John D. Decker, AIC
President

John Decker, AIC began his career in the insurance industry immediately following graduation from Widener University in May of 1978 where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He commenced working as a property adjuster handling claims throughout the State of New Jersey. As his career progressed John began specializing in adjusting larger fire claims; the accounting background makes John uniquely qualified to handle the more complex commercial losses. John has adjusted myriad seven figure personal and commercial lines losses including one of the largest personal lines fire claims in the country on behalf of the Chubb Group in 1996. He earned his Associate in Claims designation through the Insurance Institute of America and studied building damage estimation at the Vale National Training Center. John was appointed President of Decker Associates in January of 1990. Under his leadership the company expanded operations in 1999 and again in 2004 to include Branch Offices at the Shore and Southwestern Jersey areas. John supervises a staff of fifteen adjusters and manages twenty plus corporate accounts. He recently functioned as team leader in developing a proprietary software solution (DMS) to manage information and to ensure compliance with client protocols.
John continues to handle property claims in excess of seven figures and is routinely requested to represent insurance company in formal appraisals. Moreover, he is frequently nominated as Umpire by peers.
John is recognized as an expert in estimating property damage by various New Jersey Courts. He is a member of the Independent Insurance Adjusters of New Jersey, the New Jersey Chapter of International Association of Arson Investigators, the Honorable Order of Blue Goose International and the Loss Executives Association. He is a regular attendee of the annual Property Loss Research Bureau Educational Conference and has studied at the National Forum of Property Loss Professionals.

Andrew M. Sternheim, AIC
Vice President

Andrew Sternheim graduated from Stockton State College in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. Following graduation Andrew was recruited by Decker Associates as a property adjuster. Andrew’s reputation as a “natural” property adjuster grew quickly in the New Jersey claims field as he began to handle larger type commercial and personal lines claims. He earned his Associate in Claims designation through the Insurance Institute of America and secured his license to adjust property claims in the State of New York.
Following years of accomplishment, Andrew was promoted to Vice President of Decker Associates in January of 1995 and in 2005 he was made a principal of the Corporation.
Andrew regularly attends the Property Loss Research Bureau Educational Conference and assists with the company’s mentoring program.

Ronald C. Wengert
Manager

Ronald Wengert is a 1980 graduate of the University of Bridgeport – School of Engineering with a major in Business Administration and Finance and a minor in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining the Decker Team in April of 2007 he was a business owner for over 23 years. He has considerable experience as a general contractor as well as insurance restoration projects. He has supervised both personal and commercial projects from emergency mitigation to final phase of reconstruction. Ron holds a contractor’s license in the State of New Jersey. He has served as appraiser for various insurance companies as well as building damage expert.
Ron is a member of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration. He holds IICRC Certification in Water, Mold and Fire Restoration as well as Certified Installer of Dryvit EIFS products. He has taken courses in Vortex Drying – Dewald Structure Drying School; Purosystems Course on Subrogation Investigation; Science of Drying for Carpet Restoration; IR Course in Soot Removal and Cleanup; Xactimate Estimate and Xactimate Sketch.
Ron was appointed Manager of the Manahawkin Branch Office in 2013. His unique experience has made him a tremendous asset in adjusting building claims of any size and together with the Manahawkin team they are well equipped to handle property claims throughout the Shore area.

Pat S. Santorsola
Manager

Pat Santorsola is a 2003 graduate of Montclair State University with a Bachelor of Science, Cum Laude, in Sociology and a Minor in Criminal Justice. Following graduation he was recruited as a Commercial Property Field Adjuster with the St. Paul Companies. Pat joined the Decker Associates Team in January of 2006. Pat has completed various courses in claims under the aegis of the Insurance Institute of America. Prior to joining the Decker Team he worked several catastrophe operations including Hurricane Charley (2004), Hurricane Francis (2004), Hurricane Jeanne (2004) and Hurricane Katrina (2005). Pat was promoted to Complex Loss Specialist with Decker Associates in 2012 and most recently promoted to Manager of the Mount Laurel Branch Office in August of 2014. Pat’s knowledge and experience as Complex Loss Specialist combined with his longstanding relationships with our clients has prepared and equipped him for his new role as Manager. Under Pat’s leadership the Mount Laurel team will continue to provide superior service to the counties of South Jersey.

