James C. Metzger, the chairman and chief executive of The Whitmore Group, Ltd., a leading Long Island based insurance brokerage and financial services firm, has made the lead gift for the new stadium field to be constructed in the front of St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington.
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Photo: James C. Metzger, center, is welcomed to the St. Anthony’s family by Brother Gary Cregan, O.S.F, principal of St. Anthony’s, and Don Corrao, the school’s director of development. Credit: Ray O’Connor
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Growing up on Long Island and literally around the corner from what was then known as Holy Family, Metzger was a three-sport (football, basketball and lacrosse) student-athlete at Half Hollow Hills East High School. He was a Suffolk County All-Star Running Back who started every game in his three–year varsity career. He graduated with the distinction of the all-time leader in scoring and rushing yardage. Metzger also was named the “Outstanding Lacrosse Player” in Suffolk County and an All–American. He was the only high school student-athlete selected to play in both the North–South Football Game and the North–South Lacrosse Game.
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Metzger played lacrosse at the Naval Academy Prep School. He led the team in scoring and was the squad’s most valuable player. At Hofstra University during 1980, Metzger was named to the USILA Division 1 All–American Team in his sophomore season. His record- setting scoring average of 4.9 points per game still ranks fifth in the history of the Hofstra lacrosse program.
Metzger founded The Whitmore Group, Ltd. during 1989. Since then, he has been steadfast and relentless in growing his company’s product value and market value, and constantly redefining the Whitmore brand. The Whitmore Group employs nearly 90 people and provides a full complement of insurance products and services. It has received many of the most prestigious insurance industry awards, including the Travelers Insurance Award of Excellence as the top performing agent in the United States, designated as Chubb Insurance Group’s Cornerstone Elite Agency, Harleysville Insurance Northeast Agent of the Year, member of the Merchants Insurance Group President’s Club, and recipient of the Ace Insurance Company’s Elite Network Agency designation.
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Passion And Competitiveness
Don Corrao, director of development at St. Anthony’s High School, met Metzger and learned about his company almost three years ago. From the outset, Corrao felt that it was clear that Metzger’s passion and ultra-competitive nature for his company mirrored the passion and competitiveness that Corrao had established for the betterment of the school.
“Jim Metzger is a leader who not only has the innate capacity to lead but is willing to use it by leading by example,” said Corrao. “It was Vince Lombardi who said ‘Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.’ Trust me, Jim knows what it takes and his generosity on Long Island and beyond is no secret.”
As one of Long Island’s leading philanthropists, Metzger has supported Hofstra University, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Logn Island, Half Hollow Hills East High School, Hempstead Police Athletic League and the New York City YMCA.
“As I continue to build my brand, partnering with Saint Anthony’s on this project makes a lot of sense,” said Metzger. “St. Anthony’s is the Notre Dame of High Schools here on Long Island. Everything they set out to do is based on the desire to be the best – academically, athletically, they just do things the right way and I have come to admire that in them. Truthfully, that’s how I run my company.”
Though not a graduate of St. Anthony’s High School, Metzger has a number of connections to the school. A niece (Genevieve Pannell) and nephew (Paul Dowd) are graduates and another niece (Julia Dowd) is completing her freshman year. Metzger also is close friends with the family of St. Anthony’s football standout Matt Hahn.
