We are pleased to present Justina Confer, VP of Finance, HR and Administration as our employee spotlight this month.
Justina’s, “Teena’s,” journey with the company began even before the founding of the company some 28 years ago when she met CEO Mike Smith and interviewed for an administrative assistant position in his consulting company in Yardley, Pennsylvania. She was the second employee handling everything from general office to payroll and everything else a small consulting company needed. In 1999, when Axis Insurance Services, LLC was formed in Princeton NJ she was on the ground floor of the founding of the company managing everything from licensing, to accounting and HR. She has been instrumental in the growth of the company ever since. When the company moved from Princeton to its current location Teena then worked as bank teller with Mifflinburg Bank & Trust and the First Evangelical Lutheran Church as the financial secretary. In 2008, she left those positions and returned to the company where she has been ever since.
Upon her return to the company in 2008, she began working as an account manager, working with the producers and insureds brokers to expand the company’s book of business in a very tough economic time. She created policies and procedures to help maintain stability of the company. The Great Recession provided a myriad of difficulties as the company doubled down on its expansion plans. As the company grew and began hiring more people, she gradually moved into the finance department, helping organize the department, processes, finances, billings, and HR. With this continued growth, in 2014, the company established the Human Resources Department, with Teena promoted to Assistant Vice President of HR. After nine years as the head of HR, she became the Vice President of Finance, HR and Administration in February 2023, a role she continues to thrive in.
In 2014 the company launched its wholesale division which required new personnel, procedures, licensing, and financing. Teena helped guide that company from its infancy to where it is today comprised of 30+ employees and $45M in annual sales.
During Covid, Teena was instrumental as part of the Covid Team in facilitating the transition of an in-office to a remote workforce and in hiring and dealing with new employee issues never experienced in the work force. During Covid the company doubled in size which meant more interviewing, more hiring, more reviews and the need for more structured processes and procedures.
Mike Smith, President and CEO of Axis Insurance Services, LLC and PLRisk said “Teena has been such an instrumental part of both my life and the success of the company. No single person has given more effort or commitment to our company than her. Independent of her work commitment she is a genuine and compassionate and trusted person. On many occasions she has kept me in line from making very bad mistakes by being the sensible person in the room. No one deserves a shout out Spotlight more than her.”
Throughout her career with Axis, she has held almost every position including accountant, customer service representative and account manager as well as HR. As the company continued to grow, she oversaw each department until they were stabilized including claims, service, administration, and HR. During her tenure she has helped guide the company through the Great Recession, the Great Resignation, Covid, three systems and a complete reengineering our company growing from 2 employees to over 50 staff and a company with sales of $75 million each year.
When asked about what helped her, she had this to say. “Everything that I learned in life, from all my previous positions have prepared me to manage everything that can happen in our business. I also believe in leading by example and that by doing so you can create an amazing team.”
Teena has a life outside the company which allows her to balance her work and home life. She has evolved from a beauty queen, competing in the Miss Pennsylvania USA pageant many years ago to a seasoned corporate executive. When she is not helping the Company and its employees, she enjoys traveling especially to the Atlantic beaches that make up her home state of South Carolina and in other states around the country. Teena is an avid football fan, including the Clemson Tigers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Las Vegas Raiders. She has supported her sons on their various sports teams, including volunteering in the organizations. She also counts her faith as an important part of her life, helping her church organizations during and post college at the various congregations in her life. Among the positions she has held in church include music director secretary, youth secretary and women’s ministries, hospitality, and production.
She attended the University of Valley Forge and studied Elementary Education.
