About the Agency
Founded in 1972, the Vertich Agency is an independent agency specializing in employee benefits as well as group and individual life and health insurance. The agency offers unique products and services which provide large corporate-style benefits for small to medium sized businesses in an affordable way. Vertich Agency’s professional and knowledgeable staff will help augment your human resources department by providing benefits communication materials, full enrollment support and up-to-date compliance assistance.
Vertich Agency’s objective is to help you offer the most competitive benefits package to your employees by ensuring that each line of coverage (whether it is medical insurance or even vision insurance) is negotiated at the best possible price with the best company. Meanwhile your payroll and HR personnel will see their time spent on benefits administration reduced. Vertich Agency’s services, such as providing a single-source bill for all your lines of coverage, helps your company to better manage and audit benefits expenses as well as manage enrollment. Best of all, this One-Source Billing is FREE.
The agency’s product portfolio not only offers all the big, well-known insurance companies, it includes many quality less-known companies which can be much more affordable. In addition Vertich Agency offers a number of exclusive products which are not available through other agencies. These programs can offer better coverage, lower cost, and/or easier participation requirements which, gives smaller employers access to programs that would otherwise not be possible to offer their employees.
Great employees are an important key to business success; benefits are an investment in them, their productivity and their good will. Vertich Insurance Agency will work with you to maximize the return on that investment by helping you offer competitive benefit programs to your employees.
About Our Staff
Mark Vertich
Mark Vertich is the Founder and President of the Vertich Insurance Agency, which was established in 1972.
Mark is a regional specialist in the Employee Benefit/group insurance industry.
During much of his career, Mark has been recognized by a number of insurance companies as a TOP national producing agent. His core specialties are employee benefits and life insurance planning. This experience includes a welldeveloped knowledge of the self funded medical plan and group health, life, disability and supplemental insurance markets.
As founder of Vertich Insurance Agency, Mark’s vision has been to establish a supermarket of quality group supplemental products as well. Because of its unique arrangements with many insurance company’s and vendors, Vertich Agency has leveraged this to give smaller employers the ability to offer a complete package of large, corporate-style benefits. As a result, these businesses enjoy a competitive advantage by offering a full package of competitively priced benefits, which cannot be obtained by small businesses in the regular market place.
Tonya Draughon
Tonya Draughon is our Directror of Marketing. Her duties include training of insurance brokers and our current and prospective clients on self funded insurance plans as well as our supplementtal insurance products. Tonya also works with brokers and the Employers who choose our products to educate, help on enrollment, quote new business, and to be a contact for techincal questions and service issues.
Prior to Tonya’s affilation with our company, she was director of national busines and product development at Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of America (Renaissance America). Previously, Tonya was the Florida Director of Commercial Group and Individual Sales at Foundation Health. She began her career working part-time for a third-pary administrator. Her experience continued as she worked for an insurance company, and independent agent and an HMO. Tonya is a licensed Insurance Agent with more than 25 years experience in the health insurance industry, including a background in underwriting, account services, marketing administration and sales management in both the group and individual markets.
As an active participant in the National Association of Health Underwrites, Draughon has served as membership chairperson for the Florida Chapter and has previously held the positions of Media and Communications Chairs as well as Predident of the Broward Chapter. Tanya has also served as a NAHU member lobbyist in Washington, D.C., meeting with U.S. Senators and Representatives concerning today’s health insurance issures.
In the past 4 years Tonya has written several articles published in industy magazines, notablely Broker World, CDHC Magazine, Agent Sales Journal, Employee Benefit Advisor and Voluntary Benefits Magazine.
Tom Vertich, CEBS, SPHR
Tom Vertich is Vice President of Business Development. Tom began a career in the health & welfare employee benefits field in 1995. Tom’s background comprises a cross discipline in health underwriting/brokerage and corporate human resources. This experience includes managing a Fortune 100 firm’s U.S. benefit vendors as well as HR compliance program administration and training. In addition, Tom’s benefits practice knowledge includes consultative account management for some well-recognized national employers.
Tom helps employers develop strategies to lower their long-term health insurance cost trends. He also finds affordable solutions to offering competitive benefit packages, which will allow an employer to attract and retain the best talent. Tom’s professional designations include the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), established by the Wharton School of Business and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans; and the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Human Resources Certification Institute.
Tom is a strong believer in serving his community and promoting high professional standards in his industry. He served as a chapter leadership council member for the Drug-Free Florida Coalition, and has also served as a past chapter president for the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Plans and the National Association of Health Underwriters and is a current member of the HR Association of Broward County.
Jean Meddock
Jean Meddock is Director of Administration and Client Services, and has served over 28 years with Vertich Insurance Agency. Jean’s expertise is insurance company claims and customer service. She assists clients with their policy needs, claims issues and other questions regarding their coverage and benefits. Jean is also responsible for COBRA administration.
Jean has earned much praise over the years for her excellent work in addressing and solving clients’ insurance company service issues.
Her familiarity with the industry allows her to quickly resolve most inquiries with one phone call.
Judy Vertich
Judy Vertich is the Controller for Vertich Insurance Agency and Premium Management Services Inc. She as been with Vertich Insurance Agency for over 10 years. Judy manages client billing for Premium Management Services Inc., prepares client 5500’s and does Section 125 discrimination testing. Judy is also responsible for Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA), and Health Savings Account (HSA) plan administration.
Prior to working with the agency, Judy worked with one of the premier CPA firms in Southwest Florida for more than a decade. Her financial background includes a wealth of knowledge on tax accounting.
Betty Alonso
Betty Alonso is Vertich Insurance Agency’s Client Service Manager and is responsible for the group enrollment department. Betty has over 10 years of service with Vertich Insurance Agency. She is fluent in Spanish and assists as an interpreter in employee meetings and oversees Spanish translation for benefits communication materials as needed .
Betty’s customer service role includes new coverage confirmation, ordering of enrollment packets, and client requests for new applications, claim forms, additional ID cards and duplicate polices.