News

It is the start of a new year here at the Tuscano Agency and the beginning of a whole new ‘game’; but, in the Tuscano household, it is the beginning of the second half – of the school year. Now I know why my sister had that weird grin on her face when she watched Teri and I fret over where we would send Grace (our 15-year-old daughter) after she finished ninth grade at the small private school she had attended since kindergarten. Life has new meaning with a ‘high-schooler’, and I never imagined the drama that would ensue. Certainly starting out in a new school is dramatic (though not necessarily traumatic) for any child. Would the other kids like her? Would the teachers be nice? Would anyone be her study buddy? And this is just scratching the surface of the doubts a 15-year-old girl goes through in normal circumstances. I am happy to report that Grace has indeed adjusted well to her new school even though her doubts are never far from the surface. 

As I mentioned, we are now halfway through the school year and Grace has many new friends and I have an additional 10,000 miles on my car odometer to prove it. She is staying after school to participate in everything from the school play, to the ski club and swim team. But being in all the right clubs and having confidence in the relationships you are investing in are two different things, and here is where I can relate very well to Grace. 

Every January I catch myself thinking “What can the Tuscano Agency do to make our customers like us more?” (You see my daughter gets it naturally.) Here’s the conclusion I have come to – I don’t want you to like us more, I want you to know us better. I always hear how much our customers love our service, that our underwriters are great and responsive, and our website is the ‘best’. But, no matter how much you love us, I still believe we miss opportunities to write business because we have the reputation for being a great small account broker. Here’s the thing - I want Tuscano to be invited to the dance, not just so we can be there – but so we can dance. 

Before you decide to turn down the truck account carrying water in and out of a Marcellus Shale drilling site, you should get us on the dance floor. Before you send that large property schedule or trucking fleet elsewhere, you should see the ‘moves’ we have. Before you dismiss us as only being good at daycares, vacant dwellings, or restaurants (which we are!), you should give us a call. We know what is going to be on the pop quiz about manufacturing, energy, environmental, or professional liability and would be happy to help you ace it! 

January is also that time of year when we are all about gathering up our tax information. Two things that would be helpful for you to keep in mind: you can get your 2010 (and prior) year-end premium and commissions info from our website. Users with admin or manager level logins can go to the reports section on the R2U toolbox page in order to obtain this information. And while you are thinking about tax preparation, keep Tuscano in mind for all of your accountants, bookkeepers, and tax preparers professional liability.