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Steve Heckle, vice president of risk management at LKQ Corporation, is someone you’d look forward to grabbing a drink with after work. But don’t let the humility, humor, or gratitude he expresses for his teams fool you. Aside from being likable, Heckle is good at what he does.
Heckle was reporting to the CEO of Keystone Automotive when LKQ acquired Keystone in 2007. Heckle was intrigued by LKQ’s business model and their growth plans—plans that would ultimately catapult the company into the Fortune 300 and make it the largest auto recycler on the planet. Heckle made his pitch to LKQ management to stay on board to build a risk management function.
“I wanted to stay and be part of that growth strategy,” Heckle remembers. “I told them what I had already accomplished for two other large public companies. I highlighted some of the big casualty exposures I could see at LKQ that I felt I could bring substantial value in managing.
“Basically, I had a willingness to get on board with LKQ and help them achieve their objectives. I felt I could help build a strong risk management foundation to assist for the future they wanted to achieve. They took me up on it, and I’m thankful to this day that they did.”
That was seventeen years ago. Heckle says he’s stayed because of the company’s culture, pace of growth, complexities, challenges, and evolution. He’s built a high-performing risk management team—a task he’d done multiple times. Heckle also got involved in LKQ’s highly acquisitive growth plans, including aiding the due diligence team on many acquisitions providing guidance and support evaluating insurance and risk matters. When the company expanded to Europe in 2011, Heckle had to learn new European insurance structures and how to be effective on a global scale.
“I’m one of those businesspeople who just happens to have a law degree.”
Steve Heckle
“I had a boss back in the day who essentially told me that I seem to thrive when the demands are heavy or the world’s on fire,” Heckle says, laughing. “I actually prefer things not burning, but I do enjoy the challenge of bringing order to chaos, developing strategy, and then executing upon it. That has led to me being placed in leadership roles for numerous departments well outside of a traditional risk manager’s responsibilities.
“But when I consider it, it comes down to willingness. I may not be an expert in it, but I am willing to get involved and work with a team, leaning heavily on their expertise to explain things to me, as I am not afraid to ask the dumb questions. And it’s worked out all right so far,” he says.
“Worked out all right” is an understatement. Heckle was at Dollar General during some of its early hyperexpansion years. Dollar General put him in charge of numerous departments outside of his core in risk management, such as corporate benefits and human resource information services.
Heckle says he had never actually logged into the HR system before that moment. But the team needed a turnaround strategy to support the rapidly growing headcount. “The existing department team members were great. They just needed help formulizing a clear path forward and someone to help them knock down barriers for their success,” he says.
In another situation at Dollar General, “there were two support departments that had some overlap in tasks, but not much collaboration occurring. It made sense to cross train each team to in essence make two teams into one to drive efficiencies,” the VP remembers. “There was literally a wall that separated the two departments. We decided to take it down and the day we did was a celebration for the entire now one collective team. That physical barrier removal was part of our strategy to move forward with one united team.
“At the same time, I readily admitted that I didn’t know the specifics of their jobs. But I was willing to listen. If you ask people what’s wrong, how can we improve, what obstacles have you faced, etc. and you stop to listen, they’ll tell you,” he says.
There are other things you need to know about Heckle. He doesn’t call himself a lawyer despite having earned his degree and license years into his career. He worked full-time at Dollar General and attended The Nashville School of Law at night. With a wife and four kids at home, this is quite an accomplishment. But Heckle doesn’t exactly see it that way.
“I wasn’t home a lot during those school years, and I still feel bad about it,” the VP says. But it places Heckle in a unique position when asked what advice he might have for those considering law school.
“My career started off as a claims adjuster with an insurance company, and I enjoyed handling claims, e.g., the investigations, the negotiations, etc. I moved into a complex claim and litigation unit which got me exposed to litigation and near daily interaction with defense counsel working on case strategy.
“Since then, every company I have worked for as a risk manager I have remained heavily involved in overseeing casualty type claims made against my employer such as premises liability, auto/truck and product liability claims. I am a strong believer in proactive dispute resolution, including mediation, and have attended hundreds of mediations throughout the country working to resolve disputes. Having the legal training has proven very valuable in this area as I am constantly working with our claim administrator and defense counsel on case strategy,” he says.
“I’m one of those businesspeople who just happens to have a law degree,” Heckle says.
“My law education was incredibly interesting and has helped me in my career tremendously. With that in mind, I still don’t know if I’d eagerly tell anyone that they need to go to law school unless they’re passionate about it and have clarity around what they aim to gain from it. Look at the skills you can learn, and don’t box yourself in. That may mean law school, and it may not,” he says.
There is so much ahead for the VP. His team has brought new technology installed in LKQ’s North American large fleet of trucks to improve delivery driver behaviors while reducing accidents and the defensibility of claims stemming from accidents. That technology opens up a whole new range of interesting risk management questions for Heckle to ponder. But more than anything, his job still comes down to the basics.
“We want to be good neighbors in the communities in which we operate,” Heckle says. “For me, that means being the face of the company following a significant event or mediation stemming from a claim. It means something to me to speak face-to-face with people whose counsel may have painted us in a particular way. I’m there to represent LKQ and of course advocate our position, but as openly as possible, with a sincere intent to resolve matters if possible while letting them know we’re there to do the right thing. Often, that direct, but open approach results in a very favorable outcome for LKQ.”
You believe Heckle. After all these years and all the skills that he’s acquired, his willingness and openness may be his most viable assets.
“Steve is the consummate professional. His understanding of the law and risk management has made him a leader in his field. One of Steve’s greatest assets is his ability to apply his comprehensive knowledge into real world solutions while leveraging his elite negotiation skills. He is by far the best negotiator that I’ve ever met!”
–Jim Demeniuk, Account Manager and Dave Henwood, Regional VP