Joseph E. Fahrney
Complex Loss Specialist

Joseph Fahrney is a 1992 graduate of Seton Hall University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance. Joe was a pitcher on the nationally recognized NCAA Baseball Team while attending the University. Following graduation Joe began to work as an independent adjuster handling both property and casualty claims. Joe developed a reputation for timely reporting, accurate estimating and outstanding interpersonal skills. These qualities were essential in building a large following of insurance claims managers and examiners. Decker Associates recruited Joe in September of 2008. He is capable of handling complex commercial and property claims of any size.

Adam J. Biamonte
Complex Loss Specialist

Adam’s claims career commenced with State Farm Insurance Company in 1991 while continuing to serve in the Army National Guard. He was employed as a Large Loss Claims Specialist with State Farm for over 15 years handling adjustments of various size and complexity throughout the State of New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Prior to joining Decker Associates in May of 2010, Adam was employed by The Hartford Insurance Company as an Outside Claims Representative. He is proficient in Xactimate and has experience handling both personal and commercial lines adjustments of any size.

James M. Matroni
Complex Loss Specialist

James is a graduate of Xavier High School, Manhattan, New York and a 2005 graduate of Quinnipiac University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications. Immediately following graduation he was recruited by The Hartford Insurance Company where he began his career in the Claims Call Center and was quickly promoted to Supervisor and a member of the Quality Control Team. Subsequently, James was transferred to Inside Claims Representative handling property claims. Excelling as an inside adjuster James was once again promoted to Property Field Adjuster handling commercial and residential claims in Southern New Jersey. Additionally, he served as a member of The Hartford Independent Adjusters Oversight Team. James attended training courses in building damage estimating at Vale in Mechanicsburg, PA and is proficient in Xactimate. In July of 2010 James joined the Barnegat Branch Office of Decker Associates where he handles property claims in the Shore area.

Glen J. Ricciardelli, AIC
Adjuster

Glen is a 1993 University of Scranton graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering. He furthered his education attaining a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Seton Hall University. Glen was employed by AT&T as a Network Planning Engineer for nine years prior to purchasing a restoration franchise. He owned and operated the restoration company for two years prior to being recruited by “Decker”. Glen is certified by IICRC as a Water Restoration Technician and ACAC as a Certified Microbial Remediator. Glen has earned the Xactimate 27 Level 3 Certification and is currently pursuing his Associates in Claims designation through the Insurance Institute of America. His unique combination of engineering, estimating and finance skills makes him qualified to handle a variety of property losses. Glen is available to handle claims in central and northern New Jersey counties.

Mark J. McAndrew
Complex Loss Specialist

Mark is a 2004 Pennsylvania State University graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Crime, Law and Justice; and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Mark began his career with Nationwide Insurance as a Master Property Claims Representative in 2005. In 2008 he became a member of the Nationwide Insurance National Catastrophe Team and participated in catastrophe response tours for two years. In 2010 Mark was employed by The Hartford Insurance Company as an Outside Claim Representative handling first party residential and commercial property claims in southeastern Pennsylvania. He is proficient in Xactimate 27 and managing claim files. Mark also worked as a subcontractor performing electrical work for NECAD, interior and exterior painting prior to entering the insurance industry.
Mark’s experience in handling claims combined with his skill set qualifies him to handle a variety of property losses in Southern Jersey as well as Philadelphia area counties.

Robert Gorgia
Adjuster

Robert is a 1996 Graduate of West Morris Central. Following graduation he held positions in Sales and Accounting with Merrill Lynch as well as Bear Stearns of New York. His career in the insurance industry commenced in 2007 when employed by The Philadelphia Contributionship as a Field Representative I. His performance and achievements enabled him to advance rapidly to Field Representative III. Robert joined Decker Associates with experience in first party personal lines as well as liability claims and handles these types of losses in the Southern Jersey counties.

Sean Schiverea
Adjuster

Sean Schiverea joined Decker Associates in November of 2011 as a Property Adjuster in our Manahawkin Branch Office. Prior to joining our team Sean held a successful career in restaurant operations serving as the Director of Operations of Ruby Tuesday, Inc. to all New Jersey markets and Philadelphia, PA. Following a decision to make a career change Sean joined Decker and immediately enrolled in an intensive six month adjusters training program. This program incorporated a three week Property Adjusting Course at Vale in Camp Hill, PA which included policy analysis, property coverage and Xactimate estimating. In addition to the aforementioned training he is matriculating with Insurance Institute of America for his Associate in Claims designation. Over the years Sean has demonstrated an eye for detail providing outstanding reports to our clientele. Moreover, his exceptional communication skills have made him a valuable asset to the Manahawkin team. He handles all types of property claims throughout the shore region.

