Editorial Staff

Ely Kaplansky Goes from Immigrant to Inc. 5000 Insurance Entrepreneur

/in , , , , , , /by Editorial Staff
Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on
LinkedIn
+

This week on JobMakers, host Denzil Mohammed talks with Ely Kaplansky, President & CEO of Kaplansky Insurance. Ely’s unconventional path to entrepreneurship included dropping out of high school and essentially taking the place of the insurance business where he got his start, when it was found that they were committing unethical practices. And since 1974, Ely has created hundreds of jobs in Massachusetts and beyond, with 85 employees in 15 offices across the state today. He has grown his business during the pandemic, with 37 acquisitions to date, such that Kaplansky Insurance was named to Inc. magazine’s “5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America” list. Ely’s success is more than just the pride of having made it. His success fulfilled the dreams of his parents when they moved from Israel to America in 1955, with just the clothes on their backs and an aunt to take them in. Their journey began in the concentration camps of Germany, and Ely’s story is all about the opportunity and freedom America offers, as you’ll discover in this week’s JobMakers.

Guest:

Ely Kaplansky, CIC, CPIA, LIA, is President & CEO of Kaplansky Insurance, a leading independent insurance brokerage that he founded in 1974, which now serves more than 35,000 clients across eastern and central Massachusetts following nearly 40 agency acquisitions over the years. The company serves individuals, families and businesses for all lines of insurance, and has received multiple Five Star and Best Practices awards. Mr. Kaplansky has served as Chair of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents. A high school dropout, he is now a Certified Insurance Councilor (CIC), Certified Professional Insurance Agent (CPIA), and Licensed Insurance Advisor (LIA). The son of Holocaust survivors, Kaplansky moved from Israel to Massachusetts with his family when he was a child and has made greater Boston his home.

Get new episodes of JobMakers in your inbox!

Related Posts

Image by Freepik

A Model for Occupational Licensing Reform in the Bay State

Licensing for many professions squeezes the supply of services, artificially inflating prices and creating wage premiums. One study from the Institute for Justice put the wage premium relative to an environment without any occupational licensing at a whopping 22 percent in Massachusetts.

Study Finds Massachusetts Workforce Has Become More Female, Older, More Diverse

The Massachusetts labor force has transformed in recent decades, with some of the biggest changes being the advancement of women, workers getting older and more diverse, and a divergence in labor force participation rates based on levels of educational achievement, according to “At a Glance: The Massachusetts Labor Force,” a white paper written by Pioneer's Economic Research Associate Aidan Enright.

New IRS Data Shows Out-Migration Worsening, Underscoring the Need for Massachusetts Leaders to Focus on State’s Competitiveness

Massachusetts’ net loss of adjusted gross income (AGI) to other states grew from $2.5 billion in 2020 to $4.3 billion in 2021, according to recently released IRS data. Over 67 percent of the loss was to Florida and New Hampshire, both states with no income tax.

Duker Cultivates Nourishing Solutions

Denzil interviews Chening Duker, founder of GoodPluck, a farm-to-table delivery service that is transforming the lives of Michiganders and is enriched by Duker's personal heritage and global perspective on organic agriculture.

Miriam Kattumuri Keeps Us Healthy and Green

For Miriam Kattumuri, immigrant from India and founder of Miriam’s Earthen Cookware, which manufactures 100 percent non-toxic, cookware made entirely of clay and entirely in the U.S., her innovation conserves the environment while taking on the most basic tool to get food in our bodies: our pots and pans. 

Public Statement on the House’s Proposed Tax Reform and Budget

Pioneer Institute applauds key tax reform provisions advanced by the Speaker and House leadership, including a reduced short-term capital gains tax rate and implementation of a single sales factor apportionment. But leadership must do more to bolster the state’s economic competitiveness and slow out-migration of wealth and business owners that endangers the commonwealth’s economic future.

Debunking Tax Migration Myths

Provisions of Gov. Healey’s $876 million tax package targeted to higher-income earners — including revisions to the estate tax and a reduction in the tax rate for short-term capital gains — are important for encouraging taxpayers subject to them to remain in Massachusetts, according to a new analysis from Pioneer Institute.
Image by Freepik.comImage by Freepik.com

A History of Rent Control Policy in Massachusetts

While many may only remember the 1994 referendum and the laws…

Corporate Ownership: A Threat to Housing Affordability?

An increase in corporate ownership of housing has some experts worried about potential consequences of such a shift. One study found a link between LLC ownership and housing stock that is in disrepair, with more rapid deterioration than would be expected if ownership had not changed.

Erick Widman, Esq.: Immigrants Can Ease Worker Shortage

The immigration system in the United States is complex, to say the least. Visa categories for nearly every letter of the alphabet, exemptions, restrictions, rule changes with every new federal administration. We need more workers, innovators and entrepreneurs in an increasingly competitive world and amid an historic worker shortage and cash-strapped social safety systems due to a greying workforce. Does the United States’ immigration system work in its favor?