By MOLLIE BROWN / Business Columnist

When people are displaced due to disasters such as fires and tornadoes, Bridgeway Temporary Housing helps make a difficult situation bearable.

Jan Keffer, president, started the business seven years ago.

“I actually started in my home before moving to Pelham Professional Park,” Keffer said. “Bridgeway is a service provider for insurance companies and corporations. We provide temporary housing services for their employees or clients who need furniture or a rental home while displaced from their home or office.”

Typically, when a homeowner is displaced, an insurance adjustor contacts Bridgeway. The family is immediately placed in a hotel until Keffer and her staff assess their needs (size of family, special needs, pets, etc.) in order to find the right housing for them.

Bridgeway has helped individuals in the private sector who needed temporary housing while building a house or transitioning from another state. This service is done on a case-by-case basis. Bridgeway is not a corporate housing service.

Keffer grew up in Hoover and has a marketing degree from Auburn. She gained experience in several fields prior to owning Bridgeway: marketing for a financial company in Nashville, insurance claims adjustor and sales for a temporary housing company in Chicago.

After two years with the Chicago company, Keffer was at a crossroads of what she wanted to do with her experience.

“I knew the job of the people I was selling to, and I knew the housing side. I take pride in customer service and wanted to help people, it’s why I started Bridgeway,” she said.

Once they receive a claim, Bridgeway’s account managers Michel O’Brien, Tracy Morris and Andrea Harris work with the policyholder and insurance adjustor to provide the needed services. Rhonda McCrary handles the bookkeeping.

Keffer spoke emotionally of a family in Dothan who had trouble getting housewares delivered, so she personally bought and delivered them. “They lost their daughter in the tragedy… when you see what people go through it really touches you.”

Keffer looks to diversifying into corporate business due to the cyclical nature of the insurance industry’s need based on disaster. Contact her toll free, 866-387-8586, or locally, 835-6565. Email her at jkeffer@bridgewayhousing.com.

 

Mollie Brown is a business columnist for the Shelby County Reporter. She can be reached at dmjhb1@bellsouth.net.