| FEATURED AGENT
Kristy Terenzio
Kristy Terenzio, Director of Client Service at Boyd Insurance in Bradenton, FL, has been working with Tower Hill for over a decade. We interviewed her last fall just after Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated the area. Here is what she had to say about the experience as an insurance professional and community member.
What does your role entail?
As Director of Client Service, I oversee our entire service team, from commercial and business clients to personal lines such as homeowners and auto insurance, including our employee benefits team.
How do you see the value of carrying Tower Hill?
“I help people who have lost their properties, some of them entirely. I assist them in getting those replaced using the coverages we have in place and serve as that steady voice on the other end of the line.”
Tower Hill has been our partner for as long as I can remember. I’ve been with the agency for almost 11 years, and Tower Hill has always been at the top of our portfolio for our community. They’ve consistently provided our insureds with great coverage and have always been communicative and easy to work with. Filing claims is a smooth process, and they’ve been a really powerful tool for our clients.
Tell us about how it has been with the last few hurricanes and your customers’ experiences, and how you’ve seen Tower Hill’s response.
Milton and Helene hit us hard. We’re no stranger to a hurricane or two coming close to us, but to have two that we could almost call direct hits at this point, where we’ve felt significant impact, our community is struggling. But we’re also seeing this beautiful part of our community where everyone is coming together to rebuild and neighbors are helping out neighbors.
I’ve even met a few neighbors. Admittedly, we don’t get out of our houses all that much, and all of a sudden we’re out helping each other. Even members of our team are helping their neighbors. It’s been an incredible way to give back physically through the storms, because I’m not gonna lie, it’s been brutal. Our team is tired but also energized by the opportunity to help our clients.
I get to give back both at home and at work. When someone loses their property, sometimes everything they have, they rely on us to help them recover. With the coverages we provide, I support them in rebuilding while being that steady voice they can count on.
Being an independent agency, we’re always vetting our carriers and making sure they’re giving our clients the best service possible, and Tower Hill has been fantastic in the claims process and certainly from a coverage standpoint as well.
What are your customers’ most common needs and how were you able to help address them?
A lot of our customers have been fortunate enough to never have had to file a claim before, and that’s really what everybody wants. But at the same time, that’s why they have insurance. It kind of goes in phases. We get a little pre-storm check-in, where customers say, “Let me check to make sure all my coverages are in place and we’re all ready.” We get a rush of calls before a storm, and then after the storm we step in. As quickly as we pick up and take one call, there’s another one waiting for us.
Some people just ask, “What do I do next?” Sometimes it’s as simple as filing a claim, taking a description of the loss, and talking to them about mitigating further damage. We also give them peace of mind by explaining the process ahead to get back to normal. That might include removing anything wet in the house so it doesn’t mold, waiting for the call from their insurance adjuster to schedule a time to inspect, and letting them know, “Hey, you’re not alone. We’re here if the process stalls, we’re here by your side.”
We also set expectations and help them understand that some of their neighbors are in the same situation, and people are being prioritized from the most severe needs to the least. At the end of the call, we often reflect on our blessings together. Customers might say, “I might’ve lost my pool cage, but at least my house is still here, so I understand where I am in the line.”