Key Takeaways
- Galen M. Hair, founder of Insurance Claim HQ, will deliver a talk titled “It Was Never About the Money” at TEDxSST Corpus Christi Youth on May 19, 2026.
- The talk draws on Hair’s journey from volunteering in post-Katrina New Orleans to building a national property insurance law firm that has recovered hundreds of millions for thousands of policyholders.
- The event is free and open to the public at the University Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Galen M. Hair, founder and managing partner of Insurance Claim HQ, will take the stage at TEDxSST Corpus Christi Youth on May 19, 2026, to deliver a talk titled “It Was Never About the Money.” The event, themed “The Next Chapter,” will be held at the University Center at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (UC Lonestar 142A) from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM and is open to the public.
Galen’s talk will explore purpose over profit and perspective over pressure, drawing on his personal journey of building one of the country’s most recognized property casualty insurance law firms from the ground up. His selection as a TEDx speaker comes at a time when conversations about purpose-driven business are gaining traction across industries, particularly among younger professionals and entrepreneurs rethinking what success looks like beyond revenue and accolades.
A Firm Born in the Middle of a Hurricane
The story Galen will bring to the TEDx stage began long before Insurance Claim HQ existed. As a young man, he traveled to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and spent his days gutting flooded homes and distributing supplies to displaced families. That experience gave him a firsthand understanding of how quickly a life can be disrupted and how much it matters when someone shows up to help. It also planted the seed for what would eventually become his life’s work.
Galen went on to attend Tulane Law School and spent his early career at New York law firms, where he represented insurance companies in coverage disputes. He learned how carriers think, how they evaluate claims, and how they build strategies to limit payouts. According to a 2024 Weiss Ratings study, 42% of homeowners’ insurance claims nationwide were closed without payment. Galen saw that pattern from the inside before deciding to switch sides entirely.
On August 1, 2020, he founded Insurance Claim HQ in Metairie, Louisiana, with one rule: the firm would represent policyholders only. Weeks later, Hurricane Laura made landfall and devastated communities across the state. While most new firms would have stalled under the pressure, Galen and his team spent their days running inspections for clients and their nights feeding hundreds of displaced residents in the hardest-hit areas. That balance of legal expertise and community care has defined the firm’s identity and operations ever since.
Building Something Worth Talking About
Under Galen’s leadership, Insurance Claim HQ has recovered hundreds of millions for thousands of policyholders dealing with hurricanes, fires, water damage, and structural losses across several states. The firm has never taken a case on behalf of an insurance company. That single-sided commitment runs through every layer of the practice, from how cases are evaluated to how the team is built.
Galen has earned recognition as a Super Lawyers Rising Star and one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100. He hosts the Level Up Claims podcast and an annual summit aimed at bringing transparency to property insurance law. The firm employs a dedicated client success team, publishes free claim guides, and maintains a storm-damage resource center designed to help homeowners protect themselves before a disaster strikes.
Galen’s TEDx talk will not be a rundown of the firm’s achievements. It will focus on the decisions that shaped them. The choice to leave insurance defense. The choice to launch a firm weeks before a catastrophic hurricane. The choice to feed people before chasing cases. For Galen, those decisions were never calculated. They were instinctive, and they all came back to the same belief: that the work matters more than the money.
“People deserve what they were promised,” Galen says. “But in my experience, what carries them through the hardest moments goes far beyond a financial result.”
Why This Talk Matters Now
Galen’s TEDx appearance is expected to resonate with young leaders, entrepreneurs, and anyone thinking critically about what they are building and why. The event’s theme, “The Next Chapter,” invites speakers to challenge conventional thinking about progress and success. Galen’s message fits that framework directly. His career has been shaped by a willingness to walk away from the more profitable path in favor of the more purposeful one.
For the audience at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, many of whom are students and early-career professionals, the talk offers a perspective that is rarely presented in traditional business settings.
The TEDxSST Corpus Christi Youth event features speakers and stories that challenge the way audiences think about leadership, resilience, and what comes next. Attendance is free and open to the public.
To RSVP and reserve a seat, visit the event page at ted.com/tedx/events/67663 or email sstcctedx@ssttx.org for more information.
About Galen M. Hair
Galen M. Hair, Managing Partner at Insurance Claim HQ, is a nationally recognized property insurance attorney known for aggressively representing policyholders across the U.S. With thousands of families helped and a reputation for high-stakes litigation wins, he has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star and one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100.