16^th Annual Extended Warranty & Service Contract Innovations

Eric Arnum

Publisher

WARRANTY WEEK

Eric Arnum is the editor of Warranty Week, an online publication written for the warranty industry professional. Based in New York and launched in late 2002 as both a free weekly email broadcast and a website at www.warrantyweek.com, the newsletter has quickly gained a following among manufacturers, retailers, servicers, and insurance professionals. Subscriptions to the free weekly email edition have now surpassed 7,000 people, while Web traffic is typically around 12,000 to 15,000 page views per week.
Weekly topics have included specific market close-ups on product warranties, extended warranties, claims rates in industries such as air conditioning, automotive, PCs, disk drives, printers, consumer electronics, solar panels, construction, mining, telecommunications equipment, plasma TVs, jetliners, sports stadiums, new homes, skateparks, and farm equipment. On a quarterly basis, trends in warranty claims and accruals by more than 800 manufacturers are detailed in depth. Also featured are periodic articles about industry conferences and warranty claim processing and analysis software providers.
Before launching Warranty Week, Arnum edited two different newsletters about the data communications industry -- Messaging Online, and Electronic Mail & Micro Systems (EMMS) -- while also engaging in custom research projects tracking the growth of the World Wide Web in Europe and the market for Internet services in South America. He also has worked as a reporter and freelance photographer for various online music publications. Eric Arnum is a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in economics.

Victor H. Andrade III

Senior Director, Equipment Marketing and Commercial Development

Henry Schein

Doug Bell

Owner/Principal Consultant

Doug Bell & Associates – Service Contract Consulting

Doug Bell owns a consulting company (formed in 2020) that assists OEMs & TPAs with their business transformation needs. Clients have included: OnPoint Warranty Solutions, Endurance Dealer Services, Polaris, C.A.R.S. Protection Plus, Profit Strategies, LodeStar Re. He holds a B.S. and M.B.A. degree from Babson College, Wellesley Massachusetts.

Doug has over four decades of successful experience in both the aftermarket and OEM automobile industry, spending the 2000s and 2010s in the finance & insurance business for Nissan Extended Services North America (NESNA). Doug was instrumental in NESNA’s business transformation from a VSC, PPM and CPO provider to the Nissan & Infiniti Sales Divisions to a full product & service provider capable of doing business with any franchise or independent auto dealer in the country.

During time-off, Doug enjoys golfing, grilling, biking and the great outdoors with his wife and two dogs in beautiful Colorado.

Donald Berry

VP, Insurance – International Operations

GM Financial

Don has more than 25 years of proven achievement in the automotive OEM / Captive Financial Services area. As Vice President at GM Financial, he is responsible for developing and executing the insurance strategy for General Motors dealers and customers in Latin America and Canada. Most recently, Don served as President and CEO of the VW Credit owned captive insurance subsidiaries in both Canada and US. He held progressive leadership roles at both Mercedes-Benz Financial and GMAC Insurance where he began his career. Don is a licensed Property and Casualty agent. He holds a B.B.A degree in Accounting from Western Michigan University and a M.B.A. degree in Finance from Wayne State University.

Angie Breedlove

Executive Director

Women of Warranty

Angie Breedlove is a 30+ year veteran in the warranty industry with a knack for getting things done, sometimes by sheer force of will, and sometimes with the help of a double shot venti latte.

With a career that's taken her from processing warranty claims to starting a company, she has led warranty strategy and development for Maytag, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Assurant and is now CoFounder and Chief Revenue Officer for Xcelerator Group. She likes to say if there is a job in the warranty and services industry that she hasn’t done, it was probably in Accounting.

When she isn’t working with the team at Xcelerator Group, you can find her leading Women of Warranty as their Executive Director. Women of Warranty was founded in 2023 as a way to foster more female leaders, business owners, entrepreneurs and trades people in the warranty industry.

Jennifer Blacklock, SVP

Warranty Solutions Advisor

Marsh

Jennifer brings 20 years of warranty and insurance knowledge to the Marsh team with client and program experience across a wide range of industries and product lines including Connected Home, Consumer Electronics, Home Warranty, HVAC, Auto and Powersports, Card Benefits/Protection, Travel/Leisure, Identity Theft and Debt-Waiver.

