“Main Street America is your best friend,” Kay Baker, customer service representative at the James S. Sullivan Agency in Williamson,

N. Y., recently told her customer who had just been in a car accident. “They will take care of everything.” And so we did. Kay’s customer was shaken from her accident. She could not sleep at night. Money was a concern. She lived in a rural area and the last thing she needed was a car that was not drivable. But when Main Street America’s claims Customer Care Unit received the first notice of loss, they quickly swung into action. Our adjuster had the car appraised. Our claims representative paid the medical bills. And when the customer’s car was being repaired, all rental expenses were covered.

Throughout the claims process, Kay was a valued consultant and soothing presence, connecting her customer to the claims employees responsible for handling her loss and helping her complete the necessary paperwork.

When the car’s damage had been inspected and repaired, we sent Kay’s customer a $7,700 check. She was so pleased with the service from Main Street America and the Sullivan Agency that she sent Kay a bouquet of flowers.

Then there was the time that a distraught man walked into Kay’s office saying he had just hit a deer with his car and he did not know what to do. The Sullivan Agency participates in our Immediate Customer Service Program, so Kay handed him a claims check on the spot.

“He was quite happy when he walked out of my office,” she said.

For Kay, these claim resolutions reflect the overall responsive service she has received from Main Street America for the past 30 years.

“CSRs often have a favorite insurance company. Mine is Main Street America.

They’re always there for me. We have a great working relationship. I like that when I call the underwriting office, I just say, ‘It’s me, again,’ and they immediately know who it is.” The responsiveness of claims and underwriting extends to our field force.

“Main Street America does things the old fashioned way – face-to-face,” said Jim Sullivan, president of the agency. “LeeAnn VanParys, our Main Street America field rep, visits our office regularly. When something comes up, she gets right on it.” Kay added, “I really appreciate it when LeeAnn comes to my office. She updates us on what is new with the company, and helps us with underwriting and claims issues. Because of our relationship, it makes me want to do more for Main Street America.” Jim said it is this focus on personal relationships and responsiveness that sets Main Street America apart from its competitors and why we are among the Sullivan Agency’s top three carriers.

It is also why our partnership has endured.

Jim assumed management of the agency from his father in 1974, growing it from one office to 17 throughout Central Western New York State. Through the acquisition of one of these offices in 1980, he began representing Main Street America.

“From the beginning of our relationship, I have been impressed with Main Street America’s commitment to its agents,” Jim said. “When the carrier refers to its agents as customers, it tells me that they view the agency relationship as important. In this day and age where insurers experiment with alterative marketing schemes, to have a company so rock solid behind its agency force is very reassuring.”