George Hills Company

What George Hills Company does

George Hills Company, Inc. is a privately held, founder/management-owned Third-Party Administrator (TPA) founded in 1954 and headquartered in California. The firm provides multiline claims administration, litigation management, and subrogation recovery services primarily to California public entities — including cities, counties, school districts, joint powers authorities (JPAs), transportation authorities, and special districts — with a secondary footprint serving private organizations and insurance carriers. The company reports serving more than 400 public agencies across California and maintains an industry-disclosed client retention rate above 98%, with 90%+ of business coming from repeat engagements and several client relationships spanning 40+ years.

The company's product portfolio centers on three core service lines: Multiline Claims Administration (property and liability), Litigation Management (supported by a distinct in-house Legal Division with two full-time attorneys and a paralegal), and Subrogation Recovery Services (contingency-fee model led by a dedicated supervisor with 26 years of industry experience). These are complemented by the George Hills Claims University (GHCU) online certification program offering Public Entity Claims Professional (PECP) and Public Entity Claims Foundations (PECF) designations free to clients, and the proprietary iMetrics five-year claims history benchmarking dashboard. Technology infrastructure is built on third-party platforms — Spear Claims (Spear Technologies) for insurance management, SIMS Claims (Systema) for core claims processing, and Salesforce for the client portal — with 4iSoft providing IT support for SIMS and ExamWorks handling Medicare secondary payer compliance reporting.

The business model is primarily managed-services (per-claim or retainer fees for claims administration, litigation oversight, and JPA management) with a transaction-fee layer from contingency-based subrogation recovery, where the firm reports an 87% success rate and recovers the entire fee from responsible parties 83% of the time. The go-to-market is enterprise sales-led, leveraging long-standing presence at CAJPA, PARMA, and League of California Cities conferences, supported by a dedicated business development function. The company operates from approximately seven California offices covering Northern, Central, and Southern California, has 251-500 employees, and is led by CEO/owner John E. Chaquica (joined 2008). No venture capital, private equity, or parent company ownership is indicated.

Name

George Hills Company

Legal name

George Hills Company, Inc.

Website

https://georgehills.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

George Hills Company is a privately held California-based Third-Party Administrator founded in 1954, providing multiline claims administration, litigation management, and subrogation recovery services to over 400 California public agencies including cities, counties, school districts, and JPAs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Cordova

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Claims Administration Services: Third-party claims administration fees for liability and property claims management services provided to public entities, JPAs, and private organizations. Services include multiline claims administration and litigation management.
2. Subrogation Recovery Services: Subrogation recovery services typically provided on a contingency basis - fees are often recovered from the claimant, resulting in services being essentially free for clients if no recovery is made. 87% success rate for recovering fees, 83% recovery of entire fee from responsible party.
3. JPA Management Services: Joint Powers Authority management services for California public entities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

George Hills is a boutique third-party administrator that delivers multiline (property and liability) claims administration, litigation management with in-house legal counsel, and contingency-based subrogation recovery services to California public entities, Joint Powers Authorities, school districts, transit agencies, and special districts. Services are supported by proprietary analytics (iMetrics), dedicated client portals, and the George Hills Claims University training program. The firm serves 400+ public agencies with a 98%+ retention rate.

Product overview

George Hills Company is a boutique Third-Party Administrator (TPA) offering a unified platform of claims administration and risk management services primarily serving California public entities. The core offering consists of Multiline Claims Administration (property and liability), Litigation Management with in-house legal counsel, and Subrogation Recovery Services. These are complemented by the George Hills Claims University (GHCU) training platform providing professional certifications, the proprietary iMetrics analytics dashboard, and client-facing portals built on Spear Claims and Salesforce. The company serves over 400 public agencies including cities, counties, school districts, JPAs, transit authorities, and special districts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• George Hills Claims University (GHCU): An online training and certification program that equips claims professionals with knowledge, practical skills, and expert instruction to advance their careers and improve claims outcomes. Offers the Public Entity Claims Professional (PECP) designation.