Jennifer’s broad warranty experience across different vantage points - client, administrator and underwriter - makes her distinctively qualified to focus on Warranty Program Management supporting the sale, implementation, client management and growth of custom warranty solutions for Marsh clients.

Prior to joining Marsh, Jennifer worked for several global insurance companies, AmTrust, TWG (Assurant) and Chubb, as well as a large Third-Party Administrator, Affinion International. In those roles she managed high profile & specialized warranty programs delivering first to market product solutions, managing complex implementation processes and helped clients evaluate and streamline their warranty operational processes. Her diverse background in Client Management, Sales and Marketing, Underwriting and Data Analytics combined with her industry relationships uniquely position her to support our clients and partners. Throughout her professional career she has worked with clients such as Stellantis, BMW, GM, Brunswick, NatWest Group, Lloyds Bank, Meta, Dell, SquareTrade and HomeServe.

Clayton Bodnarek

EVP – Alternative Distribution

Bolt Solutions

Clay leads bolt’s US/Canada distribution for our growing Telecom vertical and has 35 years of experience in the space. Additionally, Clay manages our delivery of embedded protection products for our P&C, Home Warranty, Employee Benefits, Travel and Specialty Devices market segments. Prior to joining bolt, Clay was the Global Head of Business Development and Commercial Operations at Brightstar. Outside of work, Clay and his wife enjoy practicing and competing in ballroom dance competitions across the US.

Brian T. Casey, Esq.

Partner, Co-Chair of Regulatory & Transactional Insurance Practice Group

Locke Lord LLP

As Co-Leader of Locke Lord's Regulatory and Transactional Insurance practice group, and a member of the Firm's Corporate, Capital Markets and Health Care practice groups, Brian focuses on corporate, merger and acquisition, corporate and structured finance and other transactional, and regulatory matters for corporate clients in the insurance, financial services and health care industries. One significant facet to Brian's practice is a focus on insurance-linked securities and related insurance capital markets transactions. His clients include insurance companies, insurance holding companies, managing general agents and insurance agencies, third party and claims administrators, banks and other financial institutions, investment banks and reinsurance companies.

Gabriella Catapano, MBA

Specialist, Commercial Development

Henry Schein

Ted Danner

Senior Director, Automotive Warranty & Service Contract (WSC) AI Solutions & Sales

Circuitry.ai

Ted Danner is an experienced automotive executive with over 24 years of expertise spanning from Nissan OEM operations and aftermarket, third-party administration, specializing in OEM warranty, vehicle service contract (VSC) claims operations, sales, risk management, aftersales, and captive finance. Ted successfully directed large-scale warranty & VSC operations at Nissan and an aftermarket administrator. Ted brings this industry experience to the Circuitry.ai team as Sr. Director, Automotive Warranty & Service Contract AI Solutions, helping clients bring AI decision intelligence to their claim & business operations. He is a sought-after speaker at industry events sharing best-practices for integrating AI into warranty and claims operations increasing automation, accuracy, speed while reducing the claim spend. Ted lives in Nashville, TN and enjoys time with his family and running or hiking with his grown children.

Bobby Fuller,

Manager of U.S. Field Operations Analytics & Strategy,

Whirlpool Corporation

Bobby Fuller is the Manager of Field Operations Analytics & Strategy for the U.S. at Whirlpool Corporation, bringing over eight years of leadership experience in supply chain, data analytics, and strategy. He is recognized for transforming complex data into clear, actionable insights that drive performance and innovation across field operations.
Bobby holds a BBA in Marketing from Siena Heights University and an MBA in Supply Chain Management from Central Michigan University. As an OpEx Black Belt, he brings a strong focus on continuous improvement, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making.
A passionate and practical leader, Bobby bridges the gap between analytics and execution—helping teams turn insight into impact.

