Press Releases for the Ted Todd Insurance Agency of Southwest Florida

Ted Todd Insurance collects books for Boys and Girls Club Book Drive

Fort Myers, FL – December 9, 2009 – The Ted Todd Insurance Agency is seeking book donations geared for children ages 6 – 18 through January 18, 2010 to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lee County. It has seven neighborhood offices throughout Lee, Collier and Sarasota Counties. Books can be dropped off weekdays any of the Ted Todd Insurance locations.

The books are being collected as part of Allstate’s “Give Back Day” on January 18, 2010, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, to honor Dr. King and four other remarkable individuals whose humanity and commitment to volunteerism have made significant impacts throughout our communities and motivated many others to become volunteers. Locally, celebrity readers will read donated books at 2:00 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Clubs’ Shady Oaks facility at 3280 Marion Avenue, Fort Myers. For more information and to learn how to get involved, visit www.beyondfebruary.com.

The Boys and Girls Clubs offer after-school programs for boys and girls at six neighborhood locations to help children grow and develop their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. For more information, contact any representative of Ted Todd Insurance Agency www.tedtoddinsurance.com or call Brian Culbertson at (239) 561-1100. Donate your books to help make a difference for our children.

Fort Myers, FL – Nov. 2, 2009 – Ted Todd Insurance Agency www.tedtoddinsurance.com opens its seventh Southwest Florida area office in Bonita Springs today. The new 3,000 SF facility is conveniently located at 10020 Coconut Road, Suite 144, at the corner of Three Oaks Parkway in the Brooks Sweetbay Shopping Center. Plans for the space include a centralized customer service and training center. The location will be especially convenient to the firm’s clients in the Copperleaf, Brooks, Spring Run and Shadow Wood communities.

Irene Gestrich is the resident manager of the new office. Ms. Gestrich recently rejoined Ted Todd Insurance Agency, following 18 years at the Allstate home office in Northbrook, IL and an earlier position with Ted Todd in Melbourne, FL. She has an MBA from DePaul University’s Entrepreneurship program and a BA in Business also from DePaul. Ted Todd will also relocate to the new office from the firm's headquarters at 10012 Gulf Coast Town Center.

The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals locally providing home, auto, business, commercial, retirement, and life insurance products at its seven regional offices located throughout Lee, Collier and Sarasota Counties. For more information, Ms. Gestrich can be reached at 239-949-1111.

Two decades as an insurance agent, and still growing

In 1985, 30-year-old computer salesman Ted Todd — who a year later would begin an epic career in insurance, building one of the country's most successful Allstate agencies — moved to Southwest Florida with his family. He had a bachelor's degree in marketing and a minor in computers from the University of Evansville and had previously sold early versions of personal computers with 10-megabyte hard drives.

One of his first stops was the Edison Mall in Fort Myers, where he bought renter's insurance. An Allstate agent there suggested he get into the businesses. "One thing led to another," Mr. Todd said, and he joined an Allstate booth at the mall inside Sears department store in 1986.

He's still married to Marilyn and their family has grown to four children and two grandchildren, while the Ted Todd Insurance Agency continues to grow. He oversees about 30 employees at seven offices in Lee, Collier and Sarasota counties, selling about $30 million a year in policies. The agency has been rated one of the tops in Florida for more than a decade and Mr. Todd's success made him a member of Allstates' hall of fame at the company headquarters in Chicago.

"In those days Sears was the biggest retail store in the country," he said, "And the type of people that were moving to Florida had grown up with Sears and they trusted Sears. (And) the good-hand symbol was one of the most trusted symbols. They'd walk up and say 'hey I need home or car insurance,' and they were comfortable and it was busy. It was a busy, busy place."

Homeowners' insurance and automobile insurance are still two of the primary policies he sells, although now he offers a broad range of products that cover most insurance needs.

Looking back, Mr. Todd attributes the success to hard work, but also identified some key turning points along the way. One was a Dale Carnegie lecture he attended in 1985 in which the public speaker advised, "It's good to be outside your comfort zone." Mr. Todd said he pushed himself to make more bold decisions after that, including starting a new business.

Mr. Todd also continued to stay abreast of technological advances. For instance, he was the first agent at the Sears Allstate booth to purchase a pager so clients could reach him on the road. "And the other six agents made fun of me," he said. "But in two or three months, every agent in that booth had a pager."

Now, with the help of operations manager Brian Culbertson, he uses social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to promote his company and get his message to clients.

Mr. Todd rented his agency's first office in Gateway, a community in Fort Myers, for about $700 per month. In 1997, a friend — a prominent Lee County Realtor — suggested that Mr. Todd look at expanding to Estero since new communities were being built.

"I went down there and to me there wasn't anything but cow pastures," Mr. Todd said, "And I can't sell insurance to cattle. So I decided I wasn't going to do this. It'd be suicide. I'd go broke. But it was still kind of in the back of my head."

