By Chris Wilson

Newberry Insurance Group, located in the Hitchcock’s plaza on Newberry Rd. (just east of Main St.), can help your family find the right insurance at the right price. Whether you’re searching for a homeowners, auto, life or even a business or commercial insurance policy, Newberry Insurance brings plenty of experience and can weed through what for consumers is a sometimes-challenging insurance landscape.

Tri-County Insurance in Chiefland, which was founded and owned by Horace Quincey, has been serving Gilchrist, Levy and Dixie counties since 1972. Six years ago, Horace’s son Stephen moved back to the area from North Carolina to help with the business. Tri-County has since expanded through the purchase of an existing insurance agency in the Newberry Hitchcock’s plaza, which they now call Newberry Insurance Group.

While Horace Quincey retired last January (Stephen says he still comes around the office on a weekly basis) and left the business to his son, Stephen is committed to practicing insurance with the same ideals that made his father’s business a success.

“My father has always prided himself upon offering first class service to his customers,” says Stephen. “He always felt that we had a market for every risk. He did things the old-fashioned way. He’s forgotten more about insurance than I’ll ever know.”

Quincey says Newberry Insurance became such an exciting opportunity because of the growth throughout west Gainesville, Jonesville and Newberry. “This is a growing area of Alachua County with a lot of new subdivisions going up,” he explains. “We feel like we can fill a need for this area with the companies and the products that we can provide.”

Quincey opened his office in Newberry with the help of office manager Rachel Stuckey, a Chiefland resident who had worked for Tri-County Insurance for the past six years. “Between the two of us, we have roughly 15 years of combined insurance experience,” says Quincey. “Between this office and our other office in Chiefland, we have more than 35 years of experience.”

The advantage Newberry Insurance offers to its customers is the ability to shop around through various insurers to find you the best rate and/or the most comprehensive policy available. “With one phone call to us, we can quote you or shop you with a minimum of three to five companies,” says Quincey. “We offer free quotes to anybody who calls, stops by or even sends us an e-mail.”

In Florida, finding a comprehensive homeowners policy has become especially challenging. “We clearly have some excellent homeowners companies, with Tower Hill of Gainesville, Florida Family Insurance, ASI Insurance,” says Quincey. “It has become difficult for us as agents and for homeowners, with the insurance crisis and with the hurricanes. We hope we can make it easier to find homeowners coverage.”

“We have auto companies that can satisfy almost any driver out there, regardless of their driving history,” he explains. Newberry Insurance can write policies for Progressive, GMAC and AIG.

“The bottom line is we can offer insurance for almost any need out there,” says Quincey. Among some of the coverage Newberry Insurance can offer (aside from auto, homeowners, business and commercial) are motorcycle, boat, RV, mobile home, renters, general liability and life insurances.

Newberry Insurance is located at 24206 Newberry Rd. in the Hitchcock’s plaza, just east of Main St. The office is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome or you can call to schedule an appointment. In addition, appointments are scheduled during non-office hours if needed. For more information, call 472-2225 or send an e-mail to squincey@newberryins.com.