About Us

About Weed Ross

So you want to know more about Weed Ross, do you? Maybe you already know that we’re one of the top insurance agencies in Western New York. Or maybe you are already familiar with the fact that we provide some of the best home, auto, and business insurance packages you can get your hands on. Maybe you even saw that we also offer life and renters insurance, as well as insurance for vacation homes, boats, motorcycles, farms, classic cars, and more. Or maybe you didn’t know those things, and that’s okay too. That’s what this page is for. But let’s take a step back and start with a little history. There are only a couple of key points on the timeline, so we can keep it brief.
1957
John Weed founded our insurance agency. John was a good guy. We like John.
1987

Gary Ross—another good guy, really—is named agency president when John Weed retires. Ross renames the agency the name that remains: Weed Ross.

2016
Sean D. Cornelius becomes the agency president when Gary Ross retires. You guessed it, Sean is yet another good guy.
And just like that, you’re all caught up! We said we’d be quick, and at Weed Ross, we take your time seriously.

That explains where Weed Ross came from, but where are we now?

While most of our brick and mortar locations are scattered throughout Upstate and Western New York, Weed Ross is licensed in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Connecticut, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, and Nevada. Our main offices are located in Ellicottville, East Aurora, Batavia, and Randolph, and we have a great team at each location ready to help.
Illinois Minnesota Pennsylvania Nevada Kansas Ohio Missouri New York Colorado Connecticut Oklahoma Kentucky

When you purchase a policy through Weed Ross, you’ll be working with someone who is familiar with your current area as well as the full offerings of the companies we are partnered with.

Insurance agencies can be many things, but the two most important things about us are that we’re local and independent. As a local insurance agency, we’re there for you 100% of the time. As an independent insurance agency, you have peace of mind knowing that we will handle the heavy lifting and the hassle. Let us sit on the phone with the billing departments. Let us assist you with your claim. Whatever it is, let us take care of it for you.

Weed Ross: an independent insurance agency you can depend on

Weed Ross is an independent insurance agency, which is, in many ways, vastly different from agents that can only sell you the insurance packages from their specific company. We represent and are partnered with over forty different insurance companies.

What does this mean for you?

It means options, flexibility, and opportunity, of course—but it also means savings. And we’re not just talking about money, we’re talking about saving time, too.

We’re in a strategically unique position to offer a level of service that you won’t receive anywhere else.

How does it work, you ask?

That’s a great question. 
Luckily we have you covered there too.

In a nutshell, we collect your information like any other insurance agency might, but then we work directly with our partner companies to build the quotes. You don’t even have to do anything while we do that. You can run errands, go golfing, maybe grab some brunch—kidding—it doesn’t take that long at all. You can still do those things if you want, but we will actually be able to get back to you with quotes almost immediately. We then work with you to determine which company or companies best meet your insurance and budget needs. 

Over time, Weed Ross will check in periodically to ensure your policies are up to date and, more importantly, up to your standards. We want to make sure that you not only start out with the best rates available, but that you also maintain competitive coverage throughout the duration of your policy. Protecting you and your family is our top priority, and that never wavers.

Meet Our Team

Sean D. Cornelius

President
Licensed Insurance Broker

Sean is an avid snowboarder who also enjoys mountain biking and boating–he’s outdoorsy to put it mildly. But that’s not exactly what you came here to read is it? Or you know what? Maybe it is! Maybe you trust that because he’s the president of Weed Ross with almost 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, Sean’s credentials surely add up. Maybe all you really want to know is what kind of a guy he is.

Well, let’s put it this way, after working for Crawford and Company as an independent adjuster, for State Farm Insurance as an in-house adjuster and member of their elite Catastrophe Team, for Travelers Insurance as a field insurance adjuster, for the Putnam Record Agency as an insurance producer, and finally for Weed Ross as a producer before becoming president, Sean has still managed to have a personality and a sense of humor. On top of that, he is quite the family man, and lives happily in the village of Ellicottville with his wife Erin and their two sons, Harrison and Finn. Sean is also the kind of guy that you can always just talk to. But don’t take our word for it—pick up the phone and give him a shout yourself if you have any questions at all.

Joe Palumbo

Vice President
Licensed Insurance Broker

Joe started his insurance career at Iroquois Group during college. Who even does that? While most St. Bonaventure students were attempting to squash their hangover at the Hickey Dining Hall, Joe was looking to kickstart his career in… insurance. Let’s be honest though, Joe also knows how to have a good time with the best of them. And that’s exactly what he brings to the table in the insurance industry—Joe maintains that the world of insurance no longer needs to feel dull. He’s bringing youth, technological familiarity, and modern methodologies to the traditional lackluster boardroom setting.

Joe began his career as a financial analyst with the Iroquois Group while he finished earning a degree in Business Information Systems with a minor in Accounting. As one of the younger VPs in the insurance industry, he had a lot to learn quickly. With years of experience in several highly competitive levels of basketball—both coaching and playing—Joe learned how to implement his discipline and lead his peers to achieve desired outcomes. He currently resides in Buffalo and primarily works in the East Aurora location of Weed Ross. When he’s not crunching numbers or building partnerships, you can find Joe trying to fix his slice, skiing wherever there is snow, and still playing or coaching basketball.

Ellicottville

Roseann J. Hintz, AAI, ACSR

Commercial Lines Account Manager

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roseann@weedross.com

Lindsay Hintz

Personal Lines Account Manager

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lindsay@weedross.com

Batavia

Laurie Lyons

Personal Lines Account Manager

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laurie@weedross.com

Josh King

Commercial Lines Account Manager

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jking@weedross.com

Randolph

Courtney Lynn

Commercial Lines Advisor

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courtney@weedross.com

Lori Carter

Client Service Associate

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lcarter@weedross.com

East Aurora

Jim Collins

Emeritus Agent

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jimcollins@weedross.com

Dana Calteaux

Personal Lines Account Manager

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dana@weedross.com

Julie Mazurkiewicz

Personal Lines Account Manager

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julie@weedross.com

Nicole Ross

Personal Lines Account Manager

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nicole@weedross.com

Lauren Czora

Commercial Lines Account Manager

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lauren@weedross.com

Camille Wachowski

Personal Lines Account Manager

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camille@weedross.com

Wendy Crino

Data Integrity Specialist

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wendy@weedross.com

Saving You Time and Money

Unlike agents who can only sell you the insurance of one company, as an independent insurance agency, we represent over twenty companies. Partnering with many insurance companies gives us the ability to quote your home and auto insurance, as well as a variety of other insurance products across a broad spectrum of providers.

Essentially our agency will do the shopping for you, saving you time and money. We collect your information and work directly with our partner companies receiving quotes. We then work with you to determine which company or companies best meet your insurance and budget needs. And over time our agency will also do periodic reviews of your policies to ensure that you are still getting the best coverage to protect you and your family. We also make sure your rates remain competitive when compared with their partner companies.

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