Skip to main content

Our People

Leadership Team

Travis Pine

Co-Founder, CEO & Chairman

Travis has been a leader in the Insurtech space before the term was even coined. In 2001, he was hired as Chief Technology Officer at National Flood Services (NFS) where he re-engineered their legacy technology and pioneered the development of their web-based platform. The result: NFS grew from $200 million to more than $1.2 billion in annual premiums over a three-year period.

In 2005, Travis founded Torrent Technologies, where he architected the industry’s leading technology, Torrent Flood™. Torrent quickly grew to the 2nd largest service and technology provider during his leadership, in this highly regulated and complex market, with over $1.5 billion in premium, 26 carrier-clients and nearly 400 employees before selling it to Marsh USA in November of 2014.  Torrent is currently the industry’s largest flood vendor at an estimated $2.5 billion.

Most recently, Travis stood up Solstice Innovations, the latest Insurtech disrupter, bringing new technology and “software-as-a-service” (SaaS) to the insurance industry in several lines of business, including Homeowners and Flood. He founded this company, along with former Torrent leaders and launched their flagship product, Equinox, in 2021.

Prior to becoming a pioneer and innovator in the Insurtech space, Travis leveraged his dual-discipline degree in Computer Science and Accounting with Arthur Andersen’s Technology Risk division. From there he quickly moved into the fast-growing dot-com boom in Seattle where he co-founded multiple early-stage tech companies, including online department store, Azazz! (acquired by theglobe.com) as well as cutting-edge digital media company, HitHive.com – the genesis of iTunes.

Travis owns Lone Pine Holdings, LLC., where he invests, advises, coaches, and helps incubate early-stage tech companies. He splits time between Montana, Florida and Seattle, where his 3 daughters live.

Theresa “T.J.” Johnston

Co-Founder and COO

As a Co-Founder and COO of Solstice Innovations, TJ specializes in the use of technology to promote accuracy, compliance, and efficiency utilizing streamlined workflow management processes in all functional areas of insurance operations.  TJ has over 30 years’ experience in the insurance industry.

Prior to co-founding Solstice Innovations, TJ was COO and a Co-Founder of Torrent Technologies. TJ provided executive oversight of all insurance operations at Torrent Technologies and was central to implementing the business and technical rules that made Torrent the most user-friendly and efficient flood insurance system in the market. Under her guidance Torrent Technologies grew to an annual processed premium of over $1 billion. Prior to founding Torrent Technologies, TJ served as the COO of National Flood Services where she also oversaw all aspects of their insurance operations, which was the largest flood insurance processing company until her departure.

TJ has served in virtually all roles of the insurance industry, starting out as an agent for a State Farm agency in Missoula, MT.  TJ has also served on industry related panels and organizations, including as President of the National Flood Association (NFA) and as a subcommittee member on FEMA’s Technical Mapping Advisory Council (TMAC).

Michael Monk

Chief Technology Officer

As Chief Technology Officer, Mike leads the architecture and development of the Solstice Platform.

Mike has over 30 years as a technology professional creating disruptive technological solutions in many different industries including over 10 years in the Insurance space.  Mike has led and grown teams from startup to mature companies and helped define and build successful software solutions.

Prior to joining Solstice Innovations, Mike was CTO and co-founder of MILC Group for several years leading teams to build cutting edge IoT and mobile solutions for the agriculture industry. Prior to MILC Group, Mike was a prime architect for the Torrent Flood platform.

Mike graduated from California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Math minor.

Blake Stout

Chief Information Officer

Blake leads the Solstice Technology team that has designed and built the Equinox Insurance platform from the ground up.

Blake is an experienced and pragmatic IT professional with a demonstrated history of exceeding expectations and challenging the status quo. Extensive experience in Insurance Technology, government contracting, and cyber security. Strong information technology professional skilled in all aspects of the technology life cycle from startup to industry leader.
“The devil is in the details. Be the devil. Design it right the first time, and every time.” –BS

Prior to joining Solstice Innovations, Blake was CTO of Torrent Technologies for over 12 years, there he led the team that built Torrent’s NFIP Flood Insurance platform.

Blake graduated from Montana Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Computer Science.

James Stremme

Chief Accounting Officer

James comes to Solstice Innovations, Inc. from various other industries, including healthcare, non-profit, manufacturing and media. James is a highly motivated accounting and finance professional with twenty-plus years of experience in CFO and controllership duties, as well as day-to-day accounting functions, fundraising, financial reporting and forecasting. James has been commended for his ability to help management maintain solid growth through smart financial stewardship.

Rory Stevens

Chief Financial Officer

As CAO, Rory is responsible for accounting and reporting for all accounting carriers utilizing the EQ insurance platform.

