Wayah Insurance

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: October 2023 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

Highlands Team, Pictured L-R : Pamela Peck, Nathan Bishoff, Jessica Jenkins, Jeff Cloer, Autumn Moore, and Tracey Stapp
(not pictured: Lori Lane)

Jeff Cloer, president of Wayah Insurance, has many masters to serve. Since its founding in 1955, the agency has been providing insurance in categories from automobile to health to home ownership, employee benefits, liability and annuities.  

That’s a lot of different needs that have to be balanced. And it’s a task he accomplishes by fostering a company culture that prizes service above all.  It’s the thing that has kept them in business for so many years, propelling this hometown company to the top of its field, and one of the largest in Western North Carolina.

“Our mission is to provide world class insurance and risk management solutions delivered with hometown service and hospitality,” Cloer tells me.  It’s a mission he takes seriously.  

Cloer explains that “What makes us special is our team.” 

The workforce of 30 employees has a combined 400 years’ experience – each with extensive knowledge and expertise in the industry.  

“We do what we say we’ll do.  If we say we’ll call you back, we do.  In today’s world that’s not an easy philosophy.” He points to a company policy that bars the use of automated phone services. “When you call our office and press zero, you get a human being.  That has become a dinosaur in today’s world. We call you back and take care of you.” 

In fact, 18 of the 30-member team are dedicated “account managers.”  Their job is to nurture and care for the long list of customers and their insurance needs.

In today’s world where underlying factors have caused disruption in the insurance industry countrywide, Wayah is positioned to find innovative solutions.  Though a local company, their national resources and access to national markets allows them to identify resolutions when others cannot.  He cites as an example the difficulty in insuring a home in Highlands, where the combination of high values, costly finishes, second home ownership and precarious locations (on a ridge) frequently requires a specialized market.

A seventh-generation resident of Western North Carolina – Cloer’s Dad was born in Cashiers and his grandmother in Whiteside Cove – is a committed community leader, serving on boards for Angel Medical Center, Southwestern Community College and Region A Partnership for Children.  Joining Cloer in leading Wayah Insurance is Mike Wood, Vice President, and Phillip Lane, Vice President of Operations. Together they are the fourth generation of owners of the agency, which has been continuously perpetuated since its founding nearly seven decades ago.  

For more information, call (828) 526-3713 or email office manager Jessica Jenkins at [email protected].