About Us

Tulips in Spring at Cornell University

In April of 1853 Percy W. Wood opened the doors of The Wood Office in Ithaca, New York with the sale of his first insurance policy. He continued to operate the agency on the principal of providing the right coverage for the client and even wrote the first insurance policies for his friend Ezra Cornell on his new college he was starting. He was later joined by his son Percy O. Wood who ran the agency until 1956 when he sold the agency to Richard Hughes.

In 1977, J. David Ferris made a “cold call” on Hughes using an editorial Hughes had written for Independent Agent's Magazine about the lack of younger people in the business with the drive for agency ownership as his means for securing a meeting. They talked for two hours and Dave came to work on a hand shake; two years later buying the agency outright in August of 1979. In 1992, Dave’s youngest son Jamie joined the agency as an account executive on a full time basis. In 2001 He became Vice president and a partial owner. In 2003 P. W. Wood & Son, Inc. celebrated its 150th Anniversary and in that time has grown into a multi-million dollar agency with personal and commercial clients in over 30 States and Canada.

The Wood Office strives to be your once source for ALL your insurance and risk management needs. Our risk management philosophy is applied to each client uniquely. We understand that strong and vibrant clients do not flourish under the burden of unnecessary insurance premiums. We encourage a prioritized insurance program with your insurance dollars being spent wisely and fruitfully; not frivolously and wastefully.



Our People:

As with any business the most important asset we have is our people. We strive to maintain a staff that is highly trained, motivated by our philosophy and ethical in their practices. Some of the people we are proud to have in our office to help you are:

J. David Ferris Ph.D., CPCU, ARM, AAI- Chief Executive Officer. Dave is a 40+ year veteran of the insurance industry, licensed for Property & Casualty and Life & Health. He has been at The Wood Office since 1977 and purchased the agency from Richard Hughes in 1979 to become only the 4th owner in the 150 Year history. He has taught and lectured on the topics risk management and insurance for over 20 years; including as visiting lecturer for Cornell University, the Club Managers Association of America, and Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. Dave has been a volunteer on numerous community boards including the United Way and Tompkins County Area Development. He currently is on the board of trustees for Tompkins Cortland Community College. He is strong supporter of the arts, an avid outdoorsman and golfer.

Jamie A. Ferris, AAI – President, Jamie has been a part of the Wood Office since 1987. Starting with the agency on a part time basis while attending college; he joined the agency full time upon graduating from SUNY Oswego in 1992 with a BS in Marketing. Jamie is licensed for both Property & Casualty and Life & Health along with maintaining a Series 7 and 63 registrations with the NASD. He has volunteered for many local organizations, currently coach’s youth soccer. Jamie is also currently the Vice President of his local Business Networking International chapter. Jamie spends his leisure time with his wife Melissa and their three daughters.

Karen Supek-Ferris, AAI – Vice President, P. W. Wood & Son, Inc. Karen is the longest active employee of The Wood Office. Starting with the agency in 1976, she is licensed for Property & Casualty and has been managing the Commercial Lines Department for over 20 Years. Her primary focus has been large or complex commercial lines accounts. Karen is a lifetime resident of Tompkins County. She enjoys spending time with her two sons, travel, golf and boating.

Jolene Brooker – Commercial Lines Account Executive. Jolene has been in the insurance industry since 1984 and The Wood Office since 1997. She licensed for Property & Casualty insurance with a focus on small and mid-sized commercial lines accounts. When she is not working for The Wood Office, she helps run her husband Gary’s plumbing and heating business. She enjoys camping, boating and wine-making. Jolene and her family live in Lansing.

Sara Rose, PLCS – Personal Lines Account Executive. Sara joined The Wood Office in 2003 as a newcomer to the insurance industry. She has learned very quickly and in 2004 became licensed for Property & Casualty. She also completed the Hartford School of Insurance’s Personal Lines Training Program and successfully earned her PLCS designation. Sara spends her free time outdoors. She enjoys boating, snowmobiling and most of all horse back riding. She lives with her husband Ronnie and their son in Freeville.

Kim Woodsinger  – Account Executive. Kim joined The Wood Office in 2006 as a newcomer to the insurance industry. She is licensed for Property & Casualty and Life & Health. She resides in Johnson City.

 

 
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