Rory began his career with Ernest and Young in Seattle as an auditor in the financial and insurance industries.  After 4 years with Ernst and Young, Rory moved to progressive positions of responsibility with construction and engineering, real estate brokerage, insurance, and hospitality companies.  Rory has over 12 years of experience in the P&C industry, 10 years with Torrent Technology as CFO.  At Torrent, Rory managed all carrier and corporate operational and financial accounting and reporting during the company’s growth from a new business startup to the leading technology focused vendor in the flood insurance space.

Rory graduated from Boise State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (emphasis in economics) and University of Washington with master’s degrees in accounting and Finance.

Justin Waters

SVP of Client Relations, Homeowners

Justin will spearhead Solstice’s homeowner’s division with their existing clients by supporting their day-to-day platform operations to help them maximize our Equinox system and achieve their policy growth goals. He will also drive the business development for Solstice by expanding the company’s footprint bringing on new carriers to the platform.

Justin has 15+ years’ experience in the P&C industry with a deep understanding from the carrier side, where he was a major contributor to the expansion and growth to the companies he worked for. He has a proven track record of producing top and bottom-line results in the insurance industry.

Prior to joining Solstice Innovations, Justin was with American Integrity Insurance Group for 14 years, a Florida homeowners’ carrier. He played different key roles in the organization, including VP of Sales, where he assumed responsibility for the company’s field sales, internal sales, and agency management teams to help drive the company’s growth. Most recently, Justin was with LexisNexis Risk Solutions as a Regional Account Manager for the SE, where he brought expansion to the companies’ data products and solutions with insurance carriers.

Justin graduated from University of South Florida earning his B.S. in Economics. He also completed the prestigious Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation, a distinction earned by fewer than 2% of all P&C insurance professionals.

Phil Wills

SVP of Client Relations, Flood

As SVP of Client Relations for Flood Insurance carriers, Phil leads lead the Flood Insurance division in working with new and existing clients to help support their day-to-day operations and with their policy growth goals.

Phil has 30+ years’ experience in the insurance industry. With his degree and prior background in technology, Phil is well acquainted with helping insurers harness technology to maximize business goals (and not letting technology reign in the business). Phil has held leadership and management roles in all functional areas of insurance operations, including underwriting, claims, customer service call centers, finance/accounting.

Prior to joining Solstice Innovations, Phil was a part of the executive management team of Torrent Technologies for over 10 years, with primary responsibilities for client relationships and new business development. During that time Torrent Technology grew from a new business startup to the industry’s standard-setting flood insurance vendor. Phil also recently served as the VP of business development at Colonial Claims, the largest Flood Insurance independent adjusting firm.

Phil graduated from Harding University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.

Joe Cooper

Chief Technology Officer

Joe enjoys working with Insurance Business Leaders in a collaborative manner and developing technology solutions that drive the business forward. Bridging the technology and business gap and finding efficiencies are key to delivering value and understanding our job is never done.

Joe began his career in the P&C insurance sector 35 years ago with the Florida Insurance Department before moving on to assume a senior technology management role at a Florida-based insurance carrier and, ultimately, then helping to found BIPT (one of the very first SaaS based Core Insurance Processing systems).

Joe has been involved in all aspects of technology as it relates to both Insurance Regulation and Insurance Carrier Operations.

Joe has worked in various management and consulting roles and leverages this knowledge and experience drive innovative service and product offerings.
Joe graduated from Florida State University

Jon Umstead

SVP of Flood

Jon has 30+ years of experience in providing IT and business services to both private and public sector entities, with 20 of those years engaged in the flood insurance industry. He has a proven track record of achieving top and bottom-line growth, is a published business author, and a part-time adjunct professor, primarily teaching various HR and Management courses.

Prior to joining Solstice, Jon served as VP of NFIP at Assurant, the 2nd largest Write Your Own (WYO) carrier in the Program. He previously led the Flood Insurance and Public Sector IT and Business Services organization, with 700+ employees, at Covansys/CSC, where his clients included FEMA, several WYO carriers, the City of New York, and over 30 U.S. state and Indian Tribal Organization (ITO) agencies. Jon also spent several years as an independent business consultant, providing strategy-to-execution services to a wide variety of businesses and industries.

Jon earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Science, with a minor in Computer Science, from Wright State University and an Executive MBA from The Ohio State University. He began his career as a developer and civilian employee of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Bsse, Ohio.

Control your future.

Join the platform.

Let go of the technology anchors that are holding you back and allow us to help you finally pursue your lofty business goals with the empowering technology from Solstice. Learn more about how our insurance technology solutions can help you.