Employee Spotlight: Josh Hammerquist

You might not think so, but analytical thinking plays a huge role in football, which may be why Josh Hammerquist, FSA, Vice President and Principal at Lewis & Ellis, took a liking to it in college.

In between games, a deep interest in probability and statistics led Josh to pursue actuarial science with excitement. "I became interested in actuarial science because of the opportunity to apply math in a business environment on a daily basis," he said. "And, I'm interested in consulting because I enjoy solving new problems every day and helping clients navigate actuarial and regulatory problems."

Driven by his aptitude for these skills and to use them in his work with like-minded individuals, Josh was drawn to Lewis & Ellis because of its honest culture. "L&E has a great team of people who respect each other as business professionals, have a strong desire to solve problems, and help clients with whatever the industry throws at them," he said.

And while each challenge may not be a perfect interception, working collaboratively with clients to understand their qualms and work toward solutions is a big part of the job — and extremely rewarding.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Like any industry or line of work, actuarial science also comes with its own obstacles — the foremost being a constantly evolving regulatory environment, according to Josh. But there's a team for that!

"We have a team that diligently tracks the regulatory changes, speaks at conferences, and writes articles about the changing regulations," he said, which helps the firm stay on top of these challenges and continue leading with clients' best interests in mind.

The teamwork doesn't stop there, either. Throughout his career, Josh has learned many valuable lessons.

"The knowledge and skills required to thrive in this industry are far beyond what any one person can do by themselves. It's important to work as part of a team and to have a vast network of experts you can rely on to solve any problem that comes your way," he said.

Artificial intelligence is on the roster, too, no matter how one feels about it. But for Josh, it's exciting. "Machine learning has emerged as an opportunity to tap new data sources that were previously too onerous to organize," he said. "I'm intrigued by what data sources will emerge in the coming years."

Full-Time Consultant, Part-Time Rancher

When he's not crunching numbers at the office, you'll find him on the ranch with his wife — both a hobby and bonafide job that's as stark a contrast to his career as you can get.

"My wife and I run a ranch in the evening and on weekends," said Josh. "I have no clue what I'm doing, and it's a lot more physically active than working in spreadsheets. We have cows, chickens, and bees, and we board horses."

But the ranching doesn't stop at the animals — "We also grow vegetables, fruit, herbs, sunflowers," he said, "and there are more weeds than we can keep up with!"