Greylock Insurance Agency purchased the insurance business of Gallup & Casey Insurance Services, Inc. on June 1, 2007. Gallup & Casey’s businesses in North Adams, Adams and Williamstown, will be combined with Greylock’s existing insurance operations in Pittsfield, and owners David and Chris Casey will join the management team of Greylock Insurance as vice presidents. Greylock also announced plans to complete its county-wide expansion by opening a Great Barrington insurance office within the next few months. The combined agency will have $15 million in premiums and an estimated 9,000 customers.
“Gallup & Casey is the perfect partner for Greylock Insurance Agency,†said Angelo Stracuzzi, President of Greylock. “Greylock Insurance has become the fastest growing agency in Berkshire County, more than doubling its revenues since we launched it in 2004. We have two thriving locations in Pittsfield. But members outside of the central Berkshires have told us repeatedly they would like locations more convenient to where they live and work. Gallup & Casey’s three locations and their outstanding staff of insurance professionals provide a perfect parallel to our North County credit union offices in North Adams, Williamstown and Adams. Our Great Barrington office will also be open soon, which will give us more insurance locations in the Berkshires than any other agency. In fact Greylock Insurance Agency will be the Berkshire’s only county-wide insurance agency.â€
David and Chris Casey, brothers who have owned the family business since 1992, said they chose a partner carefully in deciding to sell the agency to Greylock. “This business has been in our family since 1891,†said David Casey. “Over the years we have had a number of offers to sell the business, but Greylock is the kind of partner we were really hoping for. We share a philosophy with regard to great customer service, stability for our employees, and longevity in the community. We look forward to staying on in this business with Greylock for many years to come.â€
Stracuzzi emphasized Greylock Insurance Agency’s plans to maintain all existing employees of Gallup & Casey. “Gallup & Casey has been successful for many decades, thanks to these employees and the leadership provided by Chris and David,†Stracuzzi said. “Our goal in acquiring the agency is to continue providing a great work environment, and even expanding opportunities for their career advancement.†Plans call for the offices at 40 Main Street in North Adams and 552 Main Street in Williamstown to be maintained in their current locations, while the Adams office on Commercial Street will be combined into the Greylock Federal Credit Union building at 2 Park Street, currently under renovation.
The combined agency will field 28 insurance professionals and offer a full array of services in auto, homeowners, life and commercial insurance. Senior Vice President Shaun Farley said that combining the two agencies would lead to benefits for customers throughout Berkshire County. “Our two locations in Pittsfield make us highly convenient to people living and working in central Berkshire communities, but we want to be highly convenient to everyone in North and South County as well,†Farley said. “A lot of people commute from one community to another, and convenience is an essential component of the excellent service we always strive to provide. With Gallup & Casey’s locations, plus adding Great Barrington, we can really tell people throughout the county ‘Greylock’s got you covered.’â€
Farley credited Greylock Insurance Agency’s rapid 30-month growth to synergies with Greylock’s credit union operations. “Our mortgage and auto loan activity – the strongest in the county – provides a steady source of referrals, and members have responded very favorably to the discount programs offered by the agency,†Farley said, explaining that Greylock Federal Credit Union members who have their homeowners and auto insurance with the agency can receive discounts of up to 15%. “Last year we sold more homeowner’s policies for the Harleysville Insurance Company than any other agent in New England or New York.â€
Chris Casey said that combining the strengths of Gallup & Casey with Greylock could make the agency a more attractive provider to area businesses seeking commercial insurance. “A lot of companies in the Berkshires are doing business throughout the county,†Casey pointed out. “An insurance agency with a network of offices and experts extending from North Adams to Great Barrington can provide real advantages for them. Combining our expertise and our resources means that we can package a comprehensive solution for any size business in the area.†Chris Casey agreed that the newly combined agency could offer a stronger lineup of commercial insurance products. “Greylock already has a great relationship with Harleysville Insurance, for example, offering an exclusive on coverage for general contractors in Western Massachusetts. Now that we have joined forces, I expect there will be many other specials that we can offer to commercial customers in the future.â€
About Greylock Insurance Agency:
Greylock Insurance Agency is a full-service agency based at 128 South Street in Pittsfield with additional offices at Greylock Plaza, 150 West Street. The agency offers auto, homeowners, life and commercial insurance policies to customers throughout Berkshire County. More information is available at www.greylockinsuranceagency.com.
About Gallup & Casey
The roots of Gallup & Casey date back 115 years. The Gallup Agency was formed in 1891 by the late Harvey A. Gallup in association with his brother, Clarence Gallup. Harvey Gallup later served as mayor of North Adams and represented the Berkshire District for several years in the state Senate. He remained active in the management of the agency until his death. His widow, Mrs. Kathryn L. Gallup, took over as president and was the first woman elected President of the Berkshire County Insurance Agents Association. Kathryn Gallup’s nephew, James W. Casey, went to work for the agency in 1955. In 1961, the year of Kathryn’s retirement, the Gallup-Dickey Insurance Agency Inc. was formed through a merger of the former Harvey A. Gallup Insurance Agency and the Loren E. Dickey Insurance Agency. From the 1960s through the 1980s, James W. Casey and David Dickey owned the agency. James’ sons, Chris and David, bought out Dickey’s interest in the firm in the 1980s, and completed their purchase of the agency in 1992, when they changed the name to Gallup & Casey. More information is available at www.gallupcasey.com
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Pittsfield Apartment Fire Displaces Residents, Under Investigation
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A fire at a multi-unit building at 24-26 John St in Pittsfield required a second alarm response from the Pittsfield Fire Department.
Fire crews were initially called to the scene for a reported structure fire. Car 2, arriving first, reported "nothing showing," however firefighters eventually found heavy flames in a first-floor apartment on the 24 John St side of the building.
Engine 3 stretched a handline to attack the blaze. Heavy black smoke billowing from the second floor, a second alarm was called, bringing all on-duty personnel and apparatus to the scene.
Firefighters worked for approximately 40 minutes to get the fire under control. While Engine 3 battled the main fire, other crews were busy stretching backup lines, searching the building, handling ventilation, and setting up a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT).
No civilians or firefighters were injured in the incident.
Eversource and Berkshire Gas were called in to secure the utilities. The American Red Cross is now assisting four adults who were displaced by the fire, providing them with housing and other necessities.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Pittsfield Fire Department Fire Investigation Unit, the Pittsfield Police Department Investigation Unit, and investigators from the State Fire Marshalls Office.
The district is also working hard to encourage its families to go to town meetings so they have a voice in this, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said in a follow-up.
click for more
Because of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the funding gap nearly tripled. To make the project happen, Habitat had to save nearly $200,000 by cutting the ADU, which is now allowed by right in Massachusetts.
click for more
It's election season again, and as of Thursday, potential candidates have taken out papers for city clerk, councilor at large, Wards 1-7, and the School Committee. Nomination papers became available on April 3, and certified papers are due by Aug. 1.
click for more
On Monday, the Select Board voted to advance a $7.3 million combined police/emergency medical services facility to town meeting, discarding the option for a $6.5 million separate build. click for more