Agency Team
Risk Management Consultant
315-703-9159
Caitlin specializes in providing risk management solutions to not-for-profit and social services organizations for the Central New York community. She handles the majority of the organizations represented by the agency and is fully versed in the complexities of their exposures and is dedicated to ensuring proper protection. Caitlin understands that not-for-profit status doesn’t reduce the exposure to property damage expenses or even lawsuits against directors and officers. This is why having the right kind of notfor-profit insurance is so important.
Prior to joining HF&C as a broker in 2014, Caitlin worked for a local not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing youth sport programs across the country. Her experience within the not-for-profit environment allowed her to gain valuable knowledge which has enhanced her ability to provide tailored solutions to this unique class of business. Caitlin also has risk management responsibilities in the Enterprise Business Unit handling a variety of businesses types and size.
Caitlin is a graduate from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s of Science degree. She obtained both her Property, Casualty, Personal, Life and Accident designations in 2014.
Risk Management Advisor
315-703-9157
Sheila began her insurance career with Allstate in the early 80’s and gained additional experience working for AMICA, and Gilroy Insurance before joining Commercial Travelers Mutual Insurance Company. At Commercial Travelers, Sheila spent 21 years specializing in student accident, catastrophic accident insurance products for public and private schools, special risk accident and participant liability products for municipalities, youth, church groups, special events and college accident and health programs.
Sheila is a graduate of SUNY Geneseo.
Some of the specialized programs offered through Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc
- Health Programs for Domestic & International Students
- Student Accident Insurance
- Travel Accident Employees and Students
- Catastrophic Accident
- Summer Camp Accident and Liability
- Sports Leagues Accident & Liability Coverage
- Sport and Non-sport Recreation Programs
- Accident Sports Accident programs
- Catastrophic Sports Programs
- Student Study Abroad Programs
- Student Personal Property
Benefit Consultant
315-734-9386
Becky joined Haylor, Freyer & Coon in 2007 bringing 8 years of prior experience and knowledge of the group benefits market and insurance industry. As an Account Executive, Becky’s focus is to obtain the most appropriate and competitive benefit package possible for large and small employer groups. Her goal is to provide superior advice to her clients. Becky’s strategy in accomplishing this goal is to continue to stay apprised of all new products in the market, industry trends, and new legislation impacting health benefit plans. She is an integral part of the Group Benefits Division. Becky is a graduate of Herkimer County Community College with a degree in Business Administration.
Becky holds a license in Life, Accident & Health Insurance and is an active member of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU), the local and regional Chapters of SHRM, and the Chambers of Commerce in both Oneida and Herkimer Counties. She and her family reside in Little Falls, New York.
Risk Management Advisor
315-453-2176
Mark has been involved in the insurance industry for over 10 years. He provides risk management consultation to clients of all size, exposures and service needs. His initial experience as an auto liability claims representative provided him knowledge with reviewing and understanding the claim process from beginning to end. This experience has enabled him to provide value added service to his customers in all types of stressful claim situations. Due to the nature of the industry, claims often occur on weekends and holidays; Mark makes himself available to his customers 24 hours a day & 7 days a week!
In the Transportation Division, we understand the importance of timely and accurate service in addition to competitive pricing! These are two of the most common concerns of most business owners we service.
Within this department, our expertise includes placement of Waste / Refuse hauling operations in addition to all types of trucking operations (local to long haul). We have strong insurance carrier relationships, which helps us to provide the very best pricing and coverage to our customers.
Benefit Consultant
607-304-9765
Tom comes to Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. with first hand knowledge and experience working with Municipalities. Tom began his career working for the City of Elmira as an Assistant to the City Manager. In 1997, he started working for the Village of Johnson City, the 3rd largest Village in Upstate NY. During his tenure in Johnson City, Tom was responsible for overseeing the Villages health insurance plan, workers compensation program and all other group benefits. Additional expertise was gained in the workers compensation area while working for Public Employer Risk Management Association, the largest provider of workers compensations coverage to public entities in NYS.
