I am a lifelong Waterford resident and local business owner. My insurance brokerage has been open for 4 years and I currently employ 7 people. I love Waterford community and stay very involved with supporting the Waterford area through my company. I am happily married to my wife Ginger of 3 years and have 2 children Blake which is 20 and my daughter Kylie 15. My son is a United States Marine stationed in Washington DC where he is apart of the ceremonial Parade tours. I am an avid golfer and enjoy spending time with my family and friends.
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My wife is A Nurse Manager at Crittenton Hospital In Rochester she manages several unit floors there. My Daughter Kylie excels in Cheer leading and Gymnastics and my son Blake is a US Marine
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
I am currently President and CEO of J. Bejin & Associates in Waterford. We serve around 2000 Waterford residents providing Home and Auto and business insurance products. I started the company in 2017 from scratch and the community has really rallied behind us and supported us and our growth. We currently employ 7 people at our office. What I love most about my job is being there for clients in some of there worst most unexpected times of need. Any Insurance agent can sell you a policy but its going the extra mile and showing up when disaster hits and reassuring them and getting them back to where they were before there loss is the best part of my job. Helping people and giving back to the community are a top priority at our agency. We treat our clients like family. Last week when the White Lake Tornado hit late Saturday night, I was able to mobilize a tree crew and showed up to the storm damaged area at 8am Sunday morning to meet with clients and evaluate the damage done to there property and remove the downed trees.
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
There are so many. I enjoy Johnny Blacks with my wife. Dixie Diner we enjoy for lunches as well as Fino’s and I am a regular at Waterford Coney for Breakfast. Great staff and always good food.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
I have lived in Waterford for 41 of my 44 years of age..
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
I would say Rodney Zona. Rodney has a memory unlike any other. He could tell you dates back 40 or 50 years ago about things in Waterford like it was yesterday. He is always positive and is about as passionate about Waterford as anyone that resides here. Good guy!
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?
Europe is on the menu for sure. My wife and I love to travel as we visited Hawaii and Washington DC and Florida this year alone and just returned from Las Vegas yesterday.
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
I love Caddyshack I can watch that movie 100 times and still laugh like it was the first time watching it. Shawshank Redemption is up there and of course Star Wars.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Be kind give when you can and try and be a positive role model for you children and the community.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
I would like to start a non profit and start an scholarship fund for our youth here in Waterford. Name it after my late mother. I think its important to invest in our youth and community and give back to the community that has been so gracious in supporting our business. Several of my insurance carriers will match my donations and I also work with the Enterprise foundation that donates $3000 dollars a year towards a charitable cause of my choice. I think my focus would be on trade school scholarships in HVAC or Plumbing or even Carpentry because its a great opportunity and there is a high demand for these trade positions.
Q: What is your go to band when you can’t decide what to listen to?
My wife would tell you all about my repeated playlists as she gets nausea from me playing the same songs over and over again, but I would probably go with Guns & Roses over all.
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
Oh I don’t know if you would classify it as a business but the Drayton Plains Nature Center has always had my heart. I grew up just down the street on Denby as a child. My first job was a paperboy after school in the subdivision at age 12 and I volunteered at the Nature Center through my youth. I met some of my lifelong best friends in that subdivision and my best friend now lives right across the street from the nature center where he shares his love of the facility and property with his family and young daughter. Just alot of good memories made there and I love the subdivision to this day. Cooley Cobra for Life!
Q: If you could choose anyone that is alive today and not a relative; with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would y’all meet for this lunch?
I would say Dick Newton. Dick was my Safeco Rep for 4 years and spent over 40 years with the company. He is a good Ole boy from Kentucky and always supported my business efforts with advice and was truly vital to my growth and and success. He retired last year and is enjoying traveling with his wife in his RV. I would take him to Green Apple where we first met when he decided to take a chance with me an appointed me to sell Safeco products.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
The obvious!! I love our lakes and love boating.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Just continuing to grow my business and serve our community and of course continue to travel. Eventually wind my professional life down a bit and let my son take over the day to day operations.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
When I was in 5th grade I wrote a Michigan rap song for the sesquicentennial of Michigan celebrating 150th year of Michigan being a state. They published my rap song in the news and I was aired on Channel 4 to perform the song on live TV.
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
I would say Hawaii or northern California
Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar?
My favorite month is probably July that is the month I married my wife. Close second to my children’s birth months (Blake September and Kylie February) I love Christmas and the best single day on the calendar would be July 28th the day I was married.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Anthony’s breadsticks & Jack’s Roadside BBQ
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
My family and peers
Q: What is one or two of your favorite smells?
Ground Coffee and burning fall leaves.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Love, Family, Community
