E86: When Tragedy Strikes, Your Agent at Bridge Insurance Group Shows Up With a Check

What makes Lynn Berry with Bridge Insurance Group a good neighbor? 

What happens when life throws you a curveball? For Lynn Berry, founder of Bridge Insurance Group, an unexpected detour from medical school led to a fulfilling 40-year career helping people navigate the complex world of insurance. Her story reminds us that sometimes our greatest contributions come from the paths we never planned to take.

"We show up with a check when something goes wrong," Lynn explains, cutting through insurance industry jargon to reveal what truly matters. Whether it's a car accident, serious illness, or family tragedy, Bridge Insurance Group's mission transcends paperwork and policies—they provide financial relief during life's most challenging moments.

As an independent agency representing approximately 140 companies, Bridge Insurance Group offers every type of coverage imaginable while maintaining a deeply personal approach. Lynn challenges common misconceptions about the industry, particularly the notion that insurance companies are "greedy." She offers a thought-provoking perspective: when catastrophe strikes, you actually want your insurer to have deep pockets to cover substantial claims.

What sets Bridge Insurance Group apart is their commitment to treating each client as an individual with unique needs. Their diverse team spans multiple generations, ensuring they can connect with clients of all ages—from seniors seeking Medicare guidance to 26-year-olds newly off their parents' plans. In an era of automated quotes and chatbots, they prioritize meaningful relationships and regular check-ins.

Beyond insurance, Lynn reveals her multifaceted life: a devoted grandmother, worship band keyboardist, Bible study leader, and social butterfly who's always ready for a good meal with friends. Her well-rounded approach to life mirrors her holistic view of insurance—it's ultimately about people, not policies.

Ready to experience insurance with a human touch? Connect with Bridge Insurance Group through their website or social media platforms to discover how they're redefining what it means to be a good neighbor in the insurance industry.

To learn more about Bridge Insurance Group go to: 

https://www.bridgeinsgroup.com/

Bridge Insurance Group

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lila Carter.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of an insurancecompany?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
Lynn Barry, with BridgeInsurance Group Incorporated.
Lynn, how's it going?

Speaker 3 (00:29):
Oh, it's great, Lila.
Thank you so kindly for havingme on.
This is a great podcast andsome of my friends have
participated, so thanks forallowing me to be a guest.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, thanks for being here.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your business, so
please tell us more about yourcompany.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
So insurance kind of has a dry name to it, but we
want to put a little moreemotion in it.
So what we do here at BridgeInsurance Group is we show up
with a check when something goeswrong, you have an accident,
you're sick or, forbid, someonedies.
That's when we're showing upwith the check to help pay for
those expenses, to helpalleviate some of the financial

(01:10):
burden that's associated withall of the things that insurance
covers.
So we do offer every type ofinsurance, which makes us a
little unique in our market, andwe really cater to individuals.
So we give a lot ofpersonalized attention, rather
than some of the agencies thatmight be addressing more of the
larger groups.
So we're a very personal,hands-on agency and we are
independent.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Awesome.
I love that you span all ofthose different needs for your
clients.
How did you get into thisbusiness, Lynn?

Speaker 3 (01:37):
Well, it's a little interesting because I fully
intended to become a doctor.
So here I was in high schooldoing all those prep classes,
very fascinated with medicine,very fascinated with the human
body and very fascinated withpeople's stories.
Well, an odd twist of events, Imet a young gentleman that I
fell for very hard, got marriedvery early and decided that I

(02:00):
needed to change careerdirections because it wasn't in
the cards for me to go to eightto 10 to 12 years of school.
So I found a place at the timethat would allow me to engage
and get a license for sellinginsurance.
And that's how my journeystarted.
And it has been Lila.
40 years, or decades, I've beendoing this.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Wow, it's amazing.
So are there any myths or maybemisconceptions in the insurance
industry that you'd like todiscuss today?

Speaker 3 (02:32):
Well, I think a lot of it is probably number one.
It's too complicated, I don'tunderstand it, it's very
expensive and maybe number threeinsurance companies are greedy.
So we can look at that a coupleof different ways.
I will challenge everyone aswe're heading into the fall and
really, generally speaking, yearround, If you watch TV, you see

(02:53):
a lot of insurance companiesadvertising Different products,
of course, but they do have alot of money which we can sit
back and say maybe that's not inour preference.
But I'll tell you what.
If my child has cancer or if Ihave a great loss in my family,
a father of four or five youngchildren passes, or I have a
terrible car accident thatrenders me unable to work for

(03:14):
the rest of my life, thoseinsurance companies better have
deep pockets because I want themto be able to pay those claims.
So I think that's a little bitof a misunderstanding and we're
here to help you understand thatthey don't put together
hundreds of pages of contractsand legalese to make it easier
for you to understand.
They don't put togetherhundreds of pages of contracts
and legalese to make it easierfor you to understand.
So using an agent that doesn'ttarget you is a wise decision

(03:35):
for a lot of people.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Absolutely, and so who are your target customers
and how are you currentlyattracting them to the business?

