Insurance Agent Makes His Goals

John Kraunelis is the grandson of Lithuanian immigrants who worked in the mills in northern Rhode Island. Their hard work paid off, and their son, John’s father, raised his family in the town of Barrington, taking advantage of the great schools and wonderful community.

Kraunelis graduated from Barrington High School in 1982, and headed off to study engineering and play hockey at Norwich University in Vermont. He graduated from Norwich with a degree in communications in 1986.

After graduation, Kraunelis went to work for an insurance firm in Providence as a trainee underwriter. There were three positions available - in Texas, Chicago, and Providence.

“I got lucky,” said Kraunelis.

He stayed in Providence, and met his wife, Cheri, several years later. The couple set up house in Barrington, where Cheri also lived when she was younger. They have two children, David, 17, a junior at Barrington High School, and Kelly, 14, a freshman there.

After learning the ropes, and working in Providence for around six years, Kraunelis moved to an insurance agency in North Attleboro, Mass. There he handled primarily commercial insurance, establishing great rapport with several insurance carriers and many clients.

It was that rapport that enabled Kraunelis to take the leap into owning his own insurance agency after almost 10 years with the company in North Attleboro.

In 2002, he opened up his new business, , sharing office space and expenses with another agency in East Providence.

Driving to work each day in late spring almost three years ago, Kraunelis would pass an empty storefront at 185 Washington Road in Barrington. The idea of being closer to home was appealing to him, and so, too, was the prospect of having his own storefront in his own community.

As a comprehensive insurance agent, Kraunelis is able to offer all types of insurance to his clients, but he specializes in property and casualty insurance, and he wanted to be able to offer his services locally.

“I wanted to be a local agency, to serve my community more,” said Kraunelis. “I also wanted to be able to serve people walking in.”

By August of 2009, Kraunelis was up and running in his new space, and enjoying his shorter commute -- he walks to work most days.

Having his own space and his own business means Kraunelis has also been able to indulge his love of hockey. His office is adorned with Bruins' photos and hockey trophies, and Kraunelis is proud of the fact that he was able to coach his kids’ hockey teams for seven years.