Warren Stumpf, principal, Capital Region Insurance Agency, talks about computerization, automation, and rising costs in insurance

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How do you help your clients address the rising costs of insurance and benefits?

As a business owner, I do see health insurance costs skyrocketing, and it’s every year. We’re a property and casualty agency, we’re about 70 percent commercial and the remainder are personal lines, home and auto. The property and casualty commercial rates have gone up across the nation. Now our rates here, territorially, have not gone up as much as California, Texas, Florida as an example. On renewals, we reach out to our insureds and we go over line by line the areas that have increased. One of the factors, let’s take a commercial building, I’ve seen inflationary increases of up to 18 percent because of the cost of building materials, supplies, labor, they’ve gone up that much, so we go over that with our insureds to let them know why these premium increases have occurred. That’s really every renewal, we get into the details and try to soften the blow and let them know, look, we can go out and quote you with many other carriers but they’re going to do the same thing; the rates have gone up.

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in your four decades in the insurance field?

The biggest change I have seen is automation, computerization. When I entered the business, everything was done on paper. Now everything is done on the computer, we are paperless, which eliminated our file room, which gave us extra space. Now the younger generation, all they want to do is text, so we have a system my son put in our agency called Podium, and they can text our landline. The computerization and automation has impacted, I think, every industry – not only the insurance industry, but every industry.

What do you draw from your experience as an elected borough council official in Wormleysburg that influences your work at CRIA?

I think it’s helped me to deal with many different personalities. I did it to give back to my community; I just feel it’s important to embrace the area where you live and to help give it some guidance. Hopefully I’ve had an impact, I think I’ve been there for 22 years. It’s opened my eyes to different situations people incur living here, and then to be involved in my community, I think that’s critical for everyone.

What is your favorite thing about having your office located on the Susquehanna River?

It’s just spectacular, the view, the outside activity, the walking. I live right in Wormleysburg too, my wife and I will walk over and work out at the Y, we have City Island, we have great restaurants. The visibility here is incredible. It’s just a great, great location.

About Warren Stumpf

Warren Stumpf, 70,founded Capital Region Insurance Agency in 1996 and has spent more than 40 years in the insurance industry. CRIA is licensed in 12 states, including Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. Stumpf specializes in commercial insurance. He is also an elected member of the Wormleysburg borough council.

Stumpf has a bachelor of science degree in marketing, with a minor in economics, from Wilkes University.

He and his wife have two children – son Logan also works for CRIA – and they reside in Wormleysburg.