By Celeste McLaughlin
It was more than 14 years ago, when Seven Oaks resident Gary Cucchi was teaching economics at Walter Sickles High in Tampa when he realized that most people don’t understand their insurance coverage. His desire to help others led him to look for a new opportunity where he could assist his colleagues with planning for retirement and better understanding their insurance needs.
So, in 2002, Gary opened Florida Educator Insurance, an independent agency of Horace Mann, a company that specializes in insurance products and financial services for educators. Founded in Springfield, IL, more than 60 years ago, the company is named for the founder of American public education, and is now a multi-billion-dollar company traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HMN).
Florida Educator Insurance moved to its current location in the Cypress Glen Professional Park in Wesley Chapel (off of S.R. 56, just east of I-75), in 2008. The agency offers auto, home, umbrella, flood and life insurance, along with retirement and investment plans such as IRAs and 401(k) plans, “529” college savings plans, plus plans just for educators known as 403(b) and 457 plans.
But, don’t think you have to be a teacher to use the agency’s services.
“We insure anybody, but we do have specific products and discounts that are available only to educators,” Gary says.
As an independent agency, Florida Educator Insurance writes policies with a wide variety of insurance companies. Gary explains that he works with many of the largest companies across the industries his agency represents. Some examples include – of course – Horace Mann, although also offered are financial services from American Funds & Fidelity, life insurance through Lincoln Financial, home insurance through Tower Hill and auto insurance through Progressive and Mercury.
Of about 1,000 Horace Mann agencies nationwide, Gary says Florida Educator Insurance is now the largest, and has been ranked the number one Horace Mann agency six times in the last 14 years.
“It’s all because of my staff,” says Gary, who earned his B.S. degree in Social Science Education from the University of South Florida in Tampa in 1999.
“They’re great. Their dedication, attention to detail and willingness to meet people after hours at their homes is a big reason why we’re so successful.”
He says his staff didn’t set out to be the largest agency, but it is absolutely their goal to be the best.
“We’re a competitive group,” he says proudly. “It’s in our nature to strive to be the best.”
Jeanine Hassani joined the agency in 2006 and is now the agency manager.
“We all take ownership in the agency,” she says. “We all feel like we have a stake and love helping the agency grow. So each of us helps all of the clients as if they were our own.”
He says his clients average three lines of business with his agency, so the agents get to know their customers on a very personal level.
“We genuinely care about our clients and are not just trying to sell policies,” Gary says, adding that, “The teacher in me has this philosophy to help people. We have 22 staff members (six in financial services, 13 in personal lines of insurance and three in customer support) and not one is in sales. In fact, I don’t hire people with a sales background because that’s not what we’re about. We’re here to build relationships.”
One relationship he’s built over many years is with Mark Pinson, who says he has been a client “for at least 10 years.”
When Mark moved to Florida from Ohio, he began paying much more attention to homeowner insurance than he ever did in the Midwest, since he was now concerned about hurricanes, sinkholes and possible flooding. Gary was his neighbor in Seven Oaks, but Mark hesitated to change his homeowners insurance because he had never heard of Horace Mann.
“But, I figured since Gary was my neighbor, anything that happened to me would also happen to him, so I’d want coverage like he has,” Mark explains. “I took a chance, saved so much money and it was a great choice. Since then, my former insurance carrier has completely pulled out of Florida.”
Mark says that first policy with Gary cost half of what his previous home insurance cost, and since then he’s added auto, flood, life and umbrella insurance with Florida Educator Insurance, and has retirement accounts, too.
“During the economic downturn, I was looking for something conservative to protect my investments, and that’s exactly what I got,” Mark explains.
Gary says this type of personal attention and meeting each client’s needs continue to be the hallmarks of his agency.
“When we recommend an investment for a retirement plan, we know our client is going to be happy,” he says. “They won’t regret it, they’ll keep that investment and then they’ll typically refer their friends to us.”
Gary adds, “We’re not here just to save you a couple of dollars on your auto and home insurance, although we generally do that, and that’s the fun stuff. But, saving money on your home and auto insurance isn’t going to change your life. We also change lives with what we do. When we help someone properly plan for their future — their retirement needs —that can be life changing.”
Gary also explains that every agent in his office is fully licensed through the Florida Department of Insurance, and all financial services staff members hold numerous state and federal investment licenses through FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Plus, he and his staff are all New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents. “We all live here and understand the area,” he says. He and his wife, Cyndi, have four children ranging in age from three to nine. Gary says he has a family-first philosophy that drives his work, too.
“You’ve got to have balance in life,” says Gary. “In my life, I put my faith, family and health before my work. So, our office is a very family-friendly environment. We cover for each other to be sure we all can put our families first.”
Life Insurance Specialists
Gary says many people think they have enough life insurance, but don’t realize policies may lapse. Or, they may wait too long to purchase life insurance.
“Most people only have insurance through their work, but you should have a portable plan, too.”
He explains that if you lose your job, you might not be able to keep your plan, or the cost might be astronomical to do so. At that point, you might not be able to get life insurance. You never know when you’ll become uninsurable. It’s generally due to health, not age, and I’ve seen people in their 30s not be insurable because of their health.”
And, in every case, he says, the sooner you purchase life insurance, the better. “A 25-year-old pays a lot less than a 60-year-old,” he explains. “But, even a 60-year-old benefits from talking with us sooner, because the cost goes up every year at that point.”
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to insurance and investment planning, so Gary asks his clients to be willing to discuss their needs with a Florida Educator Insurance agent.
“Most people spend more time planning for their summer vacations every year than they do for their own futures,” says Gary. “We ask you to give us one hour each year to go over your budget and goals so that you can be better prepared for the future.”
He explains that budgeting and goal setting are part of the agency’s full-service retirement planning, but that they provide these services for all of their clients, even those who might only have auto insurance through the agency.
“We’re here for all phases of your life,” Gary says.
In addition to its Wesley Chapel office, Florida Educator Insurance maintains locations in St. Petersburg and Odessa. Gary says he also recently had the opportunity to expand his business to Pennsylvania by taking over an agency where the owner was retiring. Two agents from his Wesley Chapel office actually relocated to Pennsylvania to run that office.
Gary and his staff also give back to the community in many ways, especially through local schools. He says the agency sponsors a reading program in more than 50 schools (including all of the public schools in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa), supports programs such as Teacher & Staff Member of the Month at all Pasco County schools and has funded more than $100,000 in classroom projects.
And, Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News readers who call for a quote and mention this story or the ad on page 6 will receive a $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate, and, Gary says, there’s absolutely no obligation to purchase anything.
Florida Educator Insurance is located at 26809 Tanic Dr., Suite 101, in the Cypress Glen Professional Park off Cypress Ridge Blvd., behind the Gate gas station near I-75.
For more information, call 283-1265 or visit FloridaEducatorInsurance.com. The office is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and on Saturdays by appointment.
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