Pictured from left to right: (back row) Rochelle Crowell, Lisa Glasberg, Jeannie Vasconcellos, Gina Belford, Brian Morris, Michelle Coulter; (front row) Kerri Allen, Lisa Osborne, Jane LeBeau, Roberta Hunter, Brian Hunter, Alice Nault, Amy Duval, Tess McAfee.
LINCOLN – Embracing technology has helped the Hunter Insurance Agency grow significantly, company president and secretary Brian M. Hunter said when talking about observing his 25th year in business.
The 14-employee agency located to 389 Old River Road is completely automated, according to Hunter. Paper documents are scarce, and it takes agents at work stations with two computer monitors just 15 minutes to obtain price quotes from more than 25 insurance companies.
In addition, Hunter, a former Rhode Island state senator, said clients can communicate with a customer service representative 24 hours a day seven days week through the agency’s website at www.hunterinsuranceonline.com or by calling 800.696.4678. The Web site also allows consumers to access their policies, submit requests for changes and report a claim.
Furthermore, he said, the agency is outfitted with an emergency generator so its employees can continue to assist clients if there is an incident such as a storm or motor vehicle accident that causes a power outage.
Besides the around the clock service the agency offers to clients, the company consistently provides customers with valuable and timely insurance-related information through advisories and newsletters that are distributed electronically and by mail.
Hunter established the agency in 1989, with his sister-in-law Amy Duval, who is the office manager. Hunter holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Bryant University in Smithfield. His wife, Roberta, is vice president of the agency. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Bryant and a master’s degree in early childhood education.
Hunter started his career in the insurance industry as a commercial underwriter for Aetna Casualty & Surety in Providence. After working there for a year, he was vice president of the former George H. Roberts Agency in Lincoln for five years between 1984 and 1989.
Hunter holds a certificate in general insurance from the Insurance Institute of America and has earned several industry designations, including chartered property casualty underwriter, accredited adviser in insurance, associate in insurance services and associate in personal insurance. He is a certified professional insurance agent and certified professional insurance man.
Hunter is trustee of St. James Church and a member of the review panel for the Rhode Island Automobile Insurance Plan and the Twin River Advisory Committee. He served as chairman of the board of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce in 2013. He is past president of Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island, past chairman of the Merchants Insurance Co. National Agents Advisory Group and past chairman of the St. James Church Finance Committee. Also, he is a past member of the Lincoln Lions and Cumberland/Lincoln Rotary clubs and a former delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business.