A month later, he took another drive to Estero, saw a new Publix grocery store and plaza opening up, and changed his mind. He wasn't comfortable with the decision, but remembered Mr. Carnegie's advice, to stay outside your comfort zone.

"I didn't really have the money to build out at the time," he said. "(But) I just said 'I'm gonna do it.'"

About three years later, Estero had grown rapidly, and Mr. Todd opened another new office, in Bonita Springs.

In 2005, Mr. Todd acquired offices in Lehigh Acres when he bought out the Allstate agent who, 20 years earlier, recommended he go into insurance.

The dynamics of his company began to change in other ways. For instance, he started looking to hire agents with college degrees and pay them a salary instead of commission. Hurricane Charley also changed the way he did business. Allstate decided to allow Mr. Todd and other agents to sell products by other insurance agencies besides Allstate, giving them a broader range of options and customers.

As for the recession, Mr. Todd said that for him "it was like a tiny hole in the bottom of the bucket" compared to the growth that keeps his company growing.

In recent years, Mr. Todd joined the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Club of Lee County and participated in fundraising efforts there. His role in his insurance agency is also changing. He has hired others for specialized positions like underwriting and managers to take over some of his past duties. Mr. Todd plans to open more offices — although he is in "no hurry" to do so — and use his experience to teach new insurance agents.

"Now I'm entering into a different stage of my career which is mentoring and teaching and training," Mr. Todd said. "It's just a different role than I have today. Maybe I'm more of a businessman."

Ted Todd Insurance Agency Florida Homeowners Insurance Through Castle Key Insurance Companies

Fort Myers, FL – September 17, 2009 – The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has begun offering Florida homeowners insurance to owners and renters of homes, condos, and mobile homes through the recently renamed Castle Key Insurance and Castle Key Indemnity Companies, wholly owned subsidiaries of Allstate Insurance Company. The Castle Key companies are financially strong companies with extensive reinsurance and a Financial Stability Rating® of A' (A Prime - Unsurpassed) from Demotech, Inc., an independent financial analysis firm. Formerly known as “Allstate Floridian Insurance Company”, Castle Key has 225,000 policies in force in Florida and expects to write another 50,000 new Florida Homeowners Insurance Policies over the next three years. “We’re finding their rates on homeowner insurance policies to be extremely competitive,” said Brian Culbertson, Operations Manager for Ted Todd Insurance Company.

The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals locally providing home, auto, business, commercial, retirement, and life insurance products at its six regional offices located throughout Lee, Collier and Sarasota Counties. For more information, contact Brian Culbertson at 239-768-7000.

Fort Myers, FL - 08/26/2009 – No matter the time of year, the aftermath of a storm can be devastating, leaving people without homes or dealing with major repairs. While we can’t predict natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, fires or floods, homeowners and renters can make sure their property and belongings are properly inventoried and adequately protected. The Atlantic hurricane season stretches through Nov. 30 and early preparation is the best way to help protect your family and property. Regardless of whether you own or rent, you need to ask yourself, “If disaster struck my home today, would I know or have any records of what I owned and lost?” Remember that even though it can take years to accumulate possessions, they could be gone in a split second in a natural disaster.

Ted Todd Insurance Agency recommends that you compile a detailed home inventory of your belongings to ensure that disaster recovery is as easy as possible following a loss. An accurate, up-to-date home inventory can make all the difference in documenting your possessions for insurance claims purposes. Five steps to a good home inventory

• Ted Todd Insurance feels the most reliable home inventory list is one that also includes photographs or video of your belongings. If you have a home video camera, take periodic videos of each room in your house. Focus on individual items in each room. Include anything you have of value, such as jewelry, silver and related valuables or keepsakes. The same recommendations apply if you’re using a conventional camera. The key is to be very thorough.

• Secondly, create a detailed written list of what you own. Be specific as specific and descriptive in your written inventory as possible. It is wise to also include make, model, serial numbers, receipts, and date of purchase for all items in your home inventory.

• Store your home inventory list in a safe, secure location other than in your home. If you have a bank safe deposit box, keep your list there. If you don’t have a safe deposit box, ask a friend or relative to keep your inventory list in a safe place. Ted Todd recommends that you store your home inventory list far enough away from your home that it won’t be lost in the same disaster event that may destroy your house. However, make sure your home inventory list is also close enough so that it is easily accessible when you need it in an emergency.

• Be sure to update your home inventory after any major purchase or gift. You should be updating your home inventory periodically, anyway—but make a special effort to add items after any major purchase, holidays, or birthdays.

• It is also wise to share your home inventory list with your insurance agent so that he or she can help you decide if your coverage adequately meets your needs. (Coverage and discounts are subject to availability and qualifications. Other terms, conditions and exclusions may apply.)

