by Angus MacCaull

“I just try to beat Mary at her own game!” says Stacia. She gives a big laugh and a smile. Stacia has known Mary for years. They both come from near the Mira River. “Mary was actually my broker, all my life, since I got my license at 16.”

Stacia Peters took over Mary Hardy’s book of business when Mary retired this past June after forty-seven years in the industry. Before Stacia became a broker, she worked in other service industries, most recently managing restaurants out West.

The transition was a challenge. Stacia prepared by starting at the reception desk in Sydney River while she studied for her first insurance certification. She quickly found that there are a lot of benefits to being based in our Sydney River office. There’s so much to learn from people like Jennifer MacLean in Accounting, Kelly Power in HMS, Gina Keough with AAM Financial, or senior brokers like Carl Stapleton.

One of Stacia’s continuing challenges is how to build on an established book. But her enthusiasm is obvious to anyone who walks into her office. Most of the time she’s bubbling. She’s excited about her job and about hearing from clients.

“Everyone likes to tell their story,” she says.

Stacia is working to grow business through a fresh perspective. She’s not shy to admit what she doesn’t know and sometimes her search for the answer turns up interesting coverage details. While working on the broker manual project with Zach Armstrong, she researched sewer backup. Now she knows the details of a lot of different markets.

But perhaps the key way in which Stacia is reaching new clients is through embracing new forms of communication. For clients in the 16 – 24 demographic, for example, she organizes the quoting process around text messaging. Clients can text a photo of their licence or other necessary information and there’s lengthy no back and forth with voicemail.

And it’s not just with younger clients. One day, she taught a 93-year-old about the internet.

“He had a connection and everything, but he didn’t know how to e-mail. He was just using his computer to store photos. He wanted to learn—and now he e-mails me.”

Outside of the office, Stacia loves hockey and baseball. She’s involved with local teams and plays around the province.  The support that we offer to sports through various scholarships is on her radar. In addition to growing business, she’s looking forward to growing as a person and helping her communities. In her words, she’s moving “Onward and upward!”

 

Stacia “Little Mary” Peters
At one point, Stacia’s family owned 12 Belgians