Robert J. Hanafin, Inc.

Robert J. Hanafin, Inc. celebrates eighty years as a regional agency with four offices in New York, catering primarily to the construction industry. Robert J. Hanafin, Inc. is one of the largest agency writers of contract surety in the Northeastern United States, writing more surety premium and construction accounts on a per office basis than many of its national brokerage competitors.

This was not always the case.

Robert J. Hanafin, Inc. was started by Robert J. Hanafin in September of 1929 and was in its original form a sole proprietorship marketing life insurance. At the time, "Bob Hanafin" was twenty-one years old and as was the case with many of the self starters in those days, he had little formal education and even less capital, but for the lack of those ingredients, he possessed unequaled tenacity. This man succeeded selling life insurance during the great national depression.

In the middle 1930's, the agency entered the personal lines property and casualty insurance business and after World War II, began to develop a book of medium size commercial accounts. The commercial lines insurance business consisting of small manufacturers and retail trade accounts such as auto dealers and department stores grew successfully during the 1950's.

R. Martin Hanafin, son of Robert J. Hanafin returned to the business full time following his university graduation, service in the US Army and employment with the Hartford Accident & Indemnity Company. He became president of the company in 1972.

During the ensuing thirty-five years, Robert J. Hanafin, Inc. became a major factor in upstate New York in the construction insurance and surety bond arena. The company extended their operations through branch offices opened in Syracuse, Rochester and Albany.

Today, the agency is considered one of the "best of the best" in their field: construction. For this, Robert J. Hanafin, Inc. has to thank its wonderful employees, many of whom have been with the company in excess of twenty and thirty years and its book of extraordinary customers who are unquestionably, the crème de la crème in their respective fields.

R. Martin Hanafin

President & CEO

Martin Hanafin started with Robert J. Hanafin, Inc. as a personal lines producer during the summers while a college student. He graduated from the University Of Notre Dame with a BBA and entered the United States Army. Upon discharge, he reentered the insurance business as a trainee with the Hartord Accident & Indemnity Company where he remained for two years in the contract surety department. Martin became President of Robert J. Hanafin, Inc. in 1972 when he directed the change in the company's culture to an agency specializing in construction insurance with a major emphasis on contract suretyship.

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