KINGSBURG – The Kingsburg District Chamber of Commerce used the month of love to celebrate a local business that puts its heart into everything it does.
Despite the gray skies and chance of rain, community members joined the chamber for a ribbon cutting ceremony recognizing Marcy’s Hart Insurance Group on Feb. 17. Although Marcy’s Hart is not new to town, the business moved between a few locations on Simpson Street near downtown Kingsburg before finding its home. Having never received a formal welcome during the COVID-19 pandemic, the chamber hoped to fix that.
“I was honored that they asked us to do this for them even though it’s been a year now that they’ve been in this space,” Chamber Executive Director Lauren Nikkel said. “Now that they feel like they’re home, we’re able to give them the Kingsburg welcome.”
Marcy’s Hart Insurance Group was founded by Marcy Maravillo, who after more than two decades spent working in corporate America decided to branch out on her own and start an agency driven by her heart for people. Maravillo started the business in May 2021 after she was let go from her corporate job following an acquisition.
At the time Maravillo decided to create her own business and was thinking of a name for it, she said she was also heartbroken for her former Medicare clients who wouldn’t be able to get ahold of her if they needed help. She said her husband assured her that she would be fine and told her to “just call it Marcy’s heart insurance, and the heartbeat is coming back alive.”
“I just felt like, you’re right, I should just start all over and try to figure out how to bring them back,” Maravillo said. “So that heartbeat was because I’m so passionate about it. So I knew I wanted the heart, the love that I had for the client, and the heartbeat was to come back alive.”
The insurance group works with life and health insurance in California and six other states. Maravillo said she does any type of health insurance for individuals, including Medicare, Covered California and group insurance packets. She also offers financial planning, helping clients look at final expenses, life insurance, college funding and any other strategy needed to ensure clients can have a successful retirement.
Other than a part-time administrative assistant, Maravillo is the sole employee of Marcy’s Hart Insurance Group; however, she works with a team of subcontractors that has grown from four to 27 in the last five years. These subcontractors are independent insurance agents interested in the business that Maravillo trains and mentors.
Marcy’s Hart moved into its current offices at 1625 Simpson St. last year. According to a press release from the chamber of commerce, the space is intended to “reflect warmth, familiarity and a welcoming environment reminiscent of the ‘good ol’ days’.”
Nikkel said that to keep that feeling up outside the office doors, Maravillo installed two benches along the sidewalk outside the building. She added that the message is simple: stop by, grab a coffee, have a conversation and smell the roses.
“Marcy and her team love Kingsburg. … They have a deep passion for serving seniors and want people to know that they can call on them, not only for insurance, but as a community resource and a place of genuine connection,” Nikkel said.