Tom earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Binghamton University with a concentration in Human Resource Management.
He has been very active in community affairs and associations.
- 2005 Served as the only non-Mayor on the Executive
- Committee of the NYS Conference of Mayors.
- Chairman of the Binghamton/Johnson City Wastewater Treatment Plant Board.
- President of the NYS Society of Municipal Finance Officers
- Currently Councilman for the Town of Union.
- Treasurer of the Broome County Association of Towns & Villages.
CIC, CRIS, Account Executive
315-451-1500
Thomas graduated from the University at Albany in 1998 and has been involved in the insurance industry for over ten years. He is part of HF&C’s general unit and works with all different types of businesses including contractors, hotels, restaurants and the fire suppression industry. He prides his success on understanding his client’s day to day business and helping them evaluate potential exposures and risks they could face. Thomas makes himself available to his customers 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
Thomas is capable of handling accounts of all size, exposure and service needs.
CPCU, Risk Management Advisor, Director of Global Placement
315-703-1320
Tracy is Haylor, Freyer & Coon’s International Gatekeeper working closely with our Assurex partners. Tracy handles the foreign coverage issues for our firm as well as the coordination of the reverse flow business.
Prior to joining HF&C as a broker in 2004, Tracy had accumulated 15 years of experience as a senior underwriter with several major carriers. Her experience and knowledge in this area as well as her successful transition to the brokerage world led to her being named HF&C’s lead international person.
Tracy has over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry and an extensive underwriting background. Prior to joining HF&C, she managed an $11 Million dollar book of workers compensation business, primarily in the manufacturing, healthcare and service segments. In addition to her international duties, Tracy handles a sizeable book of local business.
Tracy is a graduate of LeMoyne College, with a degree in Finance. She obtained her Charted Property and Casualty Underwriter designation in 1995.
Risk Management Consultant
585-641-7028
Cindy currently serves as a Risk Management consultant working out of the Rochester branch of Haylor Freyer & Coon. Cindy is experienced in many industries to include construction, manufacturing, healthcare, municipalities and more. Cindy has worked with a wide range and diverse book of clients. Contract review, risk assessment, and risk transfer are key strengths. Cindy has accumulated 17 years of commercial experience during her tenure at large national brokerages.
Cindy also spent five years handling sales and marketing initiatives for a supplier to the imaging industry. Cindy is well versed in sales management, multi-channeled advertising campaigns and online optimization and commerce.
Cindy is a Magna Cum Laude graduate from Roberts Wesleyan College with a degree in Organizational Management. She also obtained her Certified Insurance Counselor designation in 2006 and her Construction Risk Insurance Specialist designation in 2017 to provide a higher level of guidance to her clients.
Cindy resides in Hilton, NY with her husband Eric and their 3 children. She enjoys golf, animals, lacrosse and coaching soccer. Cindy is also active with the Rochester Builders Exchange, Rochester Homebuilders Association, and her local community.
Sr. Vice President, Risk Management Consultant
315-453-1726
Steve’s goal is to become a “trusted advisor” to his clients. He accomplishes this by advocating for his customers and addressing their needs on a daily basis. Attention to detail and servicing his client’s needs are his top priorities. He takes a “consultative approach” with his clients by making sure his customers are properly protected as well as educated with regard to all of the options available to them in the insurance marketplace. His philosophy is not to just sell a customer more insurance but to find the most cost effective options to handle a company’s risk management needs. This may be accomplished by transferring a customer’s liabilities to other responsible parties through contracts and/or agreements, by taking steps from a safety standpoint to mitigate exposure to loss, or by implementing management practices that provide for checks and balances to reduce a certain risk. His goal for a customer’s insurance program is to have a comprehensive program that is aggressively priced as well as making sure his clients are proactive from a risk management perspective. This will ultimately protect the company’s assets and lessen their overall insurance costs.
