About Honig Conte Porrino Insurance
About Honig Conte Porrino
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In April 2006, Honig Insurance Agency, Inc and Conte
Porrino, Inc joined forces to become Honig Conte Porrino
Insurance Agency Inc, bringing together over a century
of experience in the insurance industry.
The Story of Conte Porrino, Inc.
As a young man of twenty-three, Leopold Porrino established
an insurance agency at 552 West Broadway, on January
10, 1902. The Leopold Porrino Agency was the first
insurance agency in the Greenwich Village, Tribeca,
Chelsea, Noho, Soho & Loho district of Manhattan,
covering the area from 42nd Street on the North to
Chambers Street on the South and from the East River
to the Henry Hudson River from East to West.
In 1960, the Agency moved next door to 550 LaGuardia
Place, the street having been renamed LaGuardia Place
in honor of Fiorello LaGuardia, the former Mayor of
the City of New York, who was born on Sullivan Street
in the Village.
On June 1, 1948, the firm was formally incorporated
in the State of New York. Mr. Porrino became the Chief
Executive Officer and his son, Joseph Porrino, became
the President. The Office Manager, Andrew Schiaffino,
was promoted to Vice President and remained so until
November 1969. Leopold Porrino retired in 1950 and
went to spend the rest of his days on the Riviera.
His son, Joseph carried on the firm until his death
in 1966. At that time, Andrew Schiaffino took his place
as President and purchased Joseph Porrino's interest
in the business. On Thanksgiving Day, 1969, Andy Schiaffino
passed away.
At that time, Frank M. Conte, whose office was formerly
located at 111 Fulton Street, NYC, purchased the stock
of Andy Schiaffino and the remaining stock of Joseph
Porrino. Mr. Leopold Porrino, although living on the
Riviera, kept an active interest in the agency until
his death in July 1982, at the age of 103. At that
time, the remaining stock was purchased by Frank M.
Conte. Mr. Conte became a very active participant in
the affairs of the Village. He was elected President
of the Greenwich Village Chamber of Commerce in 1977
and became Director of the William Church Osborne Society
from 1975 to 1988. He was also Director of the Washington
Square Art Show for several years and was a Director
of the Tiro A Segno from 1992 to 1998. During this
period the firm insured many notable artists, sculptors,
TV personalities and UN Delegations.
On July 1st, 1983, F. Michael Conte, son of Frank
M. Conte joined the Agency. He had graduated from NYU
and after training with General Accident Insurance
Company he became active in his father's firm. In 2000,
Frank M. Conte retired from the business, leaving his
son F. Michael in charge. F. Michael went on to become
the President of the Council of Insurance Agents of
Greater New York. He is also on the Governing Board
of NYAIP, and Chairman of the Franklin Lakes Planning
Board. Michael also teaches continuing education courses
and has earned the designation of CPIA.
The Story of Honig Insurance Agency
George Honig Company was founded by George Honig in
1935 in an office located in the rear of a wholesale
electrical supply company in the Williamsburg section
of Brooklyn. Having access to the large number of electricians
and other contractors purchasing electrical supplies,
he developed an expertise in their insurance needs.
Williamsburg was a major industrial area and the clients
of the office included contractors, garment factories,
metal workers, paint and chemical manufacturers and
knitting mills. In 1948, needing additional space,
the office was moved down the block to Throop Avenue
and in 1954, again requiring a larger space, the office
moved to 2049 Flatbush Avenue where it remained until
2006.
In 1970, Howard Honig joined the agency after graduating
college with a degree in Bachelors of Science in Electrical
Engineering and spending 5 years in the engineering
division of the Factory Insurance Association, one
of the largest writers of Highly Protected Risk property
insurance at the time. He purchased the agency in 1973
and changed the agency's name to George Honig & Son,
Inc. to reflect the new family structure. Two years
later, in 1975, George Honig passed away.
The business continued to grow both with new clients
and through the purchase of agencies from retiring
brokers. As the business grew, the office required
additional space and expanded to almost 8 times its
original size to accommodate the additional staff.
Howard's engineering background and experience in
fire protection engineering proved to be invaluable
in the growth of the agency. Under his leadership,
the office grew to become one of the predominant insurance
agencies in Brooklyn. Howard was also past president of the Council of Insurance Brokers of Greater New York.
In the 1990s, Al Smith joined the agency bringing
his experience in the Not for Profit sector. This area
of expertise began an exciting phase for the company;
it now had the opportunity to help those providing
housing for low-income individuals and families. The
agency handled their needs from the builder's risk,
during the rehabilitation of low income housing, through
to the insurance on the completed buildings. And the
Social Service division was created to work with Foster
Care agencies, groups providing day care, groups providing
medical services, and groups providing housing and
counseling for people with AIDS, and continues to do
so today.
Also in the 1990’s, the firm breached the third
generation mark when Michael Honig joined the firm.
Michael had worked in the claims department of the
Trust Insurance Company, in Massachusetts, and later
at General Accident Insurance in NYC. He has earned
the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor. He
is also an Alternate Public Member of the NYAIP Peer
Review Panel, Treasurer of the PS3 School Community
Council and Secretary of the Council of Insurance
Brokers of Greater New York.
Now located at 129 West 27th Street in Chelsea, Honig
Conte Porrino will continue to honor the legacies of
our predecessors, offering the highest quality of service
to all our clients.
An Independent Advantage
We are Independent Agents, free to choose the best
carrier for your insurance needs. We do not work for
an insurance company; we work for you. We work on your
side when you have a loss and follow through to see
that you get fair, prompt payment and service. Honig Conte Porrino represents a carefully selected group
of financially strong, reputable insurance companies,
therefore, we are able to offer you the best coverage
at the most competitive price.
What is an Independent Insurance Agent?
 When you decide to buy a car, you wouldn't purchase
the first one you see. What if one day the automobile
industry decided to make only one type of car, one
make and one model. You wouldn't have a choice!
The same situation holds true for insurance. You need
insurance to drive a car, to purchase a house, to protect
your family's financial future and to run a small business.
But if there was only one insurance company that offered
only one type of insurance, car insurance, home insurance
or businessowner policy -- you wouldn't have a choice.
The only solution would be going to that one company.
With an independent insurance agent, you have choices.
Independent agents are not tied to any one insurance
company. One of the advantages of using an independent
agent is that he or she works to satisfy your needs.
You are using an expert for an important financial
decision.
An independent agent has several companies that he
or she can approach to get you the best coverage at
the best price. And your independent agent will know
the companies with the most efficient claims departments
to recover your losses as quickly as possible.
When you buy insurance, whether it's for your home,
your car or your business, you want an advocate who
will properly assess the risks you face and give you
an objective analysis of the marketplace, it's up to
you to make the final choice.
Insurance Carriers
As independent agents, we have established long-term,
solid relationships with some of the top national and
regional carriers in the industry. Our experienced
staff will be able to provide comprehensive, expert
insurance solutions and service.
For you, our client, this provides competitive pricing,
coverage options, and peace of mind that the company
providing your insurance coverage meets our standards.
- Adirondack
- Auto One
- Brownstone
- Chubb
- CNA
- Commercial Mutual
- First Rehab
- GNY
- Hartford
- Hartford Steam Boiler
- Interboro
- Magna Carta
- Metropolitan
- Pennsylvania Lumbermans
- Philadelphia
- Private Client Group
- Progressive
- PURE
- Seneca
- Tower
- Travelers
- Travelers Flood
 Professional Associations
Community Associations
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