Matt Ganus,

Director of North American Region - Field Operations,

Whirlpool Corporation

Matt Ganus is an accomplished business leader with a track record of delivering exceptional operational results. Matt currently serves as Director of North American Region - Field Operations for Whirlpool Corporation. Matt has served in various roles at Whirlpool with over 10 years of experience in Field Service, Customer Service, Sales and Supply Chain. He is known for delivering robust service recovery solutions yielding improved consumer experiences while achieving step level transformation. Matt graduated from Walden University with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration and Marketing. He also holds a Master of Administration from the University of Michigan and a Master of Science in Lean Engineering from Kettering University.

Michael Huff

President

Nissan Global Reinsurance, Ltd

Ted Danner is an experienced automotive executive with over 24 years of expertise spanning from Nissan OEM operations and aftermarket, third-party administration, specializing in OEM warranty, vehicle service contract (VSC) claims operations, sales, risk management, aftersales, and captive finance. Ted successfully directed large-scale warranty & VSC operations at Nissan and an aftermarket administrator. Ted brings this industry experience to the Circuitry.ai team as Sr. Director, Automotive Warranty & Service Contract AI Solutions, helping clients bring AI decision intelligence to their claim & business operations. He is a sought-after speaker at industry events sharing best-practices for integrating AI into warranty and claims operations increasing automation, accuracy, speed while reducing the claim spend. Ted lives in Nashville, TN and enjoys time with his family and running or hiking with his grown children.

Michelle James,

Vice President,

CTIA - The Wireless Association

Michelle James, a graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas with a degree in Economics & Finance, has over 25 years of experience in the wireless industry. Since joining CTIA in 2018, she has led key initiatives that foster collaboration and drive industry services across the wireless ecosystem. Michelle leads the Reverse Logistics & Service Quality (RLSQ) efforts, which deliver uniform grading scales, certified repair professionals, facilities and retailers through an industry-recognized global standards-based service quality for device repair program.

Tim Meenan

Managing Partner

Meenan, P.A

Tim Meenan is a former Deputy for the Florida Department of Insurance and Treasurers office. He founded and served as Executive Director and General Counsel for the Service Contract Industry Council, the Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance, and the Motor Vehicle Protection Products Association, and in those roles help draft and enact legislation and regulations governing service contracts and other protection products throughout the United States. Tim has formed and licensed insurance companies, service contract and protection product companies across the United States. Tims practice focuses on helping develop new products and services and finding creative regulatory strategies for clients to offer customer facing products in the insurance, warranty, service contract, debt waiver, motor club and other spaces.

Mark Nagelvoort

President & CEO

PCMI

Mark Nagelvoort is widely recognized as pioneering software administration systems within the Extended Warranty and F&I Product industry. He is a seasoned executive who has dedicated 30+ years to creating platforms that help the world’s TPAs, OEMs, and Insurers automate administration processes effortlessly. Mark specializes in using his expansive knowledge to help customers establish all phases of their extended warranty programs including sales, policy and claim administration, risk management, and offshore reinsurance within our PCRS software .

Dennis Prock,

Director of Service Operations,

Samsung Electronics

Dennis is a leader at Samsung with over 10 years of experience in service operations. He’s super passionate on evolving the technician workforce, and has relentless pursuit in engineering the best customer journey. Dennis is one of key OEM members to interface with the RLSQ industry group as co-chair of WISE Certification & Training working group. Leading the work to support key market players at all levels, while bringing continuous improvements to repair quality and customer satisfaction.

Kevin Roney

Extended Service - Strategy & Business Development

Whirlpool Corporation

Kevin Roney most recently led Business and Strategy Development for Whirlpool's Extended Service Plan program. Prior to this role, Kevin's career has touched on virtually every functional area of both manufacturing and service oriented companies, with a strong emphasis on Finance and P&L management. His passion for consumer focused loyalty initiatives has allowed him to develop multiple innovative business models, including several new consumer benefits for large OEM brands. Most notably have been new programs that leverage the benefits of Term, Subscription, and other unique products that support specific consumer needs. Kevin welcomes inquiries and benchmarking opportunities for all facets of the ESP Value Chain.