Steve handles Haylor, Freyer & Coon’s larger complex accounts. His accounts are both domestic and internationally based and they include privately held and publicly traded companies. His knowledge of insurance products is wide ranging from guaranteed cost options and international products to the alternative marketplace, including captives and self-insurance.
Steve has over 30 years of experience in the Insurance Industry. He was also a member of Syracuse’s Common Council for eight years and played a major role in the successful redevelopment of a historic area in the City of Syracuse. Steve lives in Jamesville, NY, is married and has four children. He is an active coach of youth sports, mainly basketball which is one of his passions.
Risk Management Advisor
315-703-1398
Hank joined our firm in 2009 with vast experience in local government. He served as Town Councilor in Manlius from 2000-2002 and then as Town Supervisor from 2002-2008. He also worked as a local government liaison to the New York State Senate for 14 years. This local government background gives Hank a unique perspective in servicing municipal clients and understanding the challenges they face.
Hank is a graduate of Syracuse University with a BA in Economics.
At Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. our business is to know your business. We provide our clients with premier Risk Management Services including:
- In depth coverage and exposure reviews
- Customized service calendars
- Coordination and oversight of all services provided both by HF&C and carriers
- Regular client meetings on open items.
Sr. Vice President, Risk Management Consultant
315-703-1399
Scott is a sales executive at Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc’s Corporate Office in Syracuse, New York. Scott manages the Agribusiness practice at Haylor which includes dairy processing, distribution and milk haulers throughout the United States. Scott is also the Transportation Business Unit Leader at Haylor which includes trucking, livery and limo, para-transit, rubbish, and related transportation accounts. Scott has 32 years commercial lines insurance experience.
In addition to insurance consulting, Scott has developed programs which integrate driver behavior modification systems with the insurance coverage. This approach has improved loss frequency and provides protection against not at fault collisions for fleets across the U.S.
Prior to joining Haylor in 2002, Scott worked for a global insurance company in Sales & Marketing. He held various roles involving middle market accounts, national accounts, and emerging specialty coverage programs. Scott managed the middle market business segment in the mid-atlantic region before joining Haylor.
Scott is a graduate of University of South Florida with a degree in Finance, and holds professional designations as a Certified Insurance Counselor and Associate of Risk Management, and is an advisor on the board of the International Milk Haulers Association.
Sr. Vice President
315-453-2185
Jim services some of Haylor, Freyer & Coon’s most complex accounts. He has extensive experience working with Schools, Municipalities and other public entities. Having developed a specialized School/Municipality niche, Jim is able to provide his clients with specialized programs and unmatched experience in this area.
Jim understands the unique challenges public entities face. While municipalities are still responsible for a myriad of public services, they now function in an environment of constant regulatory change that impacts all their operations and services. HF&C has grown its Municipal Services Division by staying ahead of the needs of this challenging environment.
Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. has been committed to Public and Private school districts in New York State for over 40 years. At HF&C, we have a strong reputation of being a leading Independent Agency that insures over 100 School Districts in New York State. Jim has worked diligently to recruit and hire a team of specialists that knows and understands this unique risk.
Sr. Vice President, Risk Management Consultant
315-703-9150
Vic is one of Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc.’s premier account executives who services one of the largest books of business in our firm. Joining HF&C after several years with Marsh, he added much experience to our firm in the areas of larger risk management type accounts, construction, program business, real estate development and international risks. He also works on various loss sensitive programs for larger clients. Vic partners with our Director of Global Placement on new business opportunities, both locally and internationally. In addition, Vic has developed a specialized program for the linen rental and industrial laundry which is endorsed by a national trade organization. A member of HF&C’s Board of Directors, Vic began his insurance career with Liberty Mutual in 1985. In 1995 he joined Marsh USA, Inc. where he rose to the position of Sr. Vice President. He is a graduate of the State University of New York with a degree in Accounting. Vic holds the professional designation of Associate in Risk Management, ARM.
