Q. How long have you been in the insurance business?
A. I started my career as a team member for a State Farm agent in 1986, right out of college. I opened my agency in Summerville 28 years ago. I’ve been in the business for 32 years
Q. Why did you choose the insurance profession?
A. I have a degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina, with a double major in Insurance and Administrative Management. I chose this field because I felt I would be able to run my own business as well as help others. I chose State Farm because we are the leader in the industry in market share and provide exceptional claim service.
Q. When did you open your North Mount Pleasant office, and why did you think it was a good idea to have a presence in that part of town?
A. The opportunity to open a second office was part of a pilot program State Farm introduced in 2012. That year, I was selected to open the first multiple agent office in South Carolina. Mount Pleasant was one of the areas offered to me by the company. I chose it because it’s a great community with an opportunity to build a very successful agency in a market that we didn’t quite reach from Summerville. It’s also closer to my hometown of Georgetown, and it gives me an opportunity to reach that market as well.
Q. How has the insurance business changed in recent years? How do you think it will change in the future?
A. Other companies have tried to make it more of a commodity. Some of their advertising leads the public to believe that it’s all the same and the only thing to be considered is price. It’s much more than price, especially when it comes to homeowner’s insurance. Policyholders need to understand the exclusions and limitations in their actual policy and not just compare price. While we have competitive rates, we also have the largest claims force in the industry. No other carrier has the financial resources we have to take care of a major catastrophe.
Q. What sets you apart from your competition?
A. Exceptional customer service. While there will always be customers that are difficult to satisfy, the overwhelming majority of the people we have worked with the past 28 years will tell you we take great care of them at claim time as well as for their day-to-day customer service needs. I have an extraordinary group of over 20 licensed team members who take great pride in the service we provide.
To learn more, visit https://www.tonypopeagent.com.
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