About our Guest Speaker Aaron Zolbrod, President and Founder of The Health Store:

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Over 15 years ago, upon returning from Albuquerque, New Mexico to my roots of Western Pennsylvania, I was looking for a career change. I put my resume on monster.com, which was the premier website to do that in 2007. I got a call from a man who wanted me to come work with him selling individual health and Medicare Insurance. As he explained, there were over 40 million Americans who had no insurance and around that same number on Medicare at that time. As a person who had already been in sales for 10 years, I said to myself, "that's a huge number of people to market to'" and I took him up on the offer. 

It turned out that the company utilized what are called "captive agents," which means those who sign on agree to only sell that particular company's products, in this case individual and Medicare Advantage Plans. The plan benefits and premiums weren't competitive, and the company did not have a good reputation as far as their sale's tactics. The first commandment of sales in my opinion is you have to believe in the product(s) you're offering. Without it, success is impossible. I left the company very quickly upon my discovery. However, they trained me well many on many of the nuances and regulations of health insurance and Medicare. I also realized what a huge need there was for someone to educate people on the differences in types of plans and help them choose one that fit their health care needs and budget. 

At that time the business of selling health and Medicare plans was almost exclusively done, and still is for the most part, out of the trunks of cars and at people's dining or kitchen tables. That felt dirty to me and couldn't see myself making a career doing business like that. I then asked myself, "why is there a home and auto insurance agency on practically every block in towns or cities all over the country and literally no one with brick and mortar locations offering health and Medicare, especially when every American needs it? I also knew I didn't want to be a "captive agent." I needed to be a one stop shop and represent every competitive health, Medicare Supplement, Part D, and Advantage Plan company in the market in order to provide unbiased advice. I took a leap of faith, found what I thought would be a good location in the old Coal and Coke town in Connellsville, Pennsylvania and The Health Insurance Store was born. Not long after I opened the doors I wrote my Mission Statement. Today, it remains unchanged and reads as follows: "I built The Health Insurance Store on a few simple concepts: Treat everyone with respect. Be honest. Work hard. And help anyone who walks through the door even if it doesn't result in a commission. Agents at The Health Insurance Store will never give advice based on how it affects their paycheck. Our only concern is doing what's best for your health care needs and budget. Once you obtain a policy from us, we will assist you in any way we can by answering your questions, taking care of problems, or handling any issues that may arise as long as you remain a client."

On April 1st, 2008 The Health Insurance store started as a one man operation. I had a desk, a phone, a computer, and a $100 fax/copier/printer combo. We now have 15 employees and three office locations in Western PA; Connellsville in the Laurel Highlands, Forest Hills in the Pittsburgh area, and Erie. The agency is licensed in over 20 states. As of today we have helped over 20,000 people choose their best health or Medicare coverage options.

As I continued to get support from these communities, especially Fayette County and beyond, and as financial success followed, it became extremely important to me to give back. In 2016, I formed a 501c3 nonprofit whose main mission was to help lift kids out of generational poverty and dependence. One Voice One Community today offers after school and summer programs for kids from 6th to 12th grade. We accomplish our goals with mentorship, love, and education. Up until just recently, the program has been funded almost exclusively with profits from The Health Insurance Store. As we continue to grow with the lofty goal of helping hundreds of kids annually, we have started partnerships with local government agencies, other non-profits, private businesses and local organizations, including our local college, Penn State Fayette County. Other than raising my own kids, I consider this possibly the most important endeavor of my life.