CIC, Vice President
315-800-1782
Sean has enjoyed a successful career with Haylor, Freyer and Coon, Inc, since 1993. As Vice President of the Manufactured Housing Division, Sean is responsible for designing state-of-the art insurance programs for manufactured home community owners and retails.
Within the Manufactured Housing Industry, Sean currently sits on the Board of Directors for several state associations including , the First State Manufactured Housing Association (FSMHA), Manufactured Housing Associations for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Northeast. He is also a past chairman of the Federated States Division of the national manufactured housing organization, the Manufactured Housing Institute(MHI). Currently he is a delegate for several states to MHI and is a member of the Financial Services Division.
While being an active member within the Manufactured Housing Industry, Sean has been recognized with several prestigious awards including the Ike Bogart Award for lifetime achievement within the New Jersey Manufactured Housing Association as well as the Industry Person of the Year from the Maryland Manufactured Housing Coalition. Sean was also Chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Five State Convention in 2007 and 2008 and serves on the Executive Committee for the New Jersey Manufactured Housing Association as well as the Maryland manufactured Housing Coalition.
Sean is a graduate of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. He began his Insurance career with The Equitable Financial Companies. It was there that he earned his Series 6 and 63 licenses as well as his licenses in Life and Health Insurance. After several years assisting clients in Financial and Estate Planning, Sean went to work with Haylor, Freyer and Coon, Inc. Soon after, he earned his Property and Casualty licenses and eventually went on to earn the coveted Certified Insurance Counselor(CIC) designation.
Outside of work, Sean can be found training for marathons or triathlons. He has completed 10 marathons and has competed in several triathlons of different distances. Currently he is preparing to compete in his first Ironman Triathlon. He is also an avid golfer, having competed in high school and college.
Vice President, Director Collegiate Division
315-703-1331
Renee’ has been in sales and operations for over 22 years. Renee’ joined Haylor in 2013 to lead our Collegiate Division due to previous experience and success in sales, employee management, business development and operations. Her experience includes a position as Director of Sales & Customer Service where she managed a team of employees and contract staff for an Internet Technology firm in upstate NY. During her time as Director of Sales, the firm was recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of America’s fastest growing companies in 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively.
Renee’ is currently one of the largest brokers nationwide, ranked by Insurance Business America as a 2020 Top Producer. Licata was also featured in April 2019’s National Insurance Journal as a national subject matter expert in the collegiate space, and co-leads the Collegiate & Employee Benefits Divisions at Haylor. She has won many sales awards during her tenure at Haylor including earning Producer of the Year four times and Platinum Award for new business 5 times, among various other awards and recognitions. She is a 2003 graduate of NC State University. Renee’ is licensed in Life, Accident, Health, Property & Casualty.
Renee’ is client focused and proactive, advocating and addressing client’s needs on a daily basis. Attention to detail and servicing client’s needs are her top priorities. Renee’s entire team focuses on the client/student experience with state-of-the-art technology, highlighted by a proprietary web portal designed specifically for the customized needs of Universities and Colleges.
Vice President, Risk Management Consultant
315-703-1389
Joe Peplinski is a Vice President in our Transportation Department where he leads a team of Trucking dedicated risk advisors.
Joe’s commitment to the trucking industry is evident by his specialty designations; TRS & TRIP.
- TRS - Transportation Risk Specialist
- TRIP - Transportation Risk Insurance Professional
- Featured speaker at Annual Conference and Safety Symposium on Fleet Safety
- An Advocate for the voice of trucking; attending the Call on Washington to speak with Congress & Senators to bring about needed change in our industry
Director of Group Benefits
315-703-3215 or 585-385-6600
Tom offers employers a wealth of experience in health and employee benefit management. He has been involved in the design, implementation and management of employee benefit programs for over 26 years. His out of the box thinking provides long term solutions with an eye not only on todays cost containment and wellness programs but what benefit results an employer would like to achieve in the future. Tom works with all types of businesses and public entities, focusing on mid to large sized clients across Central and Upstate New York.
