Working Remotely

Working Remotely

Ellicottville’s Weed Ross Group, already an established insurance provider, continues to evolve in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. Owner Sean Cornelius, an avid snowboarder and a 3rd-generation insurance guy, calls Ellicottville home while navigating a market turned upside down. 

A CONVERSATION WITH SEAN CORNELIUS

eNOW: What led you to the insurance game?    

S. Cornelius: I grew up around insurance. My father is still a State Farm agent in Erie, PA and has been since 1983. My grandfather also ran a claims office out of Kane, PA for State Farm. I started working in insurance in 2004 handling hurricane claims for State Farm in Florida as an independent contractor with Crawford and Company. I then got hired directly by State Farm and joined their National Catastrophe Response team in 2005. I met my beautiful wife in 2007 and left State Farm for Travelers Insurance so I could be with her in Miami, FL while she finished graduate school. I traveled all around the country in my 20’s assessing claims that arose from any number of natural disasters - hailstorms, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, and hurricanes.

In 2010, after marrying my wife and convincing her to leave sunny Florida for the mountains of western New York, I moved back and landed in Ellicottville. I had grown to love Ellicottville while attending St. Bonaventure University, snowboarding regularly at Holiday Valley, and working as a ski tech at Mud, Sweat ‘n Gears while I was in college. In April 2010 I started working on the agency side of the industry and I haven’t looked back since.

eNOW: Within the last few years, you've expanded on your operation, adding additional offices around WNY. How did that come about?

S. Cornelius: Weed Ross had such a solid foundation in Ellicottville. John Weed started the agency back in 1957 and Gary Ross took over in the mid-80s, so I really wanted to build upon their tradition but also make it my own. I took over in March of 2016 when Gary Ross retired. From the beginning I knew I wanted to have more than one office location. The stars aligned and another Bonas grad, Joe Palumbo, began working with me from the analytics side of the business and eventually made the leap to the agency side. After a short while together we knew this was a great partnership and in January 2019 Weed Ross Group was formed with the acquisition of our second agency. Since then we have acquired four more agencies in the WNY area and currently operate offices in Ellicottville, Randolph, Batavia, and Orchard Park. We have had great success in growing our business while keeping the connection to the local communities. We continue to look for opportunities to expand Weed Ross Group in WNY and the surrounding areas.

eNOW: What kind of insurance do you offer?  

S. Cornelius: We offer just about everything. Auto, home, motorcycle, ATV, boat, snowmobile, life, and commercial insurance. We insure a variety of businesses in WNY including restaurants, contractors, sporting goods stores, breweries, and schools to name a few. We also specialize in secondary and seasonal homes, insuring many ski chalets and lake houses in communities throughout WNY. As an independent insurance agent, Weed Ross Group works with over 40 different insurance companies to provide our customers with the most choices and best options.

eNOW: Some of your marketing includes using your two sons, Harrison and Finn, often kitted up in their snowboarding equipment. A family-owned business usually resonates well with the market. How do you use that to your advantage when you're competing with the big guys? 

S. Cornelius: Well, the two of them are cuter than I am. Insurance has been in my family for three generations so far and I am hoping that Finn and Harrison will make it four. We want people to know that we understand them and their need for protection (and if you know Finn and his daredevil tendencies, you know he needs all the protection he can get). Nowadays we have more clients than we used to, but I still give out my cell phone number to any client that wants it and it is on our machine at night. The big guys won’t do that. And let’s be real, Weed Ross Group is nothing without the team. I am lucky to have a great team. I have folks on my team that have worked for Weed Ross for 30+ years and I know that there is no substitute for experience. Having a team with a diverse industry background really gives us an advantage. Weed Ross was recently recognized in Buffalo Business First as being one of the largest agencies in WNY (number 23). I am very proud of that and very proud of the team that helped us get there.

eNOW: Expanding on my last question - how do you compete? In an age of digital and instant gratification, what strategies do you use to encourage the market to work through you?  

