“Being innovative does not mean being bleeding edge,” says Chapman, vice president of information services. “Innovation comes from the IS group understanding where the business wants to go and delivering cost-effective solutions that improve customer service. Sometimes that means using older technology.”

As an example, Chapman points to the satellite technology used by American Family's claims department to predict weather patterns so adjusters can respond rapidly to customers who may need help after a storm. The company has outfitted several trucks and vans with satellite dishes and wireless communication capabilities that can travel quickly to hard-hit areas.

“There's nothing new about this technology, but we are using these systems to focus on a business need,” Chapman says. “We like to innovate around delivering more value for our customers.”

Such efforts have not gone unnoticed for the carrier. American Family has been named one of the most innovative users of IT by InformationWeek magazine for six consecutive years. The company also placed in the top 25 of Computerworld's top 100 “Best Places to Work in IT” two years in a row.

Chapman joined American Family 20 years ago as manager of technology support and was promoted to vice president of IS in 1999. Prior to joining American Family, Chapman worked as the IS manager at Wisconsin Physician's Service. He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Edgewood College in Madison.

With approximately $13.6 billion in assets, American Family is the nation's third-largest mutual company. Chapman has an IT budget of about $250 million and oversees 1,000 full-time IT professionals and 300 contractors. Finding innovative ways to stay connected with such a large staff has proven to be one of his biggest challenges.

“One of the things that surprised me when I got this job was how much time I spent communicating and how that differentiates whether you're going to be really successful or whether you're just going to get the job done,” Chapman acknowledges. “We work hard at keeping our message out in front of people.”

To that end, Chapman meets frequently with the company's management team and updates a personal Web page on the company's intranet. He also hosts divisional meetings three times a year, conducts Web chats, records video messages, and makes it a point to walk the halls and talk to employees on a daily basis.

Chapman's focus on innovative solutions has helped the company successfully migrate from a mainframe to a Web-based environment with highly integrated applications and implement a solution that captures and submits customer applications electronically. First developed as a prototype in 2002, the “e-app” has been migrated across all lines of business and has helped American Family improve efficiencies and shorten turnaround times to process applications and issue policies.

Other projects include implementing electronic document management and workflow systems to streamline processes in the claims and life divisions, installing online quoting in all sales states (which has generated nearly 20,000 leads per month), and upgrading and consolidating American Family's 20,000 computers to the Windows XP operating system. American Family also is focusing more heavily on analytic applications to understand customer data and improve service.

As an IT leader, Chapman tries to be a role model by using innovative technology both professionally and personally. An early adopter of BlackBerry technologies, he relies heavily on a tablet PC for its e-mail, text conversion, voice, and electronic reading capabilities.

“I've become nearly paperless myself and joke with my staff if my office were to burn down, I would not lose anything,” he says. “My tablet PC has become an integral part of how I do business.”

Chapman also has installed Bluetooth's wireless technology in his car so he can establish phone calls easily through voice activation and talk while driving.

An avid photographer since high school, Chapman enjoys experimenting with digital photography at home and has invested in high-end digital cameras, photo-editing software, and digital printers. “I've moved away from working in the dark with nasty chemicals to being able to sit at a desk, edit photos, and produce acceptable work,” he says. “Photography is a nice way to get away from the business but still enjoy advances in technology.”

Sharon Baker is a freelance business writer based in Charlotte, N.C.