Tom takes a holistic approach to risk management and provides his clients with utilization review analysis, cost containment initiatives, self-funding arrangements, stop loss management (captive or direct), employee communication/education, wellness programming, performance improvement technology, private exchanges and regulatory compliance.
Vice President, Risk Management Consultant
315-703-1326
Tony has 29 years of insurance experience developing and managing large commercial accounts throughout the northeast. He began working in the insurance field shortly after earning a BS in Management Science at SUNY Oswego in 1985. Prior to coming to Haylor, Tony was employed by both Wausau as a Senior Underwriter, and Robert J. Hanafin, Inc. as VP in sales. His vast underwriting experience has provided the tools and expertise needed to service clients in all areas of insurance and risk management. Tony has built one of the largest client books comprised of mid to large companies with a focus on construction, large manufacturers, transportation and nonprofits.
Of primary importance to Tony is providing his clients with total insurance solutions. He provides risk management services including policy reviews, coverage gap analysis, risk transfer support, guaranteed cost options and alternative programs such as captives. His goal is to ensure that the customer has proper coverage, and that the terms & conditions meet the requirements for their contracts. His focus is on protecting the assets with strategic competitively priced programs.
Tony is an individual HF&C shareholder, as well as the unit leader of the Bond Department. He is constantly updating his industry specific knowledge to better serve his clients. He is an active member of the Subcontractors Association of Central New York, the Surety Association of Syracuse, the Syracuse Builders Exchange, the Association of Builders and Contractors, and the Manufacturers Association of Central New York. Tony speaks at various association, accounting and banking firms regarding risk management advisement and worker’s compensation. At HF&C he mentors up and coming risk management advisors. Involving SUNY Oswego, he has lectured students in Risk Management.
Tony is an active community member involved in many programs and groups. As a member of the YMCA Metro Board of Greater Syracuse, he recently chaired the most successful YMCA Annual Campaign. Frances House, Arise, St. Ann’s Food Pantry and youth sports coaching are other programs where Tony volunteers his time.
ARM, CRIS, Risk Management Advisor, Watertown
315-703-9132
Adam has been developing and servicing risk management programs with Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. since 2009. He specializes in contractors, manufacturers, transportation companies, and human service organizations. Adam takes a proactive approach, to his client relationships. He evaluates business exposures and provides risk management through insurance, loss control, safety programs, risk transfer and contract review. Adam also manages many of his client’s bonding needs by providing a full array of bid, performance, and payment surety bonds. His current client portfolio consists of locally based companies operating on a national scale. Adam earned the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) Designation and the Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) Designation to further his knowledge of risk transfer procedures and mechanisms. He also became a Notary Public to further assist his diverse client base. Adam served a term as President of Rotary, receiving a Paul Harris Fellow and continues to support his community and local nonprofit organizations. Adam is a third generation insurance agent proudly serving Central and Upstate New York.
Risk Management Advisor, Capital Region
518-928-6664
George brings a unique skill set and 30+ years of executive level experience to HF&C. Well versed in all facets of running a major corporation, George understands the complexities and importance of creating a solid risk management program as part of any successful corporate strategy.
Prior to joining HF&C, George held the position of CFO giving him the executive level view of the financial impact risk management has on a corporation. He was able to reduce insurance expenditures in workers’ compensation, general liability, auto and healthcare through carefully crafted safety and wellness programs. In addition, his analytical mindset allowed him to develop a competitive bid process that factored price and coverage limits. His “out of the box” thinking led to an in-house self-insured program for healthcare and workers compensation that shared the risk while reducing overall expense to the company. Additional experience in the NYS Governor’s Regulatory Reform Office gives George acute awareness of Insurance Department regulations.
As a licensed Risk Management Advisor, George provides his clients with total risk management and insurance solutions. Utilizing agency services and expertise, he is able to provide such risk management services as: policy reviews, coverage gap analysis, risk transfer support, guaranteed cost options and alternative programs such as captives. His goal is to ensure that the customer has proper coverage, and that the terms & conditions meet the requirements for their contracts. His focus is on protecting the assets with strategic competitively priced programs.
