Montalvo Insurance Agency

Weslaco, Texas
Founded: 1953
Employees: 6

“I don't know if I'd be here if it wasn't for the weather," says Ramon Montalvo III, president and owner of Montalvo Insurance Agency. His father founded the agency 67 years ago after serving as a part-time agent. “He was a farmer and part-time insurance agent, and when a drought came about he was forced to go full-time into insurance."

At the end of his father's 65th birthday party, Montalvo's father handed him the keys to the office. “I said, 'What are you doing, dad?' He had always told me he was going to make an exit at 65, and sure enough, he did—down to the day."

At the helm for more than 40 years, Montalvo will be making a partial—and much more gradual—exit over the next few years. The agency is in great hands, with a dedicated staff serving the south Texas area for a combined 140 years and a goal of a 15% increase in premium revenue for 2021. Montalvo Insurance Agency has received the Best Practices Agency designation for the past eight years.

San Juanita Palacios, customer service representative and claims executive

In the 45+ years I've been working here, I have noticed that customer service is the key. We work as a team to serve our customers, treat them with dignity and answer their needs in a timely manner.

My favorite thing about being an independent agent is being able to help people and serve people. In these past years, I have learned so much. I like the challenge of going out and obtaining multiple quotes to get the best support for each customer.

Jesusa Villareal, senior commercial insurance executive

We have long-serving members that have been with the agency for two to four decades. They have become our family business members, committed to providing consistent, compassionate and personalized customer service. We go above and beyond to meet the customer's needs. We are honored to work for an agency that has been awarded the Best Practices Award for eight consecutive years and are passionate about what we do.

We may be one of the few agencies to prepare a checklist for our clients, especially for commercial clients, with recommendations of other coverage to consider that they may be lacking and how we can help.

Ramon Montalvo III, president and owner

We shop our larger business accounts at renewal to make sure we're offering the best terms and pricing. These days we're seeing much more volatility. Our clients deserve the best we can offer.

We contribute to many charitable causes in our area in our role as a good corporate citizen. We upgraded all our computers at the end of 2020, and we gave them away to a charity since they are still usable. In addition, I serve on many nonprofit boards, including a hospital foundation and the Knights of Columbus.

With COVID-19, we have restricted entry of clients into our office. If anyone needs to come in, I have a patio out back with a table where we meet outside. We are also working as a team to clean and disinfect our office. I'm proud that everyone has come together to meet this need.

AnneMarie McPherson is IA news editor.