Shawna Rooney

Sr. Director, Services and Warranty

Best Buy

Shawna Rooney has a diverse career across Financial Services, Secondary Markets Due Diligence, Tech-Gig Management Platform, and Retail with most of her time spent at Best Buy. For over 16 years she’s held leadership positions in Commercial Products, Membership, Subscriptions, and currently Services & Extended Warranty Plans where she leads the business team responsible for revenue generation. Shawna lives in Minnetonka, MN with her husband Kyle and 4 children. Outside of work she enjoys spending time her family, traveling, and fitness.

Ty Halcomb

Voluntary Protection Products Technology Manager

Toyota Financial Services

Ty Halcomb brings over 13 years of extensive warranty experience to the table, beginning his career at Toyota as a claims adjudicator. Over the years, he has navigated through various roles in loss control, product operations, and product development, accumulating a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the automotive industry.

Currently serving as the Voluntary Protection Product Technology Manager, Ty is entrusted with the pivotal responsibility of enhancing and modernizing originations and claims platforms. His relentless pursuit of innovation and dedication to improving operational efficiency make him a cornerstone of the team.

With a keen eye for detail and a passion for delivering top-notch solutions, Ty continues to drive excellence in the field, ensuring that products and services meet the evolving needs of customers, dealers, and stakeholders alike.

Jeremy Kuchenbecker

Vice President - Enterprise Digital Strategy

APCO Holdings

Jeremy has a 14-year track record in the retail automotive, aftermarket F&I, and TPA industries where he has successfully managed F&I departments and spearheaded strategic initiatives in sales and IT. Currently at APCO Holdings, Jeremy leads the Enterprise Digital Strategy where he is responsible for aligning data and technology with the company's overarching sales and technology strategy. Over his seven-year tenure with APCO, Jeremy has been the architect of numerous projects, ranging from enterprise level CRM buildouts and complex sales migrations to the development of e-commerce solutions and the creation of transformative data products. With unique expertise spanning sales, strategy, and IT, Jeremy's focus has been on the enhancement of the customer experience and the creation of sustainable competitive advantages for APCO within the marketplace. Beyond his corporate roles, Jeremy is also the founder of an innovative automotive SaaS company focused on enabling dealers to offer a fully digital sales and delivery experience. Jeremy earned his B.S. in Marketing from the University of Central Florida and extends his influence by sitting on the Board of the University of South Florida's Executive Digital Marketing program. Jeremy has a 14-year track record in the retail automotive, aftermarket F&I, and TPA industries where he has successfully managed F&I departments and spearheaded strategic initiatives in sales and IT. Currently at APCO Holdings, Jeremy leads the Enterprise Digital Strategy where he is responsible for aligning data and technology with the company's overarching sales and technology strategy. Over his seven-year tenure with APCO, Jeremy has been the architect of numerous projects, ranging from enterprise level CRM buildouts and complex sales migrations to the development of e-commerce solutions and the creation of transformative data products. With unique expertise spanning sales, strategy, and IT, Jeremy's focus has been on the enhancement of the customer experience and the creation of sustainable competitive advantages for APCO within the marketplace. Beyond his corporate roles, Jeremy is also the founder of an innovative automotive SaaS company focused on enabling dealers to offer a fully digital sales and delivery experience. Jeremy earned his B.S. in Marketing from the University of Central Florida and extends his influence by sitting on the Board of the University of South Florida's Executive Digital Marketing program.

Travis Moore

General Counsel

Service Contract Industry Council (SCIC)

Travis Moore is General Counsel for the Service Contract Industry Council, Motor Vehicle Protection Products Association, and the GAP Alliance. Travis engages with regulators and legislators across the country to advocate for the home, auto, and consumer goods service contract industries. In addition to being an expert in the service contract regulatory world, Travis is an entrepreneur and business owner in Kansas City.

Travis received a B.A. from North Park University in Philosophy with a certificate in non-profit business administration from the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. He received his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School (now UIC Chicago School of Law) and is the recipient of the Chicago Bar Liberty Bell Award.

