Lexington, KY - Ask Tony Rukavina about any customer of his Lexington aircraft insurance agency, and chances are he could tell you a lot more than just what kind of plane that person flies and why. Rukavina likes to get to know his clients, he said, including details about what they do for a living and their family life.
"You can't put a price on that," Rukavina said.
Rukavina is the president and only employee of Rukavina Aircraft Insurance, and the only
broker in Kentucky specializing in aircraft insurance, with customers all over the country.
But even in his highly specialized industry, Rukavina says it is the personal service he provides that has allowed his company to grow during a recession.
There are several larger agencies specializing in aircraft insurance in the United States, but Rukavina holds that they can't have the relationships or provide the kind of individual attention that he does. There is no automated call center for his business, he pointed out.
"If you call me, I'm the only guy you're going to talk to," he said.
Six years ago, Rukavina was working in Chicago, where, after years as a
general property and casualty agent,
he had been developing a niche in aircraft insurance. Most of his customers were referred to him from a small bank that specialized in financing aircraft purchases, but the bank was being swallowed up by a larger bank, and the future of its aircraft financing was uncertain. Rukavina decided it was time to take the controls and
fly solo, so to speak. But he didn't want to stay in Chicago.
"Commuting there was awful," he said. "And this was something tailor-made to do anywhere we liked."
Rukavina and his wife chose Lexington for both personal and professional reasons. Rukavina, who grew up in Milwaukee,
had two brothers living and working in Lexington as doctors. They felt it would be a good place for their three kids to grow up, the cost of living was lower and its location made it easy to get to other cities, if necessary.
When he first landed in Lexington, he didn't even have a desk. He worked with files stacked on the floor of an extra bedroom and plugged in a phone and a fax machine.
Since then, he said, he has "stayed focused and never let up."
Rukavina Aircraft Insurance doesn't actually sell the insurance policies.
Rukavina is a
broker who specializes in finding the best coverage from the 10 or so insurers
with which he contracts and presents options to his clients.
"They are really hiring me to find the best policy for their situation," Rukavina said. "I have contracts with the insurers, but I work for the client."
He also can be an advocate for his client if a claim is filed. Most claims involve hard landings or nicks going in and out of hangars.
"We really don't get that much as far as claim activity," he said.
He has a range of clients, from enthusiasts for old military "war birds" to home-built aircraft to private jets. Many of his new clients are referrals from existing clients or from lenders who are financing a plane purchase and want to be sure that insurance is not a stumbling block.
Rukavina's clients include doctors, actors and
Air 51 Richmond, which provides flight training at Eastern Kentucky University. Rukavina said he is developing more Kentucky clients, many of whom have been interested in more vintage military planes. He would like to develop more business with companies that provide air transportation for horses, he said.
Much of his new business comes from referrals for current clients. He said recommendations in Internet discussion forums among Cessna 400 owners, the model owned by the largest number of his clients, have generated several calls.
He also promotes his business at four to five air shows each year. "I'm the only smaller broker that attends all these shows," he said.
He sees them as a way to stay informed and stay visible and a chance to maintain those personal relationships.
"I really am more of a people person," he said.
It also is a nice break from the home office, Rukavina said. He stills works out of his house in the Beaumont area, doing most of his work by phone, fax and e-mail. He rarely has clients visit, but instead usually meets
local
clients
at Blue Grass Airport, which is just a few minutes from his home. He may go up on a flight with one of his clients, but he is not a pilot, preferring to remain at the controls of his business.
"If I were out flying, I would never be able to service my clients."