certified Professional in Disability Management), WCCP (Workers’ Compensation Claims Professional), and ARM (Associate in Risk Management). He is also a Certified Risk Manager, OSHA-Certified and licensed by the State of California to run a Self-Insured Program.

During times away from his job, Fred enjoys swimming, water skiing, and engaging in recreational chess with friends and family. In fact, Fred often sees Risk Management and the chess in a similar light, drawing parallels between tactics and strategies, attacks, and defenses.

Mr. Pachón’s educational background includes a degree in Business Administration from the Central University of Venezuela. He is an active member of the RIMS (Risk & Insurance Management Society) and serves in 2 advisory boards for 2 large insurance companies.