Insurance Firm Offers Variety of Options

By Zoe Francis, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

A new company in town is dedicated to finding customers the best possible insurance deals.

Sallie Benitez Witt Insurance Centers offers insurance through a wide variety of companies, meaning that customers get the insurance policies at the best rates and ones that best fit their needs.

"It's like an umbrella that covers you under several companies," owner Sallie Benitez Witt explained. "We sell every kind of insurance - auto, home, life, commercial, recreational vehicles. We pretty much do everything."

Offering insurance through several companies provides "more options for clients," she said. "You have better pricing. If one (policy) doesn't work, you can put them right into the next."

Witt is no newcomer to the insurance business. The licensed insurance broker worked as a Farmers Insurance agent in San Leandro for 24 years before branching out on her own.

She opted to locate her company in Hacienda because it is much closer to her home in Livermore. The new office opened in July 2013.

"This is a brand new name and a brand new center," Witt said proudly. Her daughter, Dominique, works at the firm, and her nephew runs a satellite office in Stockton. A San Diego office is being planned.

"I'm trying to build the company off different agents who can be in different areas," Witt said. "I've always had clients in San Diego and LA. A lot of them are clients who have moved out of this area. For that reason, I think it will be good to spread out a little bit more and have somebody who could meet with them."

Rounding out the team is Johana Elias, Witt's longtime office manager and a licensed insurance broker. The firm also works closely with a mortgage broker to insure his clients once they buy homes and properties.

While Witt enjoyed her years at Farmers, she did not like being limited to selling policies from just one company. She had a dream of starting her own company that offers many options for clients.

"Our service is phenomenal," she boasted. "It's more about the agent and the service and how they treat people. It's not just about the brand name of the company. That's the reason a lot of our old clients are coming to us."

As the economy rebounds from the years-long recession, Witt is finding many of her clients are woefully underinsured as their home values skyrocket. She also has clients who have overpriced policies.

"One client that we wrote (a policy for) just a couple of days ago, we were able to save them more than $1,000," she said. "I want to help my clients. I don't want to just take a check from them. We want to have that personal touch."

Witt's company is based on three key principles - honesty, integrity and loyalty.

"We have a lot of knowledge and experience," she said. "We have a lot of integrity. We educate people when they come to us. We go through each step and help them understand (their policies). We make sure they understand what they purchased."

Learn more about Witt's company at salliebenitezwittinsurancecenters.com. The firm offers services in Spanish.

Photo: Sallie R. Witt Owner/Principal, and Nydia (Johana) Elias, of Sallie Benitez Witt Insurance

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