Officially, Tom Ruane is the Marketing Director for Milbrandt Insurance. Unofficially, you might call him Doctor Insurance. After more than 35 years in the insurance industry, there isn’t much that Tom hasn’t seen or done. He has worked on the carrier side and the insurance brokerage side of the business, and he’s been an insurance instructor for years. In fact, Tom may be one of the last remaining New York insurance professionals who know how to calculate an experience mod by hand!
Tom feels that his job as an insurance advisor isn’t unlike that of a medical doctor. “When a person goes to the doctor, he doesn’t know what kind of problem he has. He may not tell the doctor everything right away. But a good doctor knows how to ask probing questions. If he asks the right questions, and he gets honest answers, he can make an accurate diagnosis and solve the problem,” Tom explains. “The same is true here. The more you tell me, the more I can help.”
Those who know Tom will tell you that he is passionate about helping his clients and educating others about risk management. But ironically, Tom didn’t set out to be an insurance professional. After securing a degree in criminal justice, he planned to be a police officer. As destiny would have it, a broken foot kept him from taking the job, and he accepted a position as a claims investigator instead. He enjoyed the work and quickly advanced, eventually returning to school to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.
Over the years, Tom has worked in claims, underwriting and marketing in property, liability and workers compensation. At Milbrandt, he’s the go-to problem solver, which is a role he loves. “My insurance carrier background provides a unique perspective and has trained me to take a methodical approach,” he says. “By knowing how carriers operate and what they’re looking for, I can effectively advocate for clients.” Tom also manages the surety bond department at Milbrandt, where he is also a formidable client advocate. “New York is one of the toughest places in the world to do business. We know building permit employees by name, what general contractors require, and how to navigate construction contracts,” Tom says.
Tom is a native New Yorker who now resides in Voorheesville with his wife. They have two grown children whom Tom describes as the greatest accomplishments of his life. Tom is a baseball enthusiast, and has been known to attend 140 games a year! In fact he’s been to every professional ballpark in the country except for two. He also loves history and reading Tom Clancy novels.