-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Ted Hugghins, president of Abstract Associates of Iowa, Inc., pulls a folder from the abstrac drop off, located in the lobby of 822 Central Ave. at the Wells Fargo Center.

What is the full name of your business?

Abstract Associates of Iowa Inc. serving Calhoun, Webster and Wright counties.

Where is it located?

In Fort Dodge at the Wells Fargo Center, 822 Central Ave, Suite 204, and in Clarion at the Bradford Center, 215 N. Main St.

When was it founded? September 2009.

Who are the key leaders?

Owners: Ted Hugghins, president/manager, and Jerry Schnurr, vice president. Abstractors: Danielle Michalski, Abby Dorsey, Jennifer Brown, Hannah Campbell, Allix Heuser and Pam Haack. Administrative assistants: Joy Schauper and Pam Trausch.

How many people does it employ? Nine.

What services and products do you provide?

We primarily serve Realtors, attorneys, lenders and the clients they serve, as well as any person who has property they are interested in selling or purchasing.

We produce new abstracts of title and continuation of abstracts of title, along with searches to support selling, refinancing, buying and/or dividing property.

What are you doing differently to serve customers during the pandemic?

We have tried to approach this unique time with a seamless process for our clients. On the surface, when a client places an order with us, we assure them that we will provide the information/services needed within timeframe to meet their needs.

Behind the scenes, the challenges have been access to information and safety. The No. 1 goal during this time has been ensuring that staff and our clients stay healthy. We have worked in teams away from the office for several weeks to limit contact with each other. We have had to change our work processes as well. Abstractors who would normally be able to complete a case from start to finish have now had to work on single projects together to reach the same goals.

We have had to think in terms of ”How can we continue to provide the same services, while at the same time provide a safe environment for everyone?”

We have added a drop box to the front lobby to provide contactless access to our services. In addition, we continue to provide pick up and delivery services as well as curbside pickup where our clients can call us and we will come and pick up from them at their car window.

We also have encouraged every client to use our online ordering service, accessible on our website at www.abstractassociatesofiowa.com.

What is the biggest challenge your business has overcome?

The biggest challenges have been to come up with an initial plan of action on how to continue to provide quality services within the expected timeframe as before COVID-19. We are fortunate to have great associates who already work hard as a team and have been able to use their strengths to overcome the challenges of staff coverage and limitations through our county courthouse.

We want to make sure that every client we work with knows we are here for them, and that our No. 1 goal is to provide fast, accurate and friendly service, whether we are in the middle of a pandemic or not. We as a company have made changes internally to ensure this.

Our No. 1 goal is to adapt to any and all changes that have come with COVID-19.

What is the biggest success your business has experienced recently?

We are fortunate to continue to have fully staffed offices in both Webster and Wright counties, also while providing abstracting services to our Calhoun County clients from our Webster County office. Our associates truly care about the work we produce, and strive to put out quality products for the land title transfer business.