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2019-06-27
By: Denise Koslowsky
From an idea thrown out at a dinner party to becoming Scarsdale’s Premier Insurance Agencies, Advocate Brokerage has come a long way in the 50 years since we opened our doors, providing both personal and business insurance. Advocate Brokerage turns 50 in a few months and we are delighted to begin celebrating a legacy that is 50 years in the making!
It all started when Ron and Roz Binday were attending a dinner party with a group of Allstate Insurance agents, where Ron worked at the time. One of the guests made an off-handed comment about the tax benefits of the wives getting their insurance licenses. Fast forward a few weeks and Roz, a young pregnant stay-at-home mother, found herself in an insurance classroom surrounded by men. She completed her training and received her license with the intent of running a side risk business but it never quite turned out that way….
What Roz found as she began talking to everyone she knew about insurance – the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker – was that very few people understood insurance. So she talked to her potential clients; found out their concerns, reviewed their current policies, asked questions of insurance companies and passed on what she learned to her clients. Bit by bit, Roz built Advocate Brokerage adding 2 people to her team, then 4, then 10 building her legacy as she went along. She was passionate about helping people.
At the same time, Ron Binday was also building a successful career in the insurance field and as such, it took some time before he joined his wife at Advocate Brokerage. In fact, their son Glenn Binday joined the family business before Ron. Ron oversaw the business of the business while Glenn jumped into Commercial lines while Roz phased out of Commercial lines and dove into Personal lines.
Daughter Denise Koslowsky’s love of Scarsdale is what initially lead her to become part of the family business. Early on in her marriage when given the choice to move to New Jersey for her husband’s job opportunity or join the family business she chose Scarsdale and a career with Advocate Brokerage. She joined her mother and together they oversaw the personal lines team.
The core values established by Roz 50 years ago, that started with helping clients better understand their insurance needs and then working hard to provide the best options for insurance coverage still exists today. Advocate Brokerage educates each client they serve so that they can live their life & relax. The company has grown from a mom and pop insurance shop into a thriving company with a corporate culture that still manages to treat their customers and employees as members of their family. As Glenn and Denise the second generation of Advocate Brokerage step into the day-to-day leadership roles, the legacy continues!