Speaker 3 (03:45):
Well, it's interesting because we do have a
little bit of a long history,but we really do cater to
individuals.
So we do a lot in the space ofMedicare, so serving our senior
population.
We do a lot for healthinsurance.
So if you're 26 and you justgot kicked off your parents plan
, that's a really good lead forus.
We also deal with a lot ofbusinesses and commercial

(04:05):
clients as well.
We do a ton of life insuranceand, more importantly, we've
kind of hit a hard market.
We've seen a lot of naturaldisasters around the country and
many people are, as a response,getting higher rates in their
car and homeowners insurance.
So we're able to review that.
We have about 140 companiesthat we can contact and
represent, not at a charge toyou it doesn't cost you to use

(04:28):
us but we can do the shoppingfor you rather than going on the
internet and trying to figureit all out yourself.

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Wow, there's so many different target markets for you
all, and have you ever thoughtabout possibly starting a
podcast to reach all of thesepeople?

Speaker 3 (04:44):
That would be a great idea.
Are you trying to give me someideas on that?
I would love to do that, lila,maybe you and I.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
I can certainly help with that.
So outside of work, what do youdo for fun, Lynn?

Speaker 3 (04:59):
Oh my goodness.
Well, I have four children andsix grandchildren, and we are a
stand-up comedy, so I lovespending time with my family
when I can.
Now they're all grown so Idon't get to see them quite as
often, but it's either family.
I have tremendous friends, andeach of those friends has a
little different avenue thatthey like to do.
Some are active, some like togo to cars shows, some like to

(05:21):
do concerts.
I have a lot of good friends.
I love food.
Just invite me for a meal, Iwill show up and then, if it's
anything regarding my faith, I'malso very active in my church.
I play keys, I sing, I'm in theworship band, I lead a life
group which is a little Biblestudy.
So I have a very active life asfar as everything from my

(05:43):
business to my family, to mysocial life.

Speaker 2 (05:46):
Oh, it's amazing that you're so well involved in the
community there.
That's so special.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
So, Lynn, please tell our listeners one thing that
should stick with them aboutBridge Insurance Group says that
, but I will tell you that everyday I walk up and down these

(06:11):
halls with all of our agents andI talk about doing charity work
and I talk about treating eachindividual as a person.
We don't really cater to thelarger companies and that makes
us different.
We have to work harder, notonly to earn your business.
We have to work hard to keepyour business.
We're competing against a lotof commercials and TV ads and
radio ads, but we want to be sopersonal with you and you will

(06:33):
love our team.
We have everything spanningfrom those in their 20s to those
in their 60s.
We have somebody for everybodyand I feel like everything
really circumvents around thefact that you're going to have
an agent that you learn to know,can call, can reach out and is
going to do regular reviews.
You're not just going to hearfrom us once, you're going to

(06:53):
hear from us regularly.

Speaker 2 (06:55):
That's great and yeah , every insurance claim comes
with a story, you know, andusually the basis of that story
is the word help.
So thank you for the work thatyou're doing in the community to
help the people of Pittsburghand beyond and just be there for
them in these times of trouble.
How can our listeners learnmore about Bridge Insurance

(07:18):
Group?

Speaker 3 (07:19):
Well, we're pretty present out there.
We're on most social mediaplatforms Facebook, linkedin,
instagram, x.
We're on TikTok yes, my youngergeneration has gotten us out
there.
And, of course,bridgeinsurancegroupcom is our
website.
We have some events listedthere and you'll get to see some
of our team members and alittle bio.

Speaker 2 (07:38):
Very good.
Well, Lynn, I very muchappreciate your time today and
having you as a guest on ourshow.
We wish you and the group thebest moving forward.

Speaker 3 (07:50):
Thank you so kindly, Lila, and the best to you and
this group the best movingforward.
Thank you so kindly, Lila, andthe best to you and this great
Good Neighbor podcast.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
I love it, thank you, thank you.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnppittsburghcom.
That's GNPPittsburghcom,no-transcript.