Alan Butler
Adjuster

Alan Butler born and raised in Ireland majored in Commerce at the University College of Cork in Cork City, Ireland. He immigrated to the United States in 1992 and settled in the South Jersey area. Alan began his career as a Property Claims Adjuster in 2003 with an independent adjusting firm. He handled property and commercial claims throughout the state and notable for his investigation and settling of complex claims. He is proficient in Xactimate and has extensive knowledge in construction and building materials. He was recruited by Decker Associates in November 2012 to join the team in our Mount Laurel Branch office. Alan arrived at Decker in the throes of Superstorm Sandy and remarkably handled 100 new assignments in his first few weeks. His experience and technical knowledge combined with unique interpersonal skill set makes him an asset to our team. Alan handles first party personal lines as well as medium size commercial claims in the Southern Jersey counties.

David Shupe
Adjuster

David Shupe is a 1997 graduate from State University of New York attaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice. He joins Decker with over 15 years of experience as an independent property adjuster and was most recently employed as a Commercial Large Loss Adjuster for a third party administrator. David’s career includes handling personal and commercial property claims of all sizes and complexity with an emphasis on large commercial losses. He holds an adjuster license in six states, NFIP Certified and has worked several Catastrophe operations specifically Hurricane Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. David’s studies include AIC courses, advanced property training courses as well as Remediation and Mold Seminars. He is proficient in Xactimate as well as multiple claim management systems. David joins the elite team of Springfield adjusters servicing personal and commercial lines claims in the Northern and Central Jersey counties.

W. Robert Howarth II
Adjuster

W. Robert Howarth II is a 2003 graduate from Rutgers University attaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. He joins Decker with nine years of experience in property claims and was most recently employed as a Commercial Property Adjuster for a third party administrator. Robert routinely handled a high volume of large commercial losses. Additionally he managed an outside adjusting team which included training and mentoring of new employees. He has worked several Catastrophe operations specifically Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Katrina. He is proficient in Xactimate and attended various training courses during his career. Robert will service Personal and Commercial Lines claims in the Central Jersey counties.

Syed Hassan
Adjuster

Syed graduated from Raritan Valley Community College with a degree in Business Administration. He commenced his adjusting career with an Independent firm in 2006. He received on the job training and attended an "on campus" Building Damage Estimating course at Vale Training Solutions. Additionally Syed completed Vale's Adjusting course as well as the Formal Appraisal course. In the spring of 2011 Syed was recruited by a National Independent Adjusting firm in central New Jersey to handle property claims of various complexity. He has developed a reputation in the industry of being an accurate estimator with outstanding communication skills.

William F. Smith, AIC, SCLA
Adjuster

William F. Smith, AIC, SCLA is a 2001 graduate from William Paterson University attaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. William joins Decker with outstanding credentials and 12 years field experience in property claims. He was most recently employed as Senior Property Claims Specialist with a national carrier handling complex personal and commercial lines losses up to $1,000,000.00. William has taken the initiative to attain his Associate in Claims as well as Senior Claims Law Associate designations. Prior to his recent experience with Utica National he was employed as a Commercial Property Claims Professional for eight years with Travelers Insurance. He is proficient in Xactimate and attended the vaunted Travelers claims school and various educational programs during his career.
We believe “Bill’s” experience and qualifications will be an asset to our elite team of adjusters. He will handle Personal and Commercial Lines claims in Northern Jersey counties.

Theodore B. Stawicki, CPCU, AIC, ARM
Adjuster

Theodore B. Stawicki joined the Decker Springfield Team in May of 2015. Ted (as he is known to his friends in the industry) graduated from Montclair State University with a BA in History and began his career in the Insurance industry at New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company in 2004. Ted has acquired his AIC and CPCU designations from the Insurance Institute of America. Ted was a Senior Property Claims Adjuster with NJM investigating and settling homeowners property damage claims of varying complexity. His advanced education coupled with his experience makes him uniquely qualified to handle property claims of any size.

Jon Traglia
Adjuster

Jon is a Dean’s List graduate of William Paterson University with a BA in Communications. He began his Insurance career at Travelers in 2005 where he attended the renowned Claims University. Jon went on to become a Residential Adjuster prior to accepting a Commercial Property Adjuster position in 2013. During his tenure at Travelers Jon earned the prestigious Travelers IN-Synch National Customer Service Award in 2012. Moreover, he was designated The Travelers Peer Advisory Board Co-Chair in 2013 through 2015. Jon’s experience in Residential and Commercial property adjustments combined with his outstanding customer service skills is an asset to our superior team of adjusters. Jon handles Homeowners and Commercial claims in North Jersey territories.