After more than two decades in insurance and restoration consulting, Mark Siegwald has learned that the most important decisions in property recovery often come from slowing down. His work as a Senior Consultant with Bower Building Consulting in Chicago is built on accuracy, accountability, and understanding what a building actually needs.
The call comes in after the fire is out, after the water has been shut off, after the storm has passed. What remains is damage—visible and hidden—and the slow, methodical work of determining what comes next. Mark Siegwald has spent 24 years learning how to read what is left behind. As a Senior Consultant with Bower Building Consulting, he is brought in by insurance carriers to assess commercial and institutional losses: hospitals, schools, manufacturing plants, courthouses. His job is not to restore the building. It is to understand what happened, determine what needs to be done, and make sure the repair plan matches the reality on the ground.
He describes his role plainly. The goal is to make sure things are done correctly. Not overdone. Not underdone. Just done the right way. It is a philosophy shaped by years spent on different sides of the same process—first as a claims adjuster, then as a restoration professional, and now as an independent consultant hired to provide oversight and objectivity when the stakes are high and the answers are not obvious.
Learning the Language of Loss
Siegwald began his career with Kemper Insurance, handling property claims and learning the mechanics of damage assessment from the adjuster’s desk. He moved to Liberty Mutual, where he spent over a decade as a claims adjuster and team lead, managing residential and commercial property losses across Northern Illinois. The work taught him how to move quickly, how to document thoroughly, and how to balance the needs of policyholders, contractors, and carriers within a compressed timeline.
But he also began to notice the gaps. Estimates that did not align with the scope of damage. Contractors who proposed work that seemed either excessive or incomplete. Projects that stalled because no one had taken the time to understand what the building actually needed. He describes learning very quickly how important accuracy is. Every number matters. Every detail matters.
That realization led him into restoration. He joined Munters Corporation, then Belfor USA, and later Response Team 1, working directly on water damage, structural drying, mold remediation, and fire recovery projects. He earned certifications from the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, including Water Restoration Technician, Applied Structural Drying, and Applied Microbial Remediation Technician designations. He also holds the Associate Constructor Certification. The work was hands-on, often urgent, and gave him a different view of the same losses he had once managed from behind a desk.
He was not just learning how buildings worked. He was learning how people respond when something unexpected happens. How decision-making shifts under pressure. How a project can succeed or fail based on whether the right questions were asked at the beginning.
The Shift to Consulting
After years in restoration leadership, Siegwald transitioned into consulting, first with Young & Associates and then, in 2023, with Bower Building Consulting. The shift allowed him to step back from execution and focus on evaluation. His work now involves damage assessment, setting reserves, aligning contractors with scope of work, auditing estimates, negotiating contracts, and reviewing project files to ensure repairs are completed correctly.
He describes the growing complexity in nearly every major claim. The costs are higher, timelines are tighter, and there are often multiple parties involved. Insurance carriers want experienced professionals who can independently assess the damage and make sure the scope of work actually matches what is needed.
Much of his work involves reviewing estimates, auditing pricing, comparing bids, and making sure repairs are being handled correctly. The goal is to avoid situations where work is either excessive or incomplete. Properties need to be restored properly and efficiently, and that requires someone who understands both the technical and the financial dimensions of recovery.
He states that his goal is not to make a project bigger or smaller than necessary. It is to make sure the repair plan accurately reflects the damage and supports a successful recovery. The role requires neutrality, and Siegwald describes it as a position built on trust—trust from carriers who need objective assessments, and trust from contractors who need clear, consistent communication about expectations.
Seeing From Multiple Perspectives
Siegwald credits his varied career path with shaping his approach to consulting. He has been the adjuster, he has worked in restoration, and now he consults. Each role teaches something different. When a project has been seen from several perspectives, the temptation to look for simple answers fades.
He describes learning not to rush toward conclusions. The longer he has worked in the industry, the more he realizes that slowing down and understanding the situation usually leads to better decisions. It is a discipline that runs counter to the urgency that often surrounds property losses, but it is one he believes makes the difference between a repair that holds and one that does not.
His work takes him across the Chicago area and beyond, into buildings that have been damaged by fire, water, storms, and mold. Each loss is different. Each requires a careful evaluation of structure, systems, materials, and timeline. He audits estimates line by line. He walks sites with contractors. He reviews moisture readings, air quality reports, and structural assessments. He negotiates scope and cost, often serving as a bridge between the technical realities of restoration and the financial realities of insurance.
Discipline Learned Early
Siegwald played soccer all his life. He earned a soccer scholarship to Northern Illinois University, where he studied general studies, and later played club soccer in England and Mexico. He describes the sport as teaching discipline and teamwork fast. Players learn how to adapt, how to communicate, and how to stay focused when things get difficult.
Soccer taught him that nobody succeeds alone. Communication, trust, and composure under pressure are skills that transfer. He states that he still relies on those lessons today, particularly when managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders and tight deadlines.
Outside of work, Siegwald fishes—ice fishing and open water, fresh and salt water. He is a member of the Rock Valley Anglers Club. He also hunts and plays golf. The activities offer a counterbalance to the intensity of consulting work, a chance to slow down in a different way.
The Work Ahead for Mark Siegwald
Siegwald continues to work out of Chicago, consulting on commercial and institutional losses that require technical precision and independent oversight. The industry is changing. Claims are more complex. Costs are rising. Timelines are compressed. Carriers are looking for consultants who can provide clarity in the middle of uncertainty.
He describes his work as built on one principle: accuracy. Not approximation. Not assumption. Accuracy. It is a standard that applies to every estimate he audits, every project he reviews, every conversation he has with a contractor or a carrier. The work is detail-oriented, often repetitive, and rarely dramatic. But it is work that matters, particularly when a school needs to reopen, a hospital needs to resume operations, or a business needs to recover.
Mark Siegwald is not interested in making claims bigger or smaller than they need to be. He is interested in getting them right. After 24 years in the industry, he has learned that the best recoveries are built on questions asked early, details checked carefully, and decisions made without rushing. The work continues, one assessment at a time.
