Mount Pleasant Magazine 6.3

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Gina
Schirmer
For Gina Schirmer, owninG and
operating an insurance agency is second
nature. She is CEO of Schirmer Insurance
Group LLC, in Mount Pleasant.
Originally from Greenville, South Caroli-
na, Schirmer comes from a family insurance
background that exceeds 62 years, beginning with her
grandfather, Gene Adams, a 40-year Nationwide Insur-
ance agent. A high school file clerk and receptionist in the
insurance office, she said with satisfaction, “The summer
job was always secure.”
In 1983, after graduating from Winthrop University
with a degree in Foreign Politics and a minor in Spanish,
she married Mount Pleasant native Sam Schirmer.
“My grandfather and my grandmother baited Sam
just enough to spark his interest in insurance and en-
couraged him to interview with Nationwide, and that
was the beginning of our Lowcountry insurance life
together,” she said.
After five years in commercial banking and real estate,
she worked privately doing interior design and renovation
projects while assisting her husband with building and
growing Sam Schirmer Nationwide Insurance Agency – and
setting about raising a family.
“The three children added the icing to the cake, bringing
major joy and consistent activity to our lives,” she said.
Schirmer has engaged in every aspect of parenting, from
teaching academics to coaching sports. She also acted as
Booster Club president, PTA president and board member
for the Charleston Collegiate School for a number of years.
In 2009, when the couple’s youngest child started high
school, Schirmer returned to the insurance business full-
time and with vigor. She began the foundation work to
open an independent insurance agency, and, in 2011 part-
nered with her oldest son, Sass Schirmer, to open the doors
of Schirmer Insurance Group.
Today, Schirmer Insurance Group focuses on the individual
insurance needs of its clients and finds solid solutions based
on the planned, as well as the unexpected. The agency offers a
variety of carrier options and a full line of insurance products.
They gladly share their knowledge of personal and commercial
property insurance guidelines within the coastal region.
Since its inception in 2009, the company has doubled
in size, according to Gina Schirmer, and obtained a “full
fledged” sales team, marketing team and human resources
department. Finding the right fit within the company is a
passion for Schirmer, as she values happy employees who
will keep the clients happy as well.
“We are very service and relationship focused,” she
explained. “We strive to have an environment that stays on
top of sales and service.”
One way the company keeps that service promise is
through a new digital platform that sends automated emails
to clients and prospective clients. As for sales, the company
has achieved five acquisitions since 2009 and maintains an
“internal structure that allows for growth,” according to
Schirmer. Her daughter, Grayson, who obtained her insur-
ance license in January 2016, recently came on board for
marketing and social media.
“We’re all about relationships,” Gina Schirmer empha-
sized. “We encourage everyone on the team to engage with
the community and give back. We want our clients to feel
satisfied after speaking with us.”
Schirmer Insurance Group
Mount Pleasant and Moncks Corner
843-881-1771
Photo by Jenn Cady.