The following is an excerpt from James Metzger’s bio:
“James Metzger (Jim) is Chairman and CEO of the Whitmore Group, Ltd., a leading insurance brokerage on Long Island that he founded in 1989. He is also a prominent philanthropist on Long Island and a former star athlete.
Jim entered the insurance industry in 1983. He was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with two of the industry’s most prolific sales executives, Richard Ferrucci and Frank DeMartino. Jim went on to found his own award winning agency, The Whitmore Group, Ltd., in 1989.
The Whitmore Group now has more than 70 employees. They provide a full range of insurance products and services including Commercial Property and Casualty, a specialized Funeral Services Program, Personal Insurance, Health Benefits, Life Insurance, Estate Planning, Financial Services, Real Estate Insurance Programs and Claims Services. The company has received many industry awards. Some of their most notable accomplishments include the 1995 Travelers Insurance Award of Excellence as top performing agent in the United States, Chubb Insurance Group’s Cornerstone Elite Agency designation yearly for 2007-2010, Harleysville Insurance Northeast Agent of the Year for 2005, member of the Merchants Insurance Group Presidents Club 2009-2010 and the Ace Insurance Company’s Elite Network Agency designation.
Early in his career, Jim identified the funeral industry as a business segment underserved by insurance. He worked diligently to develop specialized programs with a variety of insurance companies. The Whitmore Group offers competitively priced property and casualty coverage to funeral service professionals. It has grown to be the largest broker provider of commercial property and casualty insurance to the funeral industry nationwide. Among The Whitmore Group’s many association relationships, they are proud to be the endorsed Affinity Insurance provider for the Metropolitan Funeral Directors Association, the Connecticut State Funeral Directors Association, and the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association.
An alumnus of Hofstra University ’83 and Half Hollow Hills High School ‘77, Jim was an outstanding athlete who set records for both schools. He was a Suffolk County All-Star running back known for starting every game in his 3-year varsity football career. When he graduated in 1977, he was the school’s all-time leading scorer and rusher. As a sophomore, Jim played for the 1974-1975 HHH varsity basketball teams when they were in the playoffs. As a lacrosse player, Jim was a high school All-American and a Suffolk County scoring champion. He won the Ray Enners Award as the outstanding lacrosse player in Suffolk County in 1977. In his senior year, Jim was the only athlete to be selected to play in both the North-South All-Star Football game and the North-South All-Star Lacrosse game. After high school, Jim attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School where he was the lacrosse team’s leading scorer and Most Valuable Player. Jim played for the Hofstra University lacrosse team in 1979-80. He was named to the 1980 USILA Division 1 All-American team in his sophomore season. His scoring average of 4.9 points per game still stands as the Sophomore Record and ranks as fourth best in the history of the Hofstra lacrosse program.
Jim is appreciative of his success. Realizing that others are not as fortunate as he, he has reached out to help them through philanthropic gifts and service. In addition to sitting as a director on the Board of Trustees of the Funeral Service Foundation, Jim has also given them a considerable financial donation. The Funeral Service Foundation is an organization that supports funeral service and allied professionals through public grants and charitable contributions. Its mission is to provide resources for funeral service career and professional development, increase public awareness and education, support grief and bereavement services, and improve children’s lives.
Metzger has been extremely supportive of his alma mater Hofstra University. In recognition of the time he spent playing lacrosse for Hofstra, he donated funds to build the Royle-Sombrotto Men’s Locker Room and the James C. Metzger Women’s Locker Room. He also provided funding for the DiBlasi-D’Amato Hallways Tradition Project celebrating the history of the men’s and women’s lacrosse and football programs. Jim serves on the Hofstra University Pride Club Board and is a member of their Blue and Gold Society. In addition to his generous funding of building projects, he has also honored former teammate Gary Arnold, former coach and Hofstra legend Kevin Huff, and the Unterstein family – Chris, Kevin and Mike. Plus, he has supported academics at Hofstra by recently funding a summer internship within the Center for Civic Engagement in honor of History Professor Michael D’Innocenzo. Hofstra University recently acknowledged Jim’s overall contributions by naming the James C. Metzger-Kevin Huff Lacrosse Offices after him.Jim and fellow Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Long Island Board Member, E. David Woycik have set up The James C. Metzger and E. David Woycik Endowment Fund through the single largest contribution in the history of BBBS of Long Island. The fund will ensure that the BBBS of Long Island will continue its mission to help provide adult mentors for children at risk despite the economic downturn that damaged many Long Island non-profits.”
