Spring in Western New York can be misleading. 70 degrees of sunshine can fall during the same week as a light snowfall. But regardless, Spring means it’s time to get your summer vehicles insured.

We can’t emphasize enough – there is no such thing as “just this one time,” when it comes to driving your vehicle without the proper insurance. It only takes one time for an accident or injury to happen – even during a quick run to “dust off the cobwebs.”

Your recreational vehicles can often be bundled with your every-day vehicles. Many recreational vehicles require separate licensing or safety courses to reduce insurance costs.

Information about recreational vehicle insurance, including the ability to request a quote can be found on our website – CLICK HERE!

Emerling Floss Murphy & Associates is pleased to formally introduce our new Personal Lines Account Manager, Tracey Ligammari. Tracey is fulfilling the position held by the recently retired, Tina Schmidt.

Tracey has been with Emerling Floss Murphy & Associates since June 2019 (originally hired by Floss Agency, Inc.). She is also a proud member of the New York Army National Guard, and recently returned to us after a year-long deployment overseas.

She has over 10 years of experience in personal lines insurance, including claims handling, and using her experience to help customers understand their coverage and feel comfortable with their insurance policies.

Tracey has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University at Buffalo, and an Associates’ degree in Military Intelligence.

After 45+ years in the insurance industry, and over 12 years with the Emerling Agency, LLC (and now the newly merged Emerling Floss Murphy & Associates), Tina Schmidt has retired.

Tina was a Personal Lines Account Manager and specialized in building customer relations. We thank Tina for her hard work and dedication to our team and clients over the years.

Her last day was on Thursday, February 25th.

When Emerling Floss Murphy & Associates became official in the Summer of 2020, many questions came along with the congratulatory comments: What about the EMS Group? Of course, we also had clients that asked: What is EMS Group?

Here’s an FYI on EFM and EMS.

When it comes to a privately owned insurance agency, our customers benefit the most when they have an agency that is not too big, and not too small. EMS Group helps us provide our customers with the “just right.”

EMS Group is NOT an agency…however, it represents the network of agencies that gives us the ability to negotiate the best prices possible for our customers.

EFM&A is an agency, that oversees the details, programs, and customer service aspect of your insurance program.

We consider our partnership with the EMS Group as a blue token of customer satisfaction. We have the ability to operate our agency independently while collaborating with other agencies that we believe, represent the best in Western New York.

To learn more about EMS Group, visit emsinsurance.com, or you can visit our website, efm-agency.com.

Emerling Floss Murphy & Associates is pleased to announce the hiring of Kelly Platt.

Kelly is joining us as a Client Relations Manager in the Financial Services Department. She graduated from Niagara University with a bachelor’s in Business and is additionally licensed in Life, Accident, and Health insurance (LAH).

Kelly is a native of Clarence, NY, and currently resides in Williamsville with her husband Chris, her daughter Cici, and her dog Lucy.

Outside of work, Kelly likes hiking, kickboxing, Sabres games, concerts & spending time with family and friends.

PHISHING SCAM TARGETING NYS DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLE CUSTOMERS

If you ever receive a text or email that is asking for you to share personal information, please be cautious, as there is a strong chance it could be a scam. If you ever receive such a message, please consider doing the following:

• Inspect all electronic communications you receive to confirm the message was generated from a legitimate source.
• Look for telltale signs of phishing – poor spelling or grammar, the use of threats, the URL does not match that of the legitimate website. If the message does not feel right, chances are it is not.
• DON’T click on links embedded in an unsolicited message from an unverified source.
• DON’T send your personal information via text. Legitimate businesses will not ask users to send sensitive personal information through text messages.
• DON’T post sensitive information online

When in doubt, you can always give us a call and we will be glad to help you!

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the New England Journal of Medicine, the COVID-19 caused a crisis within a crisis.  Domestic violence increased about five times more than the normal incidents, while at the same time, reporting of domestic violence was down about 50%, due to the victims’ inability to safely connect with a service while homebound with their abuser.

Social and economic factors can play a major role in the increase of domestic violence, and closures of schools or childcare facilities increase this even further.

Coincidentally, every year the staff at Emerling Floss Murphy & Associates selects a “charity of the year,” for their “Friday Jean Days,” and last year they voted to have Carolyn’s House from the YWCA of the Niagara Frontier as their 2020 charity of choice.

Carolyn’s house is a supportive housing program for homeless women and children, with the mission of helping women achieve self-sufficiency and the ability to live independently through education, counseling, advocacy, supportive services and housing.

Carolyn’s House opened in 2005, providing 19 apartments with on-site support services, with most of the women and children entering the house having experienced trauma, including domestic violence and/or sexual assault.  Over 500 women and children have found refuge and a path to dignity over the last 15 years at Carolyn’s house, which was named after Community Advocate, Carolyn Van Schaik.

The organization is always in need of support from the community, including cookware, bedding, hygiene items, toilet paper and cleaning supplies.

Emerling Floss Murphy & Associates proudly raised an additional $2,000 through their Jean Day fundraising, in a year that seems to need the support more than ever.

If you are interested in joining EFM&A in supporting Carolyn’s House, please visit ywcaniagarafontier.org.