S. Cornelius: We use agency automation, technology and data to our advantage in a way that not a lot of agencies our size are using it. The creativity with technology has allowed us to really become one office. Four physical locations operate as one team and that has helped Weed Ross Group expand in the market while retaining the feel of a small local agent.  We started implementing many tech upgrades to our business model well before the current global situation and it keeps getting more relevant. I also think that culture plays a huge role. My team really cares about our clients; we want them to know that when they are with us, they will be taken care of, we will respond to them in a timely manner, and they won’t have to be transferred around or put on hold. Weed Ross Group is in a unique position as we are small enough to care and really connect with the client but big enough to advocate for our clients’ needs with insurance carriers.

eNOW: Now, to the elephant in the room. COVID-19 has completely turned our world upside down. But companies and businesses are learning to rapidly evolve. What are some of the things you're doing to overcome the limitations the pandemic has placed on us?

S. Cornelius: Before COVID I would tell you that the insurance industry was creeping along at a snail’s pace when it came to technology. Weed Ross Group had identified this problem years ago and positioned ourselves well in terms of technology from the beginning, understanding that tools to increase efficiency, security, convenience, and service benefit our clients in many ways. And when COVID hit, our preparation paid off. We have been able to seamlessly transition from an in-office presence to a remote system that has not missed a beat. We use a variety of internal communication systems, e-signature software, and collaborative platforms to work with our clients both near and far. Especially with the border closures and people sticking close to home, Weed Ross Group has a technological infrastructure in place that can service clients wherever they are. We recognize this is an incredibly tough time for our clients both personally and professionally, and we are working hard to make sure our clients feel protected, have access to their agent when needed, and do our part in the world to keep people safe. 

eNOW: Has the insurance market changed because of COVID? Not just operationally, but the way insurance companies are offering coverages?  
S. Cornelius: The market has changed and is continuing to change. New types of businesses are emerging, and existing businesses are pivoting to keep afloat. Insurance companies set the price based upon historical data, so this has thrown them for a loop. I was recently speaking with an industry expert and his projection is that it will be harder to place business insurance and the price will increase as we move forward. But on the flip side, insurance companies have been offering flexible payment options and there was even a give-back of some of the cost of auto insurance to the policyholder. So, this is a moving target and Weed Ross Group is doing everything we can to stay up to date on the information and think outside the box to meet our clients’ needs.  

eNOW: What are some of the long-term effects do you believe the pandemic will have on the insurance market? If any, how does a local agent like yourself stay ahead of the game? 

S. Cornelius: I think placing insurance for certain businesses is going to become more difficult, but I am seeing great examples of businesses being flexible and adaptable in this situation and that tends to serve them well. Weed Ross Group continues to be creative in the ways in which we serve our clients. One of the biggest assets we have is that we work with over 40 insurance carriers and we have more options for clients than most local insurance agents in WNY. My team is also doing more trainings and taking classes to stay up to date on the changes brought on by COVID. Their knowledge and experience are a valuable resource. And Weed Ross Group is also working hard to give back to the communities we work in, whether it be through donations to food pantries, gifts to the local library, or even an addition to a goody bag for graduating seniors. We realize this time has been hard for so many for a variety of reasons and we want to do our part to help our community come out of this as strong as possible.  

eNOW: Favorite snowboard in your quiver? 

S. Cornelius: You saved the hardball questions for last … It would have to be the latest addition to the quiver which was an awesome gift from my amazing wife. The Jones Storm Chaser 160; it is the ultimate powder board. I last rode it at the end of February when Ellicottville was hit with the huge snowstorm and it just floated down the mountain. I can’t wait to be out there again on that board and my fingers are crossed that winter is good to us this year in many ways! 

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Weed Ross Group operates offices in Ellicottville, Randolph, Orchard Park and Batavia. Learn more about Weed Ross group at weedross.com or email info@weedross.com to connect with Sean and his experienced staff.