Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Marinalife Insurance Services is born!!

Eleven months in the making, Marinalife Insurance Services was born on 8th June 2011 in Baltimore, MD. Let the record show that this is the third Insurance Broker and Agency I have build from scratch and the the sixth overall that I have lead. You'd think it would get old, but of the six, this is by far the most fun so far!

The idea came from Joy McPeters CEO of Marinalife and long time friend. Joy started Marinalife in 2000 with the idea to provide a total concierge experience to leisure boaters delivered as far as possible via Web interface. The business weathered all the internet bubble storms and has emerged in 2010 as the industry leader in Travel and Cruise planning for Boaters - rather like a marine version of Expedia on steroids!


Over the past year Marinalife Insurance Services has acquired over 40 licenses, built a complete custom Web interface plus quoting, policy issuance and lifecycle management system, obtained Lloyd's Cover Holder status and signed agency contracts with multiple major A rated insurers.  We have negotiated special Boaters Insurance Program Terms and Conditions and blended the service with Risk Management Advisory as well as the core benefits of Marinalife Membership. And now we are up and running!

It's been a while since the creative juices have flowed so freely for me, and to have had both a 'green field' site (ie I get to do it my way!) and the great enthusiasm of a young and vibrant team behind it is quite inspiring.

Throw 19,000 Marinalife Members, over 500,000 site visitors, and 100,000 Marinalife Magazine readers into the mix and we have the makings of a very healthy and productive little insurance business. Of course none of this would have been possible without the business being there in the first place. Much kudos to Joy - not only has she earned a loyal following in the boater industry but these are the folks that our insurers should be insuring - Careful, smart and capable boaters. The rose coloured spectacles are on!


Check it out at the Marinalife Website . Try out the Quick Quote feature on the site and see how easy it is to get through the always painful application process. 

Or just ask longtime Marinalife Member Bob Arrington, who tried us and seemed to like the experience:      
      
“A lot of companies were willing to quote the insurance on our new boat, but only the professionals at Marinalife took the time and offered their expertise to make sure we were covered through the complete purchase process. These are the kind of people with whom we want to do business!”