Morris & Garritano Insurance History: 1975-Present
1975 welcomed two future owners, Phil Chew and Gene Garritano, to the growing agency. The former oversaw inside operations, and the latter, fresh from Hartford’s executive training program, tackled sales--as his daughter Gina’s husband, Justin Maire, is now doing.
In the mid-seventies, besides insurance, Mr. Garritano applied himself to the golf courses of the Central Coast with a passion, one inherited by his son, James, a professional golfer. In the early Eighties, sales rose as Mr.Garritano’s handicap dropped.
With the agency’s burgeoning staff, the offices, though they covered nearly a full block of Pacific Street, were beyond cozy within a decade, so the agency went shopping for a new home.
Dee retired in 1986, with Morris, Garritano, and Chew remaining as principals. By 1989, when the agency moved to its current 18,000 square foot home at 1122 Laurel Lane, Greg and Gene were sole owners of the agency.
More than eighty people now form Morris & Garritano with mentorship perpetuating our service character. Multi-generational family ownership and strong leadership complete the foundation for our future. Principals Greg Morris, Gene Garritano, and Brendan Morris with past-CEO Paul Hoover form our Executive Committee, which sets the direction of agency management led by Chief Operating Officer Kerry Pollock, Chief Financial Officer Gary Sage, Director of Marketing John Hottinger, and Director of Human Resources Louise Matheny.
From Mr.McAlister’s office on Higuera Street to every desk at 1122 Laurel Lane, for over a century, our agency has thrived on service and the integrity that service demands. At Morris & Garritano, so many more good things from good people happen before and after the sale--to be continued.
