User:Callin1991/sandbox

SafeGuard Insurance Agency is an independent insurance agency headquartered in the Southernmost tip of Texas. As of 2014, the agency had 11 locations spread throughout Brownsville, Harlingen, Weslaco, McAllen, Edinburg, Rio Grande City, and Laredo, Texas.

The agency is owned by brothers Abraham and Juan Padron.

Origins

Abraham began selling insurance in 1997. He founded a private Allstate Insurance Agency in the southernmost tip of Texas, which he grew to become one of the largest Allstate agencies in the country.

In 2001, Abraham and his wife, Delfa Padron, formed SafeGuard Insurance Agency, an independent insurance agency to provide services to his Allstate clients that were not available through Allstate, insulating Abraham’s commercial clients.

Juan joined Abraham’s Allstate agency in 2002, after working as an engineer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, and in management at General Electric, where he earned a Six Sigma Blackbelt certification in business management strategy.

In 2004, Abraham and Juan sold the Allstate agency, shifting their resources to managing SafeGuard Insurance Agency full time. That same year, they purchased the agency from Delfa Padron.

By 2010, SafeGuard Insurance Agency’s growth had surpassed it’s former captive agency.

SafeGuard Insurance is known for its involvement with the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas and its contributions to the local university.

Involvement with IIAT and IIABA

Juan became involved with the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas following SafeGuard Insurance Agency’s purchase.

After two years of serving on the board of the Independent Insurance Agents of the Rio Grande Valley, where he is currently president, and five years of serving on the state-level Small Agency Advisory Council and Personnel Recruiting Task Force, Juan was appointed as the Chair to the national-level Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America’s Diversity Task Force.

Notable Contributions to University of Texas - Pan American

After being diagnosed with hyperlexia — a condition in which people have difficulty producing or comprehending spoken language — Juan’s daughter received speech therapy from The University of Texas - Pan American’s Speech and Hearing Center, housed in the College of Health Sciences and Human Services. After two and a half years of treatment, his 5-year-old girl was able to communicate without problems. (2, 3)

To show their gratitude to the University, the Padron brothers made a donation through SafeGuard Insurance Agency to the Speech and Hearing Center to purchase much needed audio-visual equipment to treat their patients.

“I’m very grateful to the University and all it’s done for us, not only for my niece and nephew, but also for the education it gave me,” stated Abraham Padron. “(UT Pan American) has done so much for us and anything we can do wouldn’t be enough to show our gratitude.”

Other Community Involvement

Juan has served on the board of the Narcisco Martinez Cultural Arts Center, an organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the Rio Grande Valley. He is also a member of his local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Juan has also lectured a “Principles of Insurance” course at UTPA’s College of Business Administration.