Address: 112 Harper Street, Dunmore, PA
In Business: Since 2013
Joined the Back Mountain Chamber: 2020
Phone: 570-209-9018
Website: www.thekatylagency.com

An interview with Josh Katyl, President and Founder, who has been with the company for 7 years.
 
About The Katyl Agency’s business, locations, team and customers:
Josh’s journey as the President and Founder of The Katyl Agency began in 2013 when he left his career in sales and took the plunge into opening his own business. He purchased a book of insurance business and established an office in Dunmore, opening The Katyl Agency later that year. He found success with his work and in 2019 found the need to expand.
 
Josh’s dream was to open a business in the area where he was raised — Luzerne County. He achieved that very goal last year by opening The Katyl Agency’s second location on Wyoming Avenue in Forty Fort. With the new Forty Fort location under his belt, Josh set a new goal for himself: to employ 10 individuals from Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties to directly impact and help each of their families.



The Katyl Agency has always been a very tight-knit group up. Upon establishing the second location, their business “family” began to grow just as a real family would — and more business resulted from it. Key employees that have stuck with Josh from the very beginning helped with the growth. They are the heart of a work environment that truly feels like a family and a way of life, not just work.
 
Everyone at The Katyl Agency has a goal to protect and help their customers, not just sell insurance. In fact, on the shield crest that Josh uses for his business logo, there are three words in a specific order: Educate, Insure, Advise. By following these three guidelines, Josh believes that he can protect and educate his clients more effectively than insurance companies that solely write policies and never take time to explain the “why” to the client. Josh follows his moral compass and wants to do the right thing by providing them with the right insurance for the right cost. Making sure that clients understand their policies, coverage and options is important to all of The Katyl Agency’s team members.
 
Josh interprets his job as an insurance agent as not only someone who sells insurance, but someone who is an agent of change in the community, uplifting it through positive means. He expresses this interpretation by his involvement in the community, even in these unprecedented times. The Katyl Agency is a member of all of the local Chambers and also donates time and resources to benefit non-profits like Northeast Sight Services and Step By Step.
     


An interesting fact about the business is:
The Katyl Agency offers Allstate insurance and works with clients to find the best products for their specific needs, including solutions like Allstate life insurance and employee benefit policies. These solutions are "hidden gems" and not advertised as much as the standard car and home insurance that most people associate Allstate with, but the quality and value of Allstate’s life insurance and retirement insurance rival even the biggest competitors.
 
Being a member of the Back Mountain Chamber helps The Katyl Agency because:
Josh was born and raised in the Back Mountain, so being visible in the community and having people aware of The Katyl Agency’s presence here is a big help. The Back Mountain Chamber helps businesses like The Katyl Agency spread the word that they are open for business through networking and community events. Being visible as a pillar in the community is important to Josh, and being a member of the Back Mountain Chamber is a great way to help him accomplish that goal.

 
A unique tidbit about Josh and The Katyl Agency:  
Josh is a third-generation small business owner in the Back Mountain. The Katyl family has been operating businesses since 1953. The family legacy of business ownership began when Josh’s grandfather opened Katyl TV and Appliance. In the early ’80s, Josh’s father created Katyl Satellite and his uncles started Katyl Brothers TV and VCR Repair.  
 
The small business owner genes caught up to Josh when he opened The Katyl Agency: Allstate Insurance seven years ago. Joining his family tree of business owners as a third-generation small business owner was a prideful moment for Josh. Unfortunately, soon after opening The Katyl Agency, Josh’s grandfather passed away, but Josh was still able to make him proud.
 
Josh has two young boys at home and a beautiful wife, Liz. Being an active contributor in the community is important to him personally and professionally, and he aims to positively impact the ones he loves as well as our local community.