NIAGARA SUCCESS STORY
■ The Reuter & Reilly Insurance Brokers team.
Reuter & Reilly Insurance Brokers
Independent Welland brokerage celebrates 20 years of continuous growth and 90 years of tradition.
BY SCOTT LESLIE The Business Link
Y
ou can’t expect to succeed in today’s business world without having a winning
formula. Just ask Jeff Reuter, owner and president of Reuter & Reilly Insurance Brokers in
Welland. Jeff’s successful brokerage has been
founded on three core values—consistency,
stability and service excellence.
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“Our firm has a long history of dedicated
service to the Niagara area,” says Jeff who acquired the independent brokerage in 1995. “It’s
always been about putting our clients and their
needs first. When you get right down to it, we’re
in business to help them sleep better at night,
and we take that very seriously.”
As a full-service brokerage, Reuter & Reilly
Insurance Brokers provides a wealth of in-
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surance solutions including home insurance,
auto insurance, tenant insurance, marine insurance, commercial insurance, and life and
travel insurance.
The Welland brokerage has been providing
Niagara residents with a wide variety of personal insurance solutions for decades. They
also serve the needs of small and mid-sized
businesses, whether it’s offering commercial
general liability, professional liability or auto
fleet services.
Working For The Client
When it comes to insurance coverage, people make adjustments as their life changes,
whether they’re buying a new home or cottage—or their children are getting their first
car. The Reuter & Reilly team is proud of their
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NIAGARA SUCCESS STORY
■ Reuter & Reilly Insurance Brokers is located at 515 Niagara Street in Welland.
commitment to helping clients find affordable insurance plans that work perfectly for their
current situations.
According to Jeff, that’s because brokerages are designed to work for the client—not the
insurance company.
“We look after the client’s best interests,” he explains. “We want to provide them with the
best options for them and make their lives easier.”
As an independent brokerage, Jeff says his firm is able to give clients a greater range of
choices than banks or other direct sellers.
“We give our clients options as their lifestyles change,” he says. “Some insurers will drop
a driver when their circumstances change like having an accident or racking up a couple of
tickets—so we’ve added a new insurer for drivers who aren’t perfect. We can also insure things
like home businesses that many banks won’t consider.”
For greater convenience, Reuter & Reilly has a live 24/7 answering service so clients can get
assistance after hours in case of an emergency. Clients can always get a free home or auto
insurance quote at a moment’s notice by going online at www.reuter.on.ca.
Reuter & Reilly currently has nine employees on staff in addition to a life insurance agent.
Each client at Reuter & Reilly has their own personal account manager who takes the time to
understand their situation—and give them the attention they deserve. Clients deal with the
same account manager and are more than just a policy number.
“Everyone’s different,” Jeff says, “and we want to make sure they have the best package to suit
their life right now. When a client’s policy comes up for renewal, we always conduct a policy
review. Oftentimes we can get them an alternative quote and make sure they’re getting the best
policy for the best price possible.”
With that personal brand of service, Jeff and his team have been able to grow their clientele
over the years, particularly through referrals and the positive word of mouth they constantly
receive in the community from their satisfied clients. Jeff says it’s all part of Reuter & Reilly’s
commitment to its clients. A referral shows a high degree of trust and his team works hard to
do the best it can for those referrals.
“We want to provide our clients with more than just an annual policy,” Jeff says. “We want
them to feel good about doing business with us—and lend them a hand when they need it most.”
Taking On The Tradition
Born and raised in Welland, Jeff Reuter hadn’t always intended to get into the insurance industry. Having graduated from McMaster University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree,
Jeff originally started out working in the marketing world, developing plans for marketing
success—until a business opportunity came along.
In 1995, his father Dick Reuter informed him that Reilly & Wickens Insurance in Welland
was up for sale. Owned and operated by the Reilly family, the venerable insurance brokerage
had been serving the community since 1925. However, Dick Reilly had recently retired from
the brokerage and the firm needed leadership.
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APRIL 2015
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NIAGARA SUCCESS STORY
It’s the perfect time
for R&R.
For over 90 years, Reuter & Reilly has covered the full
spectrum of insurance needs for individuals, families,
and business throughout Niagara. Our seasoned staff
provides the most personal, one-on-one service to
meet your individual insurance needs. So don’t worry,
it’s always a good time for Reuter & Reilly.
(905) 732-2418
Continued from page 7
“With banks and
companies overseas selling
insurance now, there are
more options out there than
ever. People just expect
more. They want timely
and accurate service—and
we pride ourselves on
delivering that.”
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HOME
AUTO
COMMERCIAL
24 HOUR CLAIM
SERVICE
reuter.on.ca
The place had a solid reputation but
it needed someone to take it to the
next level.
After taking a thorough review of the
Reilly operation, Jeff felt he was a perfect
candidate for the job. Although Jeff was
only 24-years-old at the time, he’d learned
a lot about the insurance business from
his father who used to operate his own
insurance brokerage in Welland for many
years. Jeff’s years working in the marketing services industry also gave him the
experience he needed to be a success.
