08/13/2002
Fred Radtke has found his niche. His company, F.A.R. Management, handles third-party unemployment claims administration, and it's a specialty service that's taken him to all parts of the country."I've been doing this for more than 30 years now," says Radtke. "And over the years I've had the privilege of handling an unemployment claim in all 50 states. That's kind of special, I think."
Radtke attributes his company's broad reach to its emphasis on education. "One of the foundations of our commitment to businesses in any state is the seminar. I've always felt the biggest problem for businesspeople -- especially small businesses -- is that they don't have enough experience in unemployment to handle it. So we hold seminars for employers that explain how unemployment claims work. We try to give them a feel for what to do if claims arise. And we continue to answer their questions after the seminar whether they choose to take our services or not. We're proud of that."
When he's not leading small business seminars, Radtke uses his 30 years ("and counting," he adds) of claims administration experience to help craft legislation at both the national and state levels. "In Michigan, we've been helping employers -- much of the time through NFIB -- by making it tougher for claimants to get benefits they don't deserve. We want to try and give small businesses some relief with the paperwork and financial concerns those claims create. The one thing I've seen over the years is that it's easier for claimants to defraud the system. I'm not suggesting it happens a lot, but it happens a lot," he says, laughing.
A past chair of the Michigan Leadership Council, Fred admits his commitment to small business employers is really one of fairness. "We only represent employers, so we're supposed to be one-sided. But if someone deserves their claim, we fight hard to make sure they get it."
Quick Facts:
Name: Fred Radtke
Business: F.A.R. Management
Location: Clinton Township, Michigan
Number of employees: 24
NFIB Member Since: The mid-'70s
How did F.A.R. Management get its start?
I was doing some work with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce -- this was 16 years ago -- and they threw this idea out of trying to introduce a third-party administrator for unemployment claims. I said I could do that for them. So it was really a personal referral more than anything else. I felt back then -- and still feel the same way -- that it's an exciting field and a pretty narrow niche that not a lot of people get into.
Does your family participate in the business?
My wife works with me and handles all the finance, accounting and general office management, which is great because that's one less thing I have to worry about. It's hard working together, and it's not. If you've ever worked with your spouse you know what I mean. For us, it's worked out very well.
How did you get involved with NFIB?
I was involved -- way back when -- with a group that used to be called UBA but is now the UWC - The National Foundation of Unemployment and Workers Compensation, I think. I guess you could say it's a national watchdog for unemployment comps. From there, I became involved with NFIB at the national level.
What's your number one legislative concern?
Over-regulation.
What do you like about being a small business owner?
The instant results. You wind up putting in a lot of time and energy, and you see the gains as your company grows. I'm also kind of proud that we have employees. Our business doesn't just feed us, it feeds a lot of families. I have clients with five employees, and clients with 35,000 employees, and it's the small clients who have that same kind of pride in what they're doing and the lives they're supporting.