The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals providing home, auto, business, commercial, retirement, and life insurance products at its six regional offices located throughout Lee, Collier and Sarasota Counties. For more information, contact Brian Culbertson at 239-768-7000.

Ted Todd Insurance Agency helps nearly 600 homeowners eliminate mandatory flood insurance policies

Fort Myers, FL – July 30, 2009 – The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has helped nearly 600 area homeowners get removed from mandatory flood insurance requirements through the FEMA Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) process.

Ted Todd and Maggie Vargas have worked with entire communities, individual residents and Bean, Whitaker, Lutz & Kareh, Inc. civil engineers for the last seven months to help property owners convert FEMA primary flood zone to secondary flood zone determinations that eliminate mandatory flood insurance. They jointly held informational meetings in the Copperleaf, Cascades, San Carlos, Miromar Lakes, Corkscrew, Garden Lakes and Shadow Woods at the Brook communities to explain the LOMA process and offer assistance. Individual elevation surveys found almost 600 properties so far to be in secondary flood zones—a change that could save affected mortgage holders around $300,000 a year in premiums.

"We feel it’s still a good idea in our low-lying Florida landscape for property owners in secondary flood zones to carry optional preferred flood policies that cost 50-80% less than standard policies," said Ted Todd, "but most mortgage companies eliminate mandatory flood insurance coverage for qualifying properties."

The Todd Agency continues to spearhead the program as a community service to help property owners understand their options and make smart choices. The Ted Todd Insurance Agency www.TedToddInsurance.com has over 30 licensed professionals locally providing home, auto, business, commercial, retirement, and life insurance products at its six regional offices located throughout Lee, Collier and Sarasota Counties. For more information, contact Brian Culbertson at 239-768-7000.

Fort Myers, FL – July 27, 2009 – The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has just earned Allstate Insurance Company's "Premier Service Agency" designation, according to Mike Sheely, Field Vice President, Florida Division. The PSA award recognizes the agency’s commitment to providing exceptional customer service, while also delivering high business performance. The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals locally providing home, auto, business, commercial, retirement, and life insurance products at its six regional offices located throughout Lee, Collier and Sarasota Counties. For more information, contact Brian Culbertson at 239-768-7000

Dawn M. Peterson joins Ted Todd Allstate Insurance Agency as Customer Service Manager

Fort Myers, FL – July 16, 2009 – Dawn M. Peterson recently joined the Ted Todd Insurance Agency as Customer Service Manager. Originally from Michigan, Peterson has a degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida and most recently spent 12 years with Chico’s FAS in marketing, public relations, and operations roles. As Customer Service Manager, she is proactively reaching out to customers to ensure total customer satisfaction and expand the agency's client referral base. The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals providing automobile, property, and life insurance products at its six regional offices located throughout Lee, Collier, and Sarasota counties. For more information, contact Dawn Peterson at 239-768-7000.

Fort Myers, FL – June 17, 2009 – The Ted Todd Insurance Agency announces the launch of its new web site at www.TedToddInsurance.com. Visitors can get quick insurance quotes on-line from the home page, meet the managers, and explore a wealth of information about how to protect yourself, your assets and your property. The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals locally providing home, auto, business, commercial, retirement, and life insurance products at its six regional offices located throughout Lee, Collier and Sarasota Counties. For more information, contact Brian Culbertson at 239-768-7000.

Kagen Cooksley of Ted Todd Allstate Insurance Agency returns from German river cruise

Fort Myers, FL – June 5, 2009 – Kagen Cooksley, Cape Coral Office Manager of the Ted Todd Insurance Agency, recently returned from the 2009 Agent’s Incentive Trip awarded annually to the top agency of Universal Insurance Company of North America. The 4-day/ 5-night Rhine River cruise embarked from Amsterdam, Germany on the MV Casanova and made stops at Xanten, Cologne, Cochem, Trier, and Völklingen before concluding at Saarbrücken. The cruise included dinner with the President of Universal Insurance, North America Operations, Rick Espino.

Following the cruise, Cooksley and Alison Bandsuch continued their vacation in Switzerland, where he surprised her with a marriage proposal. The happy couple is now planning a fall 2010 wedding.

The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals providing automobile, property, and life insurance products at its six regional offices located throughout Lee, Collier, and Sarasota counties. For more information, contact Kagen Cooksley at 239.540.4848.

Five Ted Todd Insurance Agency representatives attend 2009 Leaders Forum at Westin Resort in Scottsdale, AZ

Fort Myers, FL – May 26, 2009 – Ted Todd, Brian Culbertson, Deb Stone, Kevin Greenwell, and Kevin Koelemeyer, insurance representatives with the Ted Todd Insurance Agency recently attended the 2009 Allstate Leaders Forum at the Westin Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. The annual event recognizes the outstanding achievements of Allstate’s top 5% of agents in production and profitability in insurance products and financial services.