A native of the Albany area, George is involved with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and The Albany Academy. He received his Masters of Business Administration from The College of Saint Rose and has extensive course work in Labor Law from Albany Law School.
Benefit Consultant
315-263-3520
Celeste comes to Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc. with an extensive background in finance and the healthcare industries. In finance, she was on an Institutional Consulting team that worked with Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies.
Celeste is noted for her consultative, value-added resourcefulness, and going to great lengths to make sure her clients' expectations are exceeded. She was sought after to be the Relationship Manager for the complex, wide-ranging goal-oriented clients. Celeste has over 20 years of experience in sales, relationship management, business development, and operations.
She has an undergraduate degree in Communications from University at Buffalo, studied psychology abroad at Oxford University, and has her Masters from Syracuse University. Celeste is licensed in Life, Accident & Health, as well as Property and Casualty Insurance. She is an avid traveler and enjoys traveling to work with clients nationwide.
Some of the specialized programs of focus include:
- Health Insurance Programs for Domestic & International Students
- Employee Medical Benefits
- Student Personal Property
- Study Abroad Health Insurance
- Dental, Vision, and other Ancillary coverages
Director of Surety
315-703-1329
Trevor is responsible for underwriting and brokering over 300 construction and non-construction commercial companies. His expertise is global, handling national and international clients’ surety bond needs.
During his tenure in the surety industry, he has handled companies ranging from a couple hundred thousand in revenue to companies doing over a billion dollars in annual revenue. Prior to joining HF&C, Trevor honed his surety bond expertise first in the family surety business and then in a variety of roles at AEGIS Security Insurance and an Independent surety bond agency.
As construction advocate, Trevor has met with and lobbied multiple US Senators and the Small Business Administration to promote the benefits of a strong construction industry here in CNY and Nationally. He is actively involved and a member of several local and national organizations:
- National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP)
- Surety Association of Syracuse, NY City, NJ & Philadelphia
- Syracuse Builders Exchange,
- Subcontractors Association of CNY
Risk Management Advisor
315-703-1387
Anto is a Risk Management Advisor with Haylor, Freyer & Coon primarily focused in the construction, manufacturing and wholesale industries. He has several years of industry experience working on a diverse range of risk profiles. Prior to joining HF&C Anto held management positons on both carrier and agency sides of the business.
Anto creates risk management solutions using common sense, common courtesy and clear communication for a transparent experience that puts the client’s needs first so businesses can pursue their goals with confidence. Anto also takes a proactive approach with his clients using loss control, safety programs, training sessions and risk transfers to help mitigate losses before they happen.
Anto is a graduate of Colgate University where he obtained his BA. At Colgate he was a member of the Division 1 FCS Football team and is currently a member of the Maroon Council. In 2018 Anto obtained his Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI) designation in order to best serve his clients.
Vice President
315-703-9143
Mike has almost 30 years of insurance experience developing and managing large commercial accounts throughout the Northeast and Mid Atlantic states. His accounts are diverse and include some of HF&C’s largest, long term clients. His specialties include construction, manufacturing, developers, transportation and automotive operations.
Of primary importance to Mike is providing his clients with total insurance solutions. He can provide risk analysis, policy reviews and risk transfer support. His goal is to provide competitive pricing programs while ensuring that the customer has proper coverage and terms and conditions to meet the requirements for their contracts while protecting their assets.
Prior to joining HF&C, Mike had 15 years insurance sales experience with a local broker. He joined our Agency in 1995 and has helped cultivate the construction division into one of HF&C's most successful niches.
As an active member in the Subcontractors Association of Central New York, Surety Association of Syracuse, Syracuse Auto Dealers Association and Associate member of ARANY, he is consistently updating industry specific knowledge to better serve his clients.
Mike is a graduate of SUNY Brockport with a BS in Business Administration.
