A Message from our President and CEO George W. Schaeffer
Founded by Floridians for Floridians, we understand the unique challenges of searching for affordable home insurance. That’s why I cofounded People’s Trust in 2008 with the mission to be Florida’s best-prepared home insurance company, delivering the greatest value and a simplified recovery experience to our policyholders.
Throughout my career, I have always had a passion for excellence and innovation and I knew there had to be a better way to help make home insurance in Florida more affordable. In an industry not known for innovation, we have pioneered a solution that provides greater value through better preparation and simplified recovery.
By creating our Preferred Contractor Endorsement, we were able to create an award-winning approach that provides the greatest value and simplest recovery experience in the industry. With our Better Way, we can relieve the homeowner from the burden of dealing with many of the hassles and headaches of filing a claim, while creating more efficiency.
Looking at the insurance market in Florida, some of the biggest jumps in premium have come in the aftermath of active hurricane seasons. While we can’t change the weather, we can change how we prepare for its effects.
In addition to preparing financially and maintaining a strong balance sheet that can handle the next big storm – and even additional storms after that – we’ve also developed a way to improve response times when disaster strikes. Our preferred contractor team invests millions of dollars upfront in equipment and materials, such as tarps, plywood, and other items needed after a storm, to be ready when our policyholders need us most. Not only does this help policyholders avoid falling victim to shortages, but it also defends against price gouging brought on by demand after a storm.
By examining the typical Florida repair process, we also realized that slow responses to home damage can significantly increase repair costs. So we’ve established a process where our policyholders can get help fast – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – in emergency situations. For example, when a pipe bursts, drying out the home quickly is critical to prevent additional damage and loss. By engaging our preferred contractor team when time is of the essence, we can speed recovery time and reduce expenses, which allows us to pass those savings on to policyholders through lower premiums.
Irina & George Schaeffer
We also noticed that requiring homeowners to coordinate repairs – even non-hurricane related repairs – can drive up costs when unscrupulous contractors neglect to show up, drag out repairs longer than needed, or inflate costs trying to “game the system.” To combat this, People’s Trust may also call upon our preferred contractor team to perform full repair and restoration work in the best interests of the policyholder. As one of the largest restoration general contractors in the state, they offer some of the highest quality repair and restoration expertise available in Florida. Policyholders can get a streamlined repair process that not only saves them money but also eliminates much of the frustration in dealing with a claim. Additionally, they back all workmanship with a 3-year, 100% customer satisfaction guarantee, which is unparalleled in the industry.
With more than 500 employees in our family of companies and over $250 million in direct written premiums, People’s Trust has emerged as an industry leader. I am proud to say that more than 100,000 satisfied policyholders across Florida have become part of the People’s Trust family and our Better Way of doing business.
We aim to be the best, not the biggest. Since we don’t have shareholders, we have no obligation to chase profits at the expense of quality. And as a family-owned business, our vision is to continue to build a respected and superior organization that provides the best value and encourages employees to treat customers the way they want to be treated.
It’s Simply a Better Way.
Thank you,
George W. Schaeffer
President & CEO
People’s Trust Insurance