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Bill riding The Tail of the Dragon

I am sure there are motorcycle clubs out there that keep track of rider miles. There are probably even riders out there that are older than Bill Tuscano. But I’ll bet my chaps that Bill is only one of a handful of eighty-seven year-olds that logged 2076 ‘bike’ miles through 6 states in 6 days. It was ‘all in the family’ for this ride: Bill, my brother Al and I, Robin my nephew, and Ryan my nephew-in-law. I am extremely blessed to have ridden motorcycles with my father so many times over the past 36 years. In my early days, I am convinced this is how Bill toughened me up and took a measure of my character.

The ‘boys’ left Western Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning after a full breakfast at Ruthie’s Diner in Ligonier. We stayed on back roads until we hit West Virginia. From there, we rode straight down route 50 through Maryland and the heart of Washington DC (during rush hour!). We rode past the White House but didn’t see anyone, so we kept going all the way to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The next day we turned right and headed south along the shore, keeping an eye out for fresh seafood and raw oysters all the way to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. From there, we hung another hard right and traveled the entire width of NC, which, by the way, is pretty wide. When we hit the Smoky Mountains, we hopped onto a stretch of road known as the Tail of the Dragon – 11 miles of road with 318 turns.

Along the way we visited with friends and family, ate good meals, and saw some beautiful country. For me, the best part of the trip was spending the time with my family and being reminded of how important the people in my life are to me. I did not read many books when I was a young man, but Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of the few I did. As Robert Pirsig states, "Sometimes it's a little better to travel than to arrive". Amen!

I’ll tell you another truth from the world according to Rob Tuscano – I think today’s insurance market is a lot like riding the Tail of the Dragon on a motorcycle; at the end of the day, I am sure you as well as my team of folks walk out the door feeling whipped, twisted, and turned-around! Thank goodness for awesome people, good times, and the gratification of helping people solve their insurance problems.

Having just gotten off the road I figure there are 2 Tuscano products I can easily promote – non-dealer garages and convenience stores – definite essentials for having a great ride. Tuscano writes a convenience store package with many coverage options including liquor (in states where convenience stores are licensed to sell alcohol). We are seeing some great pricing due to the way these risks are rated. Bottom line, we have the capacity to write these accounts even as some other carriers are exiting this class. Give one of our Property/Package underwriters a call if you want to run something by them. They’ll be pleased to hear from you!

We are also growing our garage business this year. We have a number of carriers that will write non-dealer garage operations in most of the states we do business in. These carriers have shown us that they have a broad appetite for different types of exposures. Don’t forget we have admitted paper to write dealers in PA and much of the mid-Atlantic region. Call Annie to talk about what we might be able to help you with.

Every department at Tuscano Agency is growing; we have great markets and loads of expert ability to help you. Just as importantly, Tuscano people are great to work with – the opportunity to serve you is the best part of their day!

"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there."
― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values