Products and services

• Multiline Claims Administration Independent multi-line claims administration services for self-insured public and private entities and insurance carriers; covers both property and liability claims with customized service tailored to each client's specific goals, supporting a 98%+ client retention rate.
• Litigation Management Claims and litigation management services provided by experienced senior adjusters and an in-house Legal Division with two attorneys and a paralegal; includes managing outside counsel, strategic guidance to city attorneys and governing boards, and claims/litigation training for clients.
• Subrogation Recovery Services Subrogation recovery services led by Tammy Hunt that investigate and pursue funds on behalf of public entities from third-party negligence across scenarios including underground infrastructure, auto, fire hydrant, and environmental damage; services are typically contingency-based with fees recovered from claimants (87% success in recovering fees; 83% full-fee recovery).
• Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Management Specialized management services for Joint Powers Authorities including claims administration and oversight of excess exposure claims; George Hills currently serves approximately 20 JPAs in California with full JPA expertise.
• George Hills Claims University (GHCU) Online training and certification program delivered through a Learning Management System (LMS) issuing the Public Entity Claims Professional (PECP) designation for claims adjusters and the Public Entity Claims Foundations (PECF) certification for public entity personnel; modules cover the California Tort Claims Act, liabilities, immunities, defenses, and settlement processes; included free for clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% faster claims resolution with expert oversight and licensed adjusters
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered support and core.

• 4iSoftsupportTechnology or Integration · 17 April 20174iSoft provides IT support for George Hills' claims management information system, SIMS Claims by Systema. 4iSoft is an IT services company specializing in support to insurance carriers, third party administrators, JPAs, and self-insured corporations, providing data conversion, report building, and application/database administration support.
• ExamWorkssupportTechnology or IntegrationExamWorks represents George Hills' clients as the designated reporting agent for Medicare secondary payer compliance, handling Section 111 reporting to CMS for Medicare beneficiaries. George Hills provides data to ExamWorks for qualified referrals requiring Medicare Set Aside (MSA) or Claim Settlement Allocation (CSA).
• Spear Technologies (SpearTech)coreTechnology or IntegrationSpear Technologies provides Spear Claims, a full-suite insurance management software used by George Hills for claims administration, case management, and subrogation recovery. George Hills clients access the system through client portal and SIMS login for real-time case information.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Sedgwick: Sedgwick is the largest global third-party claims administrator, offering multiline claims administration, managed care, and loss-adjusting services to employers, insurers, and public entities. It is the broadest incumbent competing against George Hills for California public-entity TPAs business, including JPA pools and municipalities.
• Gallagher Bassett Services: Gallagher Bassett is a major third-party claims administrator operating globally as part of Arthur J. Gallagher, serving insurers, municipalities, and self-insureds with multi-line claims, managed care, and risk management services. It is a national-scale competitor for the same California public entity RFPs that George Hills pursues.

Direct peers

• York Risk Services Group: York Risk Services is a national claims TPA providing workers' compensation, liability, property, and subrogation administration for public entities, JPAs, and self-insureds. It directly competes with George Hills in the California public-entity claims administration market with comparable multi-line and litigation capabilities.
• CorVel Corporation: CorVel is a publicly traded TPA and managed-care organization providing claims administration, case management, and risk management for insurers, municipalities, and self-insureds. It competes with George Hills in California public-entity claims administration, with comparable use of proprietary claims technology.
• CCMSI (Cannon Cochran Management Services): CCMSI is an employee-owned, mid-size TPA providing multi-line claims administration, managed care, and risk management for public entities, JPAs, and self-insured employers. It is one of the closest mid-market comparables to George Hills in terms of boutique service model and public-entity focus.
• Trident Public Risk Solutions: Trident Public Risk Solutions provides insurance pooling, claims administration, and risk management services specifically for public entities, schools, and municipalities. It is a direct peer to George Hills in the California/regional public-entity TPA segment with overlapping JPA and school-district customers.
• Bickmore Risk Services: Bickmore is a California-based actuarial, risk management, and claims TPA firm serving public entities, JPAs, and self-insureds. Notably, John E. Chaquica (George Hills CEO) previously served as Bickmore CEO per company materials, making it an especially close former-employer peer in California's public-entity risk services market.
• PMA Companies: PMA Companies is a national provider of workers' compensation, auto, and liability claims administration and managed care for insurers, employers, and public entities. It competes with George Hills in the multi-line TPA space serving California public entities, including JPA pools.
• Helmsman Management Services: Helmsman is a third-party claims administrator providing multi-line claims management, subrogation, and risk management services to self-insured employers and public entities. It is a direct peer to George Hills in the California and broader U.S. public-entity claims administration market.
• TRISTAR Insurance Group / TRISTAR Claims Management: TRISTAR is a third-party administrator providing multi-line claims administration, subrogation, and managed care for insurers, self-insureds, and public entities. It is a comparable mid- to large-size TPA peer for California public-entity and JPA claims work, with overlapping capabilities in subrogation recovery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/452529
• Xx.com/georgehillsco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about George Hills Company