It’s not every day that you meet someone who was directly affected by John F. Kennedy and Fidel Castro. Not that Andy Corriveau, president of Corriveau Insurance Agency, Inc., ever met either iconic leader. But his career Navy father was deployed to Guantanamo, Cuba, twice and during the second deployment, Andy and his family were evacuated as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Andy’s life following evacuation from Cuba has been much calmer. He’s nearing his 50th year of working with State Farm Insurance Companies, starting with the company before he graduated from high school.
According to Andy, “I came home from school one day and my father said to me, ‘A lady from State Farm called and wanted to know if you would like a part time job after school and I told her you would be there tomorrow at 2 pm!’ I started working after school and after graduation they made me one of the best employment offers so I stayed with them.”
State Farm moved Andy to Beaufort in 1973 as a claim representative. In 1981 he was appointed as an agent and he has been selling and servicing insurance and financial products since then. Andy also employs State Farm team members to better meet client obligations.
Andy has a bachelor of science in Economics and has completed many years of training sponsored by State Farm, including the prescribed studies by the Insurance Institute of
America. Andy also completed the course of studies by the American College and was awarded the Chartered Life Underwriter designation.
“I wasn’t a great student in school but somehow I developed a knack for Economics and all of the complicated relationships involved in our economy including Insurance,” says Andy. “I was fortunate to have held many positions in operations, but I really enjoyed helping people solve issues involving risk management. So here I am.”
Andy says his competitive nature has driven him to race any other sailboat he sees on the water and he enjoys participating in one design races and off shore races. He was even invited to compete in a National Regatta at Long Beach, Ca.
“But as I got older, fatter and slower,” he says, “I eased into cruising the waterways from the New England coast all the way down to the Bahamas.”
Three of Andy’s four children – Andy Jr., Jennifer and Matt – attended Beaufort County schools. Jennifer and Matt graduated from Hilton Head High School and Andy Jr. from Fletcher High School in Neptune Beach, Florida. Patrick graduated from high school in St. Simmons, Georgia. He says the family is a Clemson family with ties to Georgia Southern and University of Georgia.
As busy with community efforts as he is professionally, Andy was a member of the school improvement councils for Lady’s Island Middle School and Hilton Head High School. He has also served as a Boy Scout leader, member of the Rape Crisis Center board, board member and Fleet Captain of the South Carolina Yacht Club, past Commander of the Beaufort Sail and Power Squadron, member of the Beaufort Little Theater board, United Way fundraising chair for business donations, past president of the Lady’s Island Business and Professional Association, past president of the Windmill Harbour Homeowners Association, past chair of the Port Royal Design and Review Board and current chair of the Beaufort County Construction and Appeal Board.
Andy has recently moved operations to a new location and says that Corriveau insurance Agency is here to stay.
“The products and services provided by the insurance industry are a moving target and keeping current is key to meeting the changing needs of our clients,” Andy says. “We are driven by the needs of our clients. We do not feel we have met our responsibility to our clients unless we have thoughtful conversations about the risk they face and the options that are available to them. No hard sell here, just a desire to help our clients make informed decisions.”