The Whitmore Group
Founded in 1989, The Whitmore Group, Ltd. has steadily built our business beyond insurance brokering. Each of our managers is vital to the operation and structure of The Whitmore Group. I invite you to review our website for information about the divisions of The Whitmore Group and our management team. Working together is something The Whitmore Group does exceptionally well.
At The Whitmore Group, we understand the importance of providing insurance products that meet the needs and concerns of our clients as well as building relationships that stand the test of time. That is why, at The Whitmore Group, A Relationship Is A Partnership.
The Whitmore Group, Ltd. provides the gamut of insurance products and services such as Commercial Property and Casualty, our specialized Funeral Services Program, Personal Insurance, Health Benefits, Life Insurance and Estate Planning, Financial Services, Real Estate Insurance Programs, and Claim Services.
The Whitmore Group is committed to simplifying the insurance purchasing process for our clients while securing their coverage with only the finest insurance providers available. For these reasons, we encourage you to communicate your reaction. Your comments and thoughts are most welcome as we continue to serve you better.
Commercial Insurance
As a business owner, you understand the importance of protecting yourself against the exposures that exist while operating your company. The value of comprehensive Property and Casualty coverage that is tailored for your industry can make the difference between having coverage for a claim and having to pay for a costly loss out of your own pocket. Unfortunately, in most cases, it takes the reality of an uncovered loss for many company owners and managers to finally have an expert review their current insurance coverages. At Whitmore, we pride ourselves on offering solutions to the problems of business owners and these solutions lead to the creation of long-term relationships with our clients.
Real Estate Insurance
The Whitmore Group Real Estate Division has an experienced, professional account team to provide you with the service and expertise you deserve. We will complete an analysis of your current Property & Casualty coverages and design a comprehensive & competitively priced insurance program that provides coverage for all of your exposures. We will do periodic reviews of your account in order to identify any potential problem areas while confirming that the exposures on your policies are up to date. Additionally, we will re-market your account each year so that you are aware of new coverage enhancements and alternate programs that may have become available since your last renewal. We assist our clients and our clients’ attorneys in conducting reviews of leases and contracts. Following our review, we recommend suitable contractual wording that serves to limit our insured’s potential loss while transferring that responsibility to other parties.
Funeral Services
The Whitmore Group, Ltd. understands the importance of providing insurance products that meet the needs and concerns of our clients, as well as the significance of building relationships that stand the test of time. It is for these reasons that we believe at The Whitmore Group, A Relationship Is a Partnership.
The Whitmore Group, Ltd. is a full service insurance agency specializing in the placement of insurance protection for the funeral industry. As a result of our focus and dedication to this area, The Whitmore Group has become the funeral industry’s largest provider of commercial property and casualty insurance which has earned us the trust of our clients. Our nationwide Funeral Services Insurance Program has emerged as “the choice” for the discerning death care professional.
Transportation Insurance Services
The Whitmore Group is one of the region’s leading brokerages specializing in limousine, bus and taxi insurance, offering a full range of transportation insurance products covering all of your transportation requirements.
Our many years of negotiating experience and market knowledge allows us the opportunity to obtain the best coverage available, at the best possible price, regardless of the situation. The Whitmore Group is best known in the industry for finding the best, most economical program that fits all programs, regardless of size, mix or history.
Whitmore’s transportation group only deals with the highest rated insurance companies, dedicated and established for the industry.
Our service is considered to be second to none, as our customers rely on us to handle all of their everyday activities related to insurance. Our in-house claims, MVR checks, instant insurance card issuing only scratches the surface to what we offer new, and existing clients. Once with Whitmore, you’ll never have to deal directly with the insurance company again, as our job is to be the advocate for the insured.