“I’d always wanted to go into business
for myself,” Jeff explains, “and I quickly
realized that taking over a firm with a lot
of tradition like the Reilly brokerage was
an opportunity I just couldn’t let pass by.”
After acquiring the brokerage, Jeff would move the office to a site owned by his family on 515
Niagara Street in north Welland. He formally launched “Reuter & Reilly Insurance Brokers” in
the spring of 1995. To maintain a sense of consistency, former owner Dick Reilly even decided
to forego his retirement plans and stay on with the brokerage.
It didn’t take long for Reuter & Reilly to grow and begin enhancing its level of service. Jeff
immediately got down to the task of building a true customer centric organization where the
client was treated like royalty—every day. By the end of the decade, he would expand his office
and double the size of his team.
To this day, Reuter & Reilly takes every opportunity to grow its range of insurance solutions
in order to better serve its clients. For instance, Jeff’s brokerage presently carries several established insurance companies including Aviva Canada, Travelers Insurance (formerly Dominion
of Canada General Insurance), the Gore Mutual Insurance Company, Intact Insurance, and the
Portage Mutual Insurance Company as well as some other specialty insurers.
“The industry is getting more and more competitive every day,” Jeff says. “With banks and
Congratulations
Reuter & Reilly Insurance
Aviva Canada Inc. congratulates Reuter & Reilly Insurance on their commitment to serving
their community and meeting the insurance needs of their customers.
We’re proud of our history together and look forward to many more years of delivering
solutions that exceed customer expectations.
AvivaCanada.com
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Aviva and the Aviva logo are trademarks used under license by the licensor.
ReillyNIAGARA
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NIAGARA SUCCESS STORY
companies overseas selling insurance now,
there are more options out there than ever.
People just expect more. They want timely and
accurate service—and we pride ourselves on
delivering that.”
In Jeff’s opinion, however, the more things
change, the more they stay the same.
“People do a lot of research on the internet
now,” he says, “but they still want to meet
face-to-face to talk about things. That personal
element is very important to people. So we
focus on the little personal touches. We don’t
use an automated service or use voice mail
for instance. When you call our office, you’ll
always get someone live and engaged at the
other end.”
A Wealth of Experience
At Reuter & Reilly, experience continues to be
one of the firm’s biggest strengths. Jeff and
his team have well over 100 years of combined
experience in the insurance industry. (Some
staff members like Jeff have over 20 years in
their own right.)
Training plays a big part in that equation.
Each year, Jeff’s employees take an average
of ten hours in continuing education. It’s a
point of pride at Reuter & Reilly—but it’s also
a necessity.
“There’s a constant education process going on,” Jeff explains. “We’re often taking
certificate programs, industry seminars or
webinars to keep up with all the changes in
the insurance business. You have to do what
APRIL 2015
■ Staff from Reuter & Reilly provide a free BBQ to families attending the YMCA Family Day. Pictured from left to
right are Wendy Hyatt, Teresa Liota, Barb Brown, Megan Brown and Jeff Reuter.
you can to stay ahead and understand the
complexities of the industry—so you can better serve the client.”
Many of Jeff’s employees have taken the
Customer Service for the Insurance Professional (CSIP) program—a designation that helps
agents provide an enhanced level of customer
service. In Jeff’s case, he’s attained his Canadian Professional Insurance Broker (CPIB) designation to upgrade his standing as a Canadian
Accredited Insurance Broker (CAIB).
“I encourage my team to take more training
whenever they can,” Jeff says. “As a team, it’s
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important for us to keep improving if we want
to offer our clients the best service possible.”
Making A Difference
Looking after a client’s well-being is a top priority at Reuter & Reilly—but so is looking after
the community at large.
Over time, Reuter & Reilly has sponsored all
kinds of children’s and youth sports including soccer, hockey and basketball teams—and
made donations to many charities such as the
United Way, Rose City Kids and the Salvation
Army. As a team, Jeff and his staff also get
involved with “Healthy Kids Day”—an annual
barbeque and family day held by the Y.M.C.A.
When it comes to Jeff himself, he continues
to keep busy with several local agencies and
community boards, sitting on the Welland /
Pelham Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the North Welland Business Improvement
Area Board of Management, and the Venture
Niagara Board of Directors and Business Loans
Committee. That’s in addition to his ongoing
involvement with industry organizations like
the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario.
Jeff sees no reason why he shouldn’t play an
active role in his community. And the Reuter
& Reilly team continues to lead by example,
whether it’s standing up for their clients or
standing behind the people who need it most.
“We’ve always been committed to people,”
Jeff says, “and that involves giving them a little
bit of ourselves every day. We’re proud to be
making such a big difference in people’s lives
and our community.” BL
Reuter & Reilly Insurance Brokers is located at
515 Niagara Street in Welland. For more information,
please call 905.732.2418, email [email protected]
or visit www.reuter.on.ca.
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