Billyard Insurance Group (BIG) has announced the successful opening of three new branch offices in the GTA – BIG Stouffville, BIG St. Clair, and BIG Thornhill. In an interview, BIG’s Vice President Cody Douma expressed his excitement about the addition of these locations stating, “the GTA has been an aggressive growth target for the organization.” As they partner with top-notch insurance professionals Cody said, “Each of these Managing Partners exemplify the type of candidate we wish to attract. The level of professionalism is amplified by bringing on brokers of this nature.” 

Stouffville  

Billyard Insurance Group welcomes the knowledgeable and adept Iggy Thuray as Managing Partner of the BIG Stouffville. “Attracting a candidate like Iggy is a BIG win for us,” said Cody Douma. “He is a strong commercial producer, and the BIG platform will provide him an opportunity to grow even further. We expect to see Stouffville thrive alongside him,” he added.

After watching BIG’s success story unfold and reading a suggested book from his wife called The Magic of Thinking Big, Iggy decided to pursue opening his own branch. With years of industry experience in both the direct and broker channels, he firmly believes his expertise will serve him well as he grows his team. “My initial goal is to train some young brokers to be successful. I want people’s image of insurance brokers to be positive and hope to effect change in the industry and community,” he explained. 

As he described his business philosophy he said, “When you take care of the people, the rest will fall into place.” This relational approach to business drives his desire to give back to the community through support of local charities and families. Helping children with special needs, especially those with autism spectrum disorder, is a passion close to his heart. 

Iggy expressed his gratitude to all who helped him achieve this dream and especially highlighted his wife’s encouragement and all the support he’s received from Stephen Billyard and Cody Douma at Head Office.  

To learn more about the services and employment opportunities available, check out the BIG Stouffville website or visit their office located at 30 Innovator Avenue, Unit 9 Stouffville, ON. 

St. Clair 

Joining Billyard Insurance Group in the heart of Toronto is the St. Clair location run by Managing Partners Monica Alves and Jose Leme. “Jose and I were looking to advance our careers and decided Billyard Insurance Group would be best to facilitate in helping us reach our goals,” Monica said. 

Jennifer Smith, BIG’s Director of Business Development was thrilled to see the partnership take shape. “Monica and Jose believed this was the right time to take a BIG leap and build a business for themselves. Coming with previous broker experience, BIG’s market access and backend support were incredibly appealing,” she explained. 

Collectively, these Managing Partners two bring nearly 40 years of insurance experience. As they are both fluent in Portuguese, Jose and Monica are heavily involved with the Portuguese Cultural Associations and are well-known in their community. “The St. Clair neighbourhood is vibrant and diverse, consisting of a significant Italian, Latin American, and Portuguese community. We hope we can build strong, lasting relationships,” Monica shared. She also mentioned that she grew up in the St. Clair area, “It’s good to be back at my old stomping grounds!” she exclaimed.  

To learn more about the services and employment opportunities available, check out the BIG St. Clair website or visit their office located at Lower-1216 St Clair Ave W Toronto, ON. 

Thornhill 

Launching a branch in Thornhill, ON, Billyard Insurance Group will be partnering with Mark Liu and Seven Huang, a duo that bring years of experience to the table. Cody Douma, BIG’s Vice President commented that, “Both Seven and Mark come with extensive knowledge in personal lines and financial sectors, equipping them to serve a wide range of clients.” This dynamic team is confident in their partnership and said, “Through our previous experience in sales and office management, we already know we work well together, which will enable us to develop a strong team moving forward.”  

Mark and Seven were introduced to BIG through former work colleagues and were intrigued by the organization’s rapid growth, professionalism, and technology-oriented team. Thrilled about the chance to partner with the expanding brokerage, Seven explained, “[BIG] offers opportunities to people from various backgrounds who wish to grow in their careers.”  

In the growing, yet family-oriented Thornhill location, Seven and Mark have great aspirations for connecting with the community. “We build strong relationships with our clients and hope to participate in community events to connect with local businesses and establish the BIG brand in Thornhill.” With services available in Cantonese and Mandarin, Cody Douma hinted that they “anticipate the Thornhill office will be heavily involved in the community.”  

To connect with the BIG Thornhill team and discover their services and employment opportunities, check out their website, or visit their office location at 408-7191 Yonge Street, Thornhill, ON.  

The Billyard Insurance Group is actively seeking experienced and motivated insurance professionals with an entrepreneurial spirit to join the BIG Family and be a part of this growing movement. Interested individuals are invited to visit https://www.thebig.ca/branch-office-opportunities to learn more about BIG branch office opportunities across Canada.  

About the Billyard Insurance Group 

The Billyard Insurance Group is an independent and award-winning Canadian insurance brokerage. Their holistic approach to insurance ensures their clients receive the best coverage for home insurance, auto insurance, commercial insurance, travel insurance, pet insurance, life insurance and financial planning services. In recent years, BIG has witnessed exponential growth with President Stephen Billyard and his team paving the way for growth and innovation. What started as a local, family-run brokerage in Welland, Ontario has now expanded to 60 branches in key cities of Ontario, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. Their growth strategy is fueled by a vision to acquire top talent by providing industry-leading training, technology, and broker support.