From West Zone Vice President Joe, to his son Dominic and to his son and Field Director in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area Marco, the Gagliardi family bleeds PONY red, white and blue. For over 30 years, Gagliardi Insurance Services has been providing coverage for PONY affiliated leagues across the United States, making it the perfect fit as the Official Insurance Provider of PONY Baseball and Softball.
“We are pleased to partner with PONY based on their tenants of providing societal benefits to participants,” said Gagliardi Insurances CEO, Marco Galiardi. “Major social benefits such as tolerance, leadership, work ethic and team building, help its participants become solid citizens. It also provides the teaching of athletic skills and physical exercise to them get there. We all benefit with an organization such as PONY and its solid infrastructure.”
Gagliardi Insurance was started in San Jose, California in 1954 by D.C. Gagliardi, who catered to his local community in the early agricultural days of the Santa Clara Valley, which provided produce for most of the country at the time. His focus was on commercial and personal lines and business, which led him to become a valley leader in the insurance industry.
Joe Gagliardi, with a strong interest in family legacy, became involved with the company in the 1960s. It wasn’t until he spent many years with PONY as a coach, manager, director and winning a couple of World Series along the way (1960 Colt World Series with San Jose PONY and 1964 with Campbell-Moreland PONY) that Joe and Gagliardi Insurance became the endorsed insurance broker who provided insurance for PONY teams and leagues in 1981.
Gagliardi (back row, far left) managed Campbell-Moreland, California to a Pony World Series championship in San Diego, California in 1964. The team defeated Gadsden, Alabama 4-1; Paducah, Kentucky 5-0 and Gadsden, again, 8-2 en route to the title.
During that time, Joe not only helped shape youth baseball into what it is today, but he promoted some of the biggest professional boxing events in the history of the sport, alongside some of the most legendary promoters in boxing.
Joe also spent years in Minor League Baseball, bringing the first AAA team to the Bay Area, the San Jose Missions, and he spent 33 years as President of the Class-A California League.
Since that time, Gagliardi Insurance has grown to be a national leader of providing specialty insurance to sports leagues, entertainment and special events. Especially to the Gagliardi family and PONY, superior customer service is always first and foremost.
Dominic Gagliardi, who spent his early athletic years playing PONY baseball and working as a volunteer, became involved with Gagliardi Insurance in 1985. He spent five years in the specialty lines business, while being mentored by his father, before taking over in 1990.
In addition to being Joe's son and business protégé, Dominic (middle row, #6) Gagliardi was also a PONY player.
Following the family legacy of providing quality sports and special event programs with an emphasis on customer service, he built upon the foundation his father set and looked to take advantage of new technologies to service PONY’s teams and leagues across the country.
Giving back is also important to the Gagliardi family. Gagliardi Insurance’s has put an emphasis on supporting sports organizations and believes youth sports not only develop fine athletes, but also fine citizens, which falls right in line with PONY’s mission.
Today, the fourth generation of the Gagliardi family has taken over the helm. With offices in San Jose, California and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Joe’s grandsons Marco Solomon Gagliardi and Vittorio Leo Gagliardi are looking to further their family’s legacy and continue to build upon the PONY-Gagliardi relationship.
Like the two generations of Gagliardi's before him, Marco was a former PONY slugger.
“We have a lot in store for PONY in the near future,” said Marco Gagliardi. “We are working closely with the team at PONY Headquarters to advance our product and provide the ultimate experience for its members. We also plan to help grow PONY throughout the country and assist the community in giving these young stars a chance to play in America’s pastime, baseball. Abe Key and company have our utmost respect. The future is bright for the young athletes in the PONY organization.”
By purchasing both liability and medical coverage, not only will an affiliate league meet the requirements of PONY Baseball and Softball, but it will meet the requirements of all major youth baseball and softball organizations. This program covers both PONY and non-PONY functions for our PONY registered members.
If you want to learn more about Gagliardi’s insurance packages and find the online insurance application, click here.
For over 60 years, Gagliardi has been providing premiere insurance programs and other quality insurance products powered by a personalized customer experience. It is built into their DNA to help PONY’s affiliated leagues and other customers succeed.
“PONY is very proud to be associated with Gagliardi Insurance Services,” said President and CEO Abraham Key. “PONY has supported GIS for over 30 years. Their pricing and customer service is unparalleled in the industry.”