“Once with Whitmore, you are truly regarded as a family member, and will be treated as such” James C. Metzger – owner of The Whitmore Group. “We pride ourselves in treating your policy as if it’s ours, both in price, coverage and service”.
Personal Insurance
Risk is a fact of life both professionally and personally; however, risk can also be managed. With an experienced partner such as The Whitmore Group, we will assist you in assessing, reducing and planning for risk.
Since The Whitmore Group’s inception in 1989, we have understood that our business is much more than just the brokering of insurance. It is the management of relationships with our clients as well as understanding their personal insurance exposures. We understand the importance of identifying, controlling and transferring our clients’ risks to quality insurance companies.
Health Insurance
As a business owner or executive, you are well aware of the challenges that the health insurance arena presents.
The rising cost of group employee benefits, coupled with the increases demands on Human Resource services, present important challenges that must be met head on and with knowledge and expertise.
Our staff has extensive experience in designing benefit plans that best meet the needs of small business, as well as the complex structures of large, multi-site organizations.
Financial, Life, & Estate Planning
The Whitmore Group’s Financial Services is dedicated to meeting the financial needs of our clients. We have the professional skills and experience that are necessary to tailor a financial plan that will protect, preserve and enhance your wealth.
Claims Services
When you have an automobile accident or you are notified by a third-party that he was injured on your premises, you need to be confident that your claims representatives will not only provide a timely and accurate description of the incident to your insurance company, but also that they will pursue a resolution that is most beneficial to you. You need to be comfortable that your claims representative is monitoring each step of the claims settling process.
The Whitmore Group’s Claims Services Division prides itself on requesting the information pertinent to each claim and then reporting these details to ensure that your carrier will react quickly to protect your interests. Once your claim is assigned to the company’s adjustor, our claims representatives work together with that adjustor to arrive at a fair and justified conclusion.
Whitmore Advisory Group
The Whitmore Advisory Group, LLC (WAG) is a full service business development firm, dedicated to helping entrepreneurs reach their full potential. We specialize in assisting small to medium size businesses in these difficult economic times. WAG services include the following areas of expertise:
- MANAGEMENT AND SALES CONSULTING
- BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT/OPERATIONS REVIEW
- DIRECTOR / EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT AND ADVISORY BOARD CONSULTING
- COMMERCIAL PRIVATE LENDING SERVICES
Management consulting services: Comprehensive Analysis of the business including, Cash Flow, Funding, Human Capital Management, Performance, Growth, and Succession Strategies.
Sales and Marketing development and implementation including: Sales and recruiting strategies; Sales incentive based pay structure creation; Assistance in screening, interviewing and hiring salespeople as a profit center rather than an expense.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT/OPERATIONS REVIEW
Perform an in depth unbiased review of: company history, organization, sales, expense control, policies, procedures, systems and financials. Make recommendations on strengths and weaknesses based on review to maximize profits. Profit engineering by developing and recommending incentives to key business drivers.
DIRECTOR / EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT AND ADVISORY BOARD CONSULTING
Assisting management in reviewing organizational changes, analysis of existing business issues. Assisting in the development of strategic plans for improvement.
COMMERCIAL PRIVATE LENDING SERVICES
Our Commercial Private Lending Services include:
- We offer funds to borrowers in need of immediate capital.
- We can provide money in as little as 7 days.
- We lend against all property types including: multifamily, hotels, land, office, industrial, retail, single family and partnership interests.
- We can fund any type of transaction including: purchase, refinance, new construction, development, foreclosure, bankruptcy and others.
Industry Leadership – The Funeral Services Foundation
James Metzger is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Funeral Service Foundation. The Funeral Service Foundation is a national public grant making organization whose mission is, through charitable gifts and grants, to provide resources for Career and professional development, the support of funeral service and allied professions, public awareness and education, and the improvement of children’s lives.
Excerpted from Funeral Service Foundation Press Release
