Contact:  Patricia Calvert                             (516) 621-2209
              TriCounty IIAA                             calvertpc@aol.com 
             

TriCounty Independent Insurance Agents Association Installs Officers and Directors for 2011 – 2012 term.

Awards and scholarship announcements accompanied the evening’s activities

(June 3, 2011, Albertson, New York) – New officers and directors took the helm June 2 during the Long Island-based TriCounty Independent Insurance Agents Association annual installation party and awards ceremony. The gathering, held at Jericho Terrace, Mineola, NY, set the TriCounty IIAA leadership for the 2011 through 2012 term. Approximately 150 association members and guests joined the festivities of this special occasion.

Steven Visco, PhD, AAI, of C.H. Edwards, Inc., Farmingdale, NY, was installed as president of TriCounty IIAA by his father, Gerard Visco CIC, a past president of the statewide Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of New York, Inc. Additional officers and directors were installed by Thomas J. Crowley CPCU, Chair-Elect of the state association.  

Those officers included Robert E. Mackoul, CLU of Mackoul & Associates in Island Park, NY who will assume the position of vice president and Richard Longueira, AAI, of Petrocelli Group, Inc., Flushing, NY who will continue to be the association’s Treasurer. Frank Elorza of Club Agency Insurance Brokerage, LLC in Garden City, NY was installed as Secretary.

The TriCounty IIAA also installed the following directors:
Dean Aloia, Aloia McKinnon Insurance Brokerage, Brooklyn; James G. Bastian, of Advantage Partners, Inc, Astoria; Ronald Brunell, CIC, B&B Coverage, Ltd., Valley Stream; Adam Erickson, Carlstan North Hills Agency, Inc., Floral Park; Theodore Garatziotis of Narrows Insurance Agency, Inc., Brooklyn and Peter Phillips, Phillips Brokerage, Inc. in Astoria.

In addition, awards were presented that evening. 
The Bob Morris Award -- presented for furthering industry professionalism -- was awarded to Evan S. Portnoy, as past president of the association.

TriCounty Independent Insurance Agents Association Installs Officers and Directors

The Babette Traub Award -- selected by the Women’s Insurance Network of LI., and presented for commitment to education, went to James Keidel, Esq. and Christopher Weldon Esq. of Keidel, Weldon & Cunningham, LLP in White Plains, New York.
The association announced awards totaling of $10,000 in scholarships this year. Two $2,500 awards went to Courtney Scott and Samuel Matthews students at St. John’s College of Risk Management for meeting specified criteria, including insurance related study and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. The St. John’s continuing education scholarship was sponsored by Tower Group Companies which was represented by one of its senior officers, Helen Lee Nigro, this evening and Safeco Insurance, which was represented by Malinda Kibbons, Personal Lines Territory Manager.

Winners of three other scholarships were announced and checks totaling $5,000 were presented at their school’s awards ceremonies. Allison Huysman a senior at Locust Valley High School and Quratulain Guiamhussein from Division Avenue High School were the 2 Joel S. Pollack Memorial Scholarship award winners for their essays on protection offered when purchasing automobile insurance. They were both chosen from a large number of submissions from high school seniors in Nassau, Queens and Brooklyn.

The Stephen T. Dooley Community Service Award scholarship went to Carly Manes of Syosset High School for outstanding community service during her high school years. All students received vouchers to be applied to tuition and allied expenses at their chosen educational institutes.

The TriCounty Independent Insurance Agents Association is comprised of more than 300 independent insurance member agencies and brokerages doing business in the counties of Nassau, Queens, Kings and Richmond.