As he celebrates the three-year anniversary of establishing the GEICO Local Office of New Hyde Park, owner Ryan McGowan, who’s spent his entire career at GEICO, will commemorate another milestone with the insurance giant.
“This coming September will be 35 years,” McGowan says. “The first 32 years were spent as a corporate employee; now the last years as a GEICO exclusive agency owner.” Starting at GEICO just two months after graduating from Chaminade High School, McGowan went on to study Communications and Business at St. John’s University.
“When I graduated from college, I realized I’d already had a career started, so I continued with insurance and worked my way up from there,” says McGowan, who over the years worked in and managed the sales, customer service and underwriting departments and then worked in GEICO agency management. “For the last 10 years, I managed GEICO’s agencies up and down the east coast, from West Virginia all the way up through Maine, and had the opportunity to see what it was like to own an agency and work for yourself, and at the same time represent a terrific brand like GEICO. When the opportunity became available here on Long Island, we jumped at it.”
The New Hyde Park office is a family affair, with McGowan’s wife Eileen managing the office.
“She has 38 years with GEICO,” McGowan says. “So, there’s a lot of experience between us and the other agents here as well to help customers with their insurance needs.”
Starting from scratch, the New Hyde Park office opened in May 2022.
“We started with myself and my wife and four agents and now we have 14 agents,” McGowan says. “So, it’s been building steadily over the last three years.”
A FULL-SERVICE AGENCY
As a GEICO-exclusive agency, the New Hyde Park office offers comprehensive coverage and personalized service to its customers including auto, home, condo, renters, motorcycle and boat insurance, as well as jewelry and umbrella policies. The agency even offers flood insurance and classic car insurance.
“We can meet just about all customers’ insurance needs with the types of policies we can offer,” McGowan says.
“GEICO is known for its auto insurance but offers many other insurance coverages as well,” McGowan says. “There are also many ways we can offer savings. If you bundle your different policies together, there’s generally a bundling discount. It can be a terrific benefit to consumers if they bundle their auto along with their home, condo, co/op or renters insurance with us.”
Discounts are also available for customers who take defensive driving courses.
“We encourage everyone to take a defensive driving course to reduce the premium on their auto policies,” says McGowan, adding that the course is also offered online. “Insurance in New York can be expensive, so this is a way to offset some of that cost. Completion of the course earns customers a 10 percent discount on certain coverages on the policy, so taking that course can mean substantial savings and it’s good for 3 years from when the course was completed.”
As an exclusive agent of GEICO, a highly rated insurance company with an established 89-year history, McGowan is proud to “represent the GEICO brand.”
“It is important to me and all our agents that we spend time with each of our customers to ensure they have the right insurance coverage that meets their needs and gives them peace of mind. We want our customers to sleep well at night knowing they have the proper insurance in place to protect them from the unexpected,” McGowan says.
While they offer the same great rates that GEICO offers through its other channels, the GEICO Local Office of New Hyde Park offers the opportunity to have a local agent who knows the local consumer in New Hyde Park, on Long Island and in New York City.
“I was born in Glendale and raised in Levittown,” McGowan says. “My grandparents actually lived here in New Hyde Park, so it was like a second home for me growing up. So, we offer the same terrific service you get from GEICO, except on a local level. We offer a different type of experience and that’s what makes us special.”
AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE COMMUNITY
The agency is open six days a week, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
“We offer expanded hours beyond most agencies to assist customers at times that are convenient for them,” McGowan says.
The agency’s staff is very reflective of the community.
“We have multilingual agents here,” McGowan says. “We can assist customers in Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Tagalog. We try to help customers in every way we can in their native language.”
Excellent service is reflected in the community’s reviews.
“We have over 1,800 five-star reviews on Google,” McGowan says. “We have a five-star rating overall.”
Giving back to the community is a key part of the agency’s ethos.
McGowan is on the board of directors for the Greater New Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce and participates in many events through its Benevolence Committee, including food drives and golf outings.
Beyond the Chamber, the agency has held its own food drives, serves as a drop-off location for Toys for Tots each year, is a sponsor for Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s annual walk and the Making Strides Jones Beach Walk to support breast cancer research.
“We have back to school campaigns where we hand out backpacks to a local school district for children who may be more in need of school supplies,” McGowan says. “We will also be an official sponsor of the NYSPHSAA Section VIII high school sports for this upcoming school year, including the presenting sponsor for the Nassau County cross country championships.”
Many people don’t realize that GEICO stands for Government Employees Insurance Company.
“That’s how it started,” McGowan says. “So, GEICO focuses a lot on the military and veterans, which we do as well. My dad was a Vietnam veteran, so that’s another cause that’s near and dear to my heart. We work with the local VFW in Garden City Park, marching in the parade and sponsoring some of their activities throughout the year including collecting gift cards for veterans in need around the holidays.”
The GEICO Local Office of New Hyde Park is in the business of building community.
“We’re not just here to help with insurance, but we’re also here to be a contributing member to the community and give back wherever we can,” McGowan says.
The GEICO Local Office of New Hyde Park is located at 677 Hillside Ave., New Hyde Park, 516-302-2130. For more information, email Ryan McGowan: rymcgowan@geico.com or visit geico.com/new-hyde-park-mcgowan or ryanmcgowaninsurance.com.
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