Why we don't wear ties...

Here is the story of why we don’t wear ties.

Although never much of a corporate guy, Brent Messmer found himself wearing a suit and tie every day to his government job at the Bureau of Workers’ Comp. While managing the Fraud Division there in 1999, he was overwhelmed by employers’ frustration with the abuse in the system.

“Something different had to be done,” Brent said. “The system was bogged down, and I knew that I could do more to impact employers in the private sector.”

With only three weeks before Christmas and two small children, Messmer took the plunge in 2000 by opening 'Matrix Investigations' which specialized in workers’ comp abuse. At the request of clients, the company quickly expanded to offering workers' compensation administration services, gaining a reputation for aggressive claims management with a personal touch. Our first client remains a loyal client today.

Throughout the years, we've introduced additional ways to help our client's by expanding services and becoming Ascent Risk Management group. Ascent offers national Safety Services, Case Management, Modified Duty Offsite, Unemployment Cost Control, and Leave of Absence, and FMLA Administration. Across all lines, Ascent has never wavered from a one-point-of-management model which results in our clients feeling like an extension of their team.

From day one, Ascent was built on a few basic philosophies in regard to our team; hire people with the ‘Ascent Attitude’ and put them in the right positions, then get out of the way. Oh, and one more thing– NO TIES.

Ascent is repeatedly voted a ‘best place to work’ by offering employees an environment where they are encouraged to have fun while they work. This culture is maintained in many ways such as charity work on company time, free monthly massages, happy hours, and creative activities. According to Brent, “happy employees result in happy clients.”

When you walk into our offices today, you can feel the difference. Maybe it’s the glass walls, casual attire, the fact that people are smiling and laughing, or the rock and roll music playing throughout the open office that make the difference.  Or maybe it's the feeling that the company really cares. One client said,

“Ascent has something special—you can tell that employees are fired up about what they are doing and those are the type of people I want in my corner.”