Jim Mostofi

Chief Executive Officer

Rely Home

Career Summary

Jim Mostofi is the Chief Executive Officer of Choice Home Warranty. Prior to joining Choice, Mr. Mostofi was the Global Head of Business Development for the Service Programs Division of AIG Insurance and spent 10 years at Service Net Warranty, LLC, a leading warranty administrator, where he served in various roles including General Counsel, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Mostofi also spent several years advising warranty and non-warranty clients as a corporate attorney with Frost Brown Todd, LLC, specializing in merger and acquisitions and insurance regulatory matters. He began his career as a certified public accountant, where he spent 10 years working at several public accounting firms including the Chicago office of Ernst and Young where he specialized in taxation of large financial institutions.

Education and Credentials

Mr. Mostofi earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He also has an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Loyola University’s Graduate School of Business, and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.

Jennifer Reiss

Manager, Customer Service, Consumer Extended Services

BSH Home Appliances Corp, manufacturer of Bosch, Thermador, and Gaggenau

Jennifer Reiss leads business development for BSH’s Customer Service division. Known for her determination and ability to create cohesive, productive teams, Jennifer currently manages the service plan programs for BSH’s premium and luxury brands, growing them from start-up to a multi-million dollar business while partnering with leaders from Marsh, Assurant, and After, Inc.

She’s passionate about creating elevated consumer experiences that create strong brand loyalty and high satisfaction. Her drive for achieving innovative success stories, and coaching teams committed to expanding BSH’s footprint in the appliance industry keeps her entrepreneurial spirit alive and motivated to design relevant programs that create value and drive revenue growth.

She lives in eastern North Carolina with her retired U.S. Marine partner, their lovely daughters, and three happy dogs. She loves exploring the coastline and countryside of North Carolina with loved ones.

Lari Stone

Product Manager, Meta Warranty Plus

Meta

Meet Lari Stone, the dynamic force behind the Meta Warranty Plus ESC covering Meta Quest Virtual Reality products. With a BA in Aerospace Engineering, Lari brings a wealth of technical expertise to the table, honed through roles in product managment and failure analysis and quality engineering. Her diverse background also includes environmental engineering in the gold mining industry, service business management as well as marketing and operations for a Colorado craft brewery. Now based in Charleston, WV, Lari's commitment to excellence makes her a catalyst for innovative warranty services for innovative product portfolios.

Ashok Kartham

Founder & CEO

Circuitry.ai

Ashok Kartham is the founder and CEO of Circuitry.ai, a decision intelligence platform to optimize sales and service outcomes for manufacturers. Ashok Kartham is a successful serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience as CEO of technology and enterprise software companies. His long track record of innovation, vision for the industry, and ability to build fast growing companies, which has resulted in 4CS acquisition by PTC, and Mize merger with Syncron, has positioned him well to take on the role of CEO for Circuitry.ai.

Dan Tafel

Chief Development Officer

Ironwood Warranty Group

Dan helped start Ironwood Warranty Group, part of a well-established Life Insurance company founded in 1906. Ironwood, the parent company of Hornbeam Insurance and National Service Alliance, are focused exclusively on the warranty market. As a member of the Executive Team, Dan leads Ironwood Warranty Group’s sales and marketing initiatives.

Prior to joining Ironwood Warranty Group, Dan was Vice President of AIG’s global sales and management team for multinational warranty clients. He initiated client relationships and managed a team to launch AIG’s first two global warranty client with both Apple and Dell. He was responsible for organizing AIG’s regional offices to support multinational clients operating in over 70 countries spanning Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America Regions.

Dan started his career in marketing with Philip Morris leading to Southeast Asia in 1993 where he founded a trade distribution company. In 1994, Dan established a licensed representative office in Vietnam, which managed marketing and distribution for consumer product companies such as L’Oréal and Keebler foods.

Dan returned from Asia in 1997 to join Appriss, a technology start-up specializing notification services. After leading government sales, he launched a commercial division for Appriss in 1999. Dan proposed and implemented the travel industry’s first flight status notification system with American Airlines in 2000.

In 2002, Dan joined Service Net leading business development. As a principal and member of the leadership team, Dan contributed to the growth of Service Net with the development of new clients including Philips, LG, and Apple. In 2010, AIG acquired Service Net to leverage both global and administrative opportunities.