"The three-day Allstate conference provided valuable career and business development programs, as well as an opportunity to network with other top leaders and corporate executives," said Brian Culbertson, Operations Manager. "It deepened our focus on the customer and refueled our passion to deliver the best insurance services in the area."

The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals providing automobile, property, and life insurance products at its six local offices in Lee, Collier, and Sarasota counties. For more information, contact or Brian Culbertson at 239.768.7000.

Brian Culbertson of Ted Todd Insurance Agency attends Mega Agency Conference in Las Vegas

Fort Myers, Florida – May 5, 2009 – Brian Culbertson, Operations Manager of the Ted Todd Insurance Agency www.tedtoddinsurance.com, recently attended a 3-day Mega Agency Conference at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Representatives from eighty of the largest Allstate USA agencies met to compare notes, build relationships, and learn from one another. Topics included market opportunity studies, utilizing technology, marketing, staffing, and challenges unique to large, mega agencies. The Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals providing automobile, property, and life insurance products at six offices in Lee, Collier, and Sarasota counties.

Fort Myers, FL – April 14, 2009 – Ted Todd, owner of Ted Todd Insurance Agency, has been nominated for Allstate’s coveted Ray Lynch Community Service Award for his outstanding work and fundraising efforts on behalf of the Boys & Girls Club of Lee County. The national award, which will be presented in May at its annual Leaders’ Forum in Scottsdale, AZ, recognizes and encourages one outstanding Allstate agency owner for his or her exceptional relationships and spirit of volunteerism.

Ted Todd Allstate Insurance Agency Expands with Deb Stone Insurance Agency in Sarasota.

Fort Myers, FL – March 9, 2009 – Ted Todd Insurance Agency, headquartered at 10012 Gulf Center Drive, #2, in Gulf Coast Town Center, has purchased the Deb Stone Insurance Agency at 3422 Magic Oak Lane in Sarasota, FL. Deb Stone continues to head up the office that serves Sarasota and Bradenton. The Ted Todd Allstate agency has six regional Allstate offices, with over 30 licensed professionals located throughout Southwest Florida providing automobile, property and life insurance services.

The other four Ted Todd insurance agency offices are located at 21301 S. Tamiami Trail, #330, serving Estero and Bonita Springs; 2481 Del Prado N., #117, serving Cape Coral and North Fort Myers; 15275 Collier Blvd., #207, serving Naples and Marco Island; and 10676 Colonial Blvd. at Treeline, #20, serving Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres. For more information, contact Ted Todd at 239.561.1100 or Deb Stone at 941.371.6600.

Brittany Bowden, General Manager at Ted Todd Allstate Insurance Agency, to PGA Puerto Rico Open

Fort Myers, FL – March 13, 2009 – Brittany Bowden, General Manager of the Ted Todd Insurance Agency, recently returned from the PGA Puerto Rico Open Golf Tournament, where she and three other Florida and North Carolina Allstate representatives got to play a round of golf with Jay Williamson, who is competing in the tournament. She was invited to participate in the three-day event sponsored by Universal Insurance Company of North America at its parent company’s headquarters in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Activities included a meeting with Universal Group, Inc.’s top management team, including its President, Luis Berrios Monge.

Ted Todd Insurance Agency has over 30 licensed professionals providing automobile, property, and life insurance products through its six offices located throughout Lee, Collier, and Sarasota counties. For more information, contact or Brittany Bowden or Ted Todd at 239.561.1100.

Ted Todd Allstate Insurance Agency Acquires Brian Culbertson Insurance Agency—now has six offices to serve Allstate customers.

Fort Myers, FL – March 5, 2009 – The Ted Todd Insurance Agency, headquartered at Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers, has purchased the Brian Culbertson Insurance Agency. The acquisition grows the venerable Ted Todd Allstate agency to six regional Allstate offices, with over 30 licensed professionals located throughout Southwest Florida. Since 1986, the Ted Todd Insurance Agency has provided automobile, property and life insurance, becoming one of the largest and most successful Allstate agencies in the country.

Brian Culbertson joined the Ted Todd Insurance agency and recently opened their newest office located at 10676 Colonial Blvd., #20, at the Treeline intersection, to serve Fort Myers and Lehigh Acres customers. Scott Ehrenfeld, formerly an associate in Culbertson’s office, has relocated to Todd’s Cape Coral office at 2481 Del Prado N, #117. Other Todd agency offices are the headquarters located at 10012 Gulf Center Drive, #2, in Gulf Coast Town Center; 21301 S. Tamiami Trail, #330, serving Estero and Bonita Springs; 15275 Collier Blvd., #207, serving Naples and Marco Island; and 3422 Magic Oak Lane serving Sarasota and Bradenton.

For more information, contact Ted Todd at 239.561.1100 or Brian Culbertson at 239.768.7000.