In Focus | Crissy Rea Cuddihy of Capri Insurance

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.

What is your name?
Crissy Rea Cuddihy

What do you always find yourself saying?
“Let’s get together”. Bringing people together and hosting events is one of my favorite things to do.

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select and why?
“Bono” Hewson. He is a leader in his field of pop culture and a humanitarian. I admire his dedication to the world's poor and many other charities. He has the ability to inspire millions and change the world for the better. I would hope this day would be located in his home country of Ireland one of my favorite places to visit.

If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
Any award centered around encouraging tolerance and becoming an advocate for peace and service.

If you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
Martin Luther King. I love his passion for equality and the role he took with Civil Rights. We need more strong people like him in the world that want to make a difference. I feel he and I would have a lot in common and share the notion that we need to show respect regardless of race, religion, gender, financial status or belief system. We are all created equal and we all deserve the same opportunities.

Who inspires you?
There are several individuals that inspire me through my life.
Leaders and successful entrepreneurs such as Oprah Winfrey, Walt Disney, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs inspire me to put my mind to things, believe and I will succeed.

My parents and my husband also inspire me on a daily bases.
My mom, Shari Rea, inspires me to be compassionate and caring. My father, Ev Rea inspires me to be dedicated and generous. And my husband, Jason Besse, inspires me to be grounded and the best person I can possibly be.

What are three things on your bucket list?
Travel the world on a yacht or sailboat
Build a home for Habitat for Humanity with my daughter and husband
Take a Sommelier Course

If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
Live, Love and Laugh

What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about family, friends, health, work and fitness. I am a passionate person that loves and appreciates the gift of life and all people that I share it with.

What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
Absolutely, the birth of my beautiful daughter Jade Rea Cuddihy. She brings the ultimate joy to my world.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
One of my most proud accomplishments would be skating and touring the world with Disney On Ice.

Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna? What do you like about it?
Raudz- Nothing is better then local fresh organic food and wine. The “community table” is sometimes a fun twist to the evening.

What is your favourite activity or event in Kelowna? Why?
My favorite activity is coaching figure skating for the Kelowna Figure Skating club. I have skated since the age of six and it is a passion for me. I feel honored to give back to our young athletes. Their energy and youthful spirit keeps me young at heart and my life colorful.

What is the name of your business/organization?
Capri Insurance Services Ltd.

What does your business/organization do?
As insurance brokers we use our professional knowledge to properly asses your insurance needs, shop for the best value in coverage and act as your advocate in the event of a claim.

We are a team of four within Capri Insurance who help organize and give advice about insurance portfolios.
We provide solutions for commercial, homeowner, watercraft, automobile and travels insurance. Our team is dedicated to finding insurance solutions for our clients.

Where can people find you or your business online?
www.capri.ca

Where can people find your business on Facebook?
Capri Insurance

What is your mission?
To give back to the community and provide honest, sound insurance solutions to our customers.

If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be?
To be as successful as my father has been and to give our customers the same satisfied service as he has always been able to provide.

Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
To continue to grow by providing more value to our clients by offering a greater selection of products and improve the ease of business through operational excellence and innovative insurance solutions. We are dedicated to our community and would like to be known as the team that provides a solution to all of your insurance needs. To be known as “Our Family protecting your Family”.

Who do you consider to be a forerunner within your field?
Robin Durrant. He is talented in the insurance field. He is a man that has several different “hats” and wears them amazingly.

What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
Exceed client’s expectation and provide ultimate customer service
Make a difference and contributions to the community
Provide honest and sound insurance solutions.

What would you like to say to your employees/volunteers?
Thank you for being part of a great team.

How does your business/organization impact the community?
Our team takes great pride in helping and giving back to the community. It gives us joy to volunteer and give to charities such as United Way, Central Okanagan Hospice Association, Boys and Girls Club, SPCA, Gospel Mission and Food Bank. Our team is very family orientated and we also take gratification helping local families in need.

If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in? What would say to them/talk about?
I could not specify one single particular field because any successful investor would be of interest. I would like to discuss their early beginnings and how their success transpired. I enjoy learning about business and how different stories can lead to success. After that, I would enjoy getting to know them like any other and ask them about family, friends and leisure activities they enjoy.

If I could change one thing about Kelowna, it would be:
Another love of mine is cycling, it would be fantastic to have safe, smooth bike lanes connecting the city to all of our outskirts.

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
THE PEOPLE!!!

My choice for the Kelowna In Focus spotlight is:
The new Mayor Colin Basran

Some general comments I would like to share are:
Working with Capri Insurance for over 20 years has been a wonderful experience. While working with my father, one of the founders of Capri Insurance, I have enjoyed watching the Company grow with dedication and hard work. I work within a with a very successful team, Ev Rea (my father), Jody Hayes (my sister) and Natalie Watson (a new associate to our team). We have a strong growing business and I look forward to many more successful years working together. I would like to take this opportunity to thank KelownaNow for promoting and supporting local business and events.

We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna!