When the Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation took over the 14,000-square foot space earlier in the year at 901 Franklin Ave. that was formerly occupied by MAPFRE Insurance, it was not only a case of one Massachusetts insurance business getting swapped in for another, it also represented the former company’s first foray into the New York State insurance market. Founded in Boston in 1982 by New York City native Jim Stone, the Plymouth Rock Company writes and manages $1.3 billion in auto and home insurance premiums across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Stone’s pre-Plymouth Rock years had him being appointed as chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission by President Jimmy Carter. And while his company has significant New England ties, the CEO maintains Long Island roots by way of his serving as a trustee on the board of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a genetics and cancer research institute.
Plymouth Rock Assurance Vice President of Claims Louis Palomeque is excited to have the company’s 65-member staff start to make inroads into the local community. “I’ve been with Plymouth Rock for 13 years. I started out in the Boston office, relocated to New Jersey and I recently relocated to my home state of New York at the end of this past December,” he explained. “I was born and raised in East Patchogue, so I’m happy to be back in New York. A lot of my friends said that a lot of people are leaving New York, but I decided to come back. I’m happy to be back with my friends and family along with the chance to experience new opportunities with Plymouth Rock.”
Palomeque has worked in the insurance business for nearly 30 years as a claims adjuster. With Plymouth Rock having the opportunity to grow business in New York, and more specifically Garden City and the surrounding area, the Cold Spring Harbor resident sees great potential with the team of independent agents who’ll be working to help out the company’s potential clients.
“What attracted me to this line of work was that it was a job out of college. After that, I’m in the forefront in claims helping people get back to where they need to be. Whether that’s an auto accident, a home owner’s loss or whatever it may be, it’s really just getting people back to where they once were,” he said. “Claims is a very hard thing to deal with. When people have an accident, I’m glad that we’re part of helping them get back to where they need to be with their cars, injuries or whatever it may be.”
