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2015 Agent of the Year

In the photo, from left: Charlie Makey, Senior Vice President, Insurance Operations, Merchants Insurance Group; Bill Anthony, Sr., President/Principal, R & W Brokerage; Rosalie Anthony, Principal, R & W Brokerage; Bill Anthony, Jr., Vice President/Principal, R & W Brokerage; Bob Zak, President/CEO, Merchants Insurance Group; and Eric Feit, Regional Vice President, Eastern Strategic Business Center (Long Island), Merchants Insurance Group.

R & W Brokerage Inc., Lynbrook, New York, has been honored by Merchants Insurance Group with the 2015 Agent of the Year award. The award was presented to agency principal and vice president, Bill Anthony, Jr. at a celebration in March.

The Agent of the Year award recognizes one of Merchants’ more than 1,000 independent agencies for achieving success through outstanding customer service. Award recipients must embrace Merchants’ core values of integrity, respect, loyalty, teamwork and the aspiration to improve.

Bob Zak, president and CEO of Merchants, said, “We at Merchants are proud to be represented by Bill Anthony, Jr. and the team at R&W Brokerage, including Bill’s mother, father and sisters. They are an extraordinarily progressive insurance agency that takes outstanding care of their clients. We look forward to many years of continued mutual success.”

“The Principals and staff at R & W Brokerage Inc. are honored to have been chosen as the 2015 Merchants’ ‘Agent of the Year,’” said Bill Anthony Jr., of the agency. “We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone at Merchants. It has been a very rewarding experience working with our partners – both the executives and their highly professional and experienced staff. We look forward to continuous success in the future with the company, who always exhibits their commitment to the Independent Agents.”

R & W Brokerage Inc., founded in 1961 by Bill Anthony, Sr., has been working with Merchants since 2001. For more than 50 years, the agency has had a reputation for honesty and hometown service. A true family enterprise with deep roots in the community, they have continued the family tradition of serving the community through strong customer service and providing quality insurance products.

R & W Brokerage Inc. has had a good loss ratio and good written premium for many years with Merchants, their new business with Merchants increased 124% since last year, and their Commercial Retention is exceptional at 95% each year.

Bill Anthony, Jr. has also been heavily involved in Merchants’ activities, and has served as the past Chair and Vice Chair of the Merchants Co-Chair Agent Advisory Council. He has also attended numerous local Merchants council and ideation meetings.

The agency has also earned membership in this year’s Merchants Insurance Group President’s Club as well as this year’s corporate incentive trip. Both trips have been earned because the agency has met sales and growth goals during the past few years.

Charlie Makey, Senior Vice President – Insurance Operations at Merchants, said “R&W Brokerage Inc. is a very professional family run independent agency. The mutual trust we have developed has cultivated our relationship and allowed us to build consistent, profitable growth. Their staff is enjoyable to work with and they skillfully match their clients’ needs to Merchants’ appetite. We are honored to count them as a one of our elite agents.”

About R & W Brokerage Inc.

R & W Brokerage Inc. takes pride in providing professional, customized insurance services for businesses and individuals. They serve the insurance needs of thousands of businesses and families throughout the greater New York area, using their experience to help navigate unique risks and create customized insurance programs. For more information, visit www.rwbrokerage.com.

Merchants Insurance Group

Merchants Insurance Group

Merchants Insurance Group sells its products through a network of more than 1,000 independent insurance agents in Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. We sell our products through independent insurance agents because we believe they provide value to policyholders through their broad range of products and their insurance expertise.