Category: Uncategorized


  • MHA Christmas packages

    Utica MHA and SZW Deliver Christmas Cheer in 2018

    What a wonderful Christmas this year with some special residents of the Utica Municipal Housing Authority (MHA). Our staff visited two families last week, both single, working mothers who have moved into new apartments but didn’t have much furniture. We were excited to help and get to know these mothers and their kids. It’s all […]

    December 18, 2018

  • shipping package

    How to Avoid Package Theft This Christmas

    A friend of ours has four grown children living in different parts of the country. Happily, they’re all coming home for Christmas!! But since three of them are flying in from Los Angeles; Madison, Wisconsin; and Atlanta, they don’t want to be hauling Christmas presents on the planes. So they’re buying online and packages are […]

    December 11, 2018

  • utica insurance donation

    Why an Independent Insurance Agency is Best for You in the Utica Area

    We love the urbane, smooth-operating Gecko as much as you do. His ads are laugh-out-loud funny. But what about the big insurance companies who don’t offer insurance through independent agents? We happen to think that they are too big to serve clients effectively. For example, too often we see car insurance policies written with low […]

    December 4, 2018

  • mohawk valley drivers

    9 Annoying Habits of Some (Not You) Mohawk Valley Drivers

    Drivers do stupid things. We’re all guilty, at least once in a while. But some people are chronic annoyers. We asked a friend of ours to keep track of all of the stupid things he sees drivers doing while on the road here in the Mohawk Valley. Hopefully some will recognize themselves in this list […]

    November 27, 2018

  • utica thanksgiving conversation prompts

    Skip the Politics with Utica’s Thanksgiving Dinner Conversation Starters

    We’ve noticed that watching politics on TV has become choice entertainment for many Central New Yorkers. MSNBC, Fox News, CNN…pumping out the daily, diabolical machinations of Washington, DC. So we’re suggesting that families in the greater Utica area take a break from the fray by talking about something else at the Thanksgiving dinner table this […]

    November 19, 2018

  • snowmobile insurance

    Ins and Outs of Snowmobile Insurance in New York State

    The Utica area is at the center of the some of the best snowmobiling in New York State. We are the gateway to the Adirondacks. The snowy Tug Hill Plateau is just a few miles away. And don’t forget our own back yards in Oneida, Madison, and Herkimer Counties. So there’s a good chance you […]

    November 13, 2018

  • nonprofit insurance utica ny

    Your Greater Utica Nonprofit Insurance Checklist

    One of the things we’re most proud of as independent agents here in the Utica area is serving our many nonprofit clients. We help manage the risk for so many worthy institutions in the Mohawk Valley that you might say we have become specialists in nonprofit insurance coverages. Not only that but Gary Scalzo and […]

    November 6, 2018

  • Flood Isn’t Covered on Your Homeowners Insurance!! And Neither Is…

    While we are here for you when you have a loss to your home or contents, there are some things that homeowners insurance policies will not cover. We thought it would be a good idea to let you in on some of the standard exclusions. Our focus is on what’s more likely to happen to […]

    October 30, 2018

  • Halloween utica ny

    Halloween Fun, Scary $$$$

    Halloween isn’t that big a deal, right? Baby boomers remember a simple, fun time of roaming the sidewalks, bribing neighbors for treats with playful threats of tricks. But look what it’s turned into. From The National Retail Federation (NRF) Expected spending for Halloween in 2018: $9 billion! Spending per celebrant: $86.79 Americans celebrating Halloween: 175 […]

    October 23, 2018

  • securing mohawk valley home

    Flying South for the Winter? How to Secure Your Mohawk Valley Home

    Not everyone in the Mohawk Valley stays here for our cold, dark winter months. Florida beckons and many Utica area residents fly south for the winter and return in the spring. That means they’re leaving their houses empty for half the year. Are you a snowbird? If you are, here are some things you should […]

    October 16, 2018