By Steve Svetovich

Polizzi Kelly Insurance, 203 East Drinker St., Dunmore, is a family business and constant in the borough for 70 years now.

And Suzy Polizzi Moraski, current owner and still only 51, has been a part of it for the past 35 years.

“I started working there every day after school when I was 16,” she said. “And I haven’t stopped since. I have no plans in the near future to stop.”

The business began at the Dunmore home of her late grandfather Michael Polizzi in 1952.

In 1956, it shifted to its current location at Dunmore Corners.

In 1968, said Moraski, her grandfather partnered with Paul Kelly. The partnership lasted until 1984 when the Polizzi family bought it outright, she added.

Her grandfather died in 2006 which resulted in her dad, also Michael Polizzi, taking over that year.

When her dad died in 2018, Polizzi Moraski took over a business she had already spent over three decades working in with her late dad and late grandfather.

As the new owner, she knew all the ropes.

The 1988 Dunmore graduate has been married 23 years to Steve Moraski. The couple has a daughter Marissa, 22, a West Chester University graduate with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education. She is a substitute teacher at Dunmore High School.

Polizzi Moraski received an associate’s degree in business administration from Penn State Worthington in 1990. She worked in her family’s insurance business all through high school and college. She went right into it full force in 1990. “I worked there every day after school, so it was an easy transition.”

Polizzi Kelly Insurance is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m, to 4 p.m, The business sells homeowners, automobile, property, commercial and small business insurance. The business also deals with tag and title, payroll services and notary services.

Daughter of Grace Polizzi and the late Michael Polizzi, the lifetime Dunmore resident said the business recently had remodeling work completed to make it a more modern office.

“We kept a lot of the old signs though,” she said. “We wanted to keep some of the old history of the building intact.”

Polizzi Moraski’s late dad also taught science for over 30 years at Dunmore Middle School.

Her husband is a supervisor at Canon Business Process Services at Dunmore Industrial Park.

Her cousin is Donna Loughney, wife of former Dunmore Mayor Patrick “Nibs” Loughney.

She talked about the business challenge during the past two years of COVID-19. “There have been a few challenges,” she said. “We don’t see as many customers in the building as in the past. A lot of the business is done over the phone or online. People love to save money, so they shop around. But we try to always accommodate our loyal customers.

“There are a lot of insurance companies in Dunmore, so there is a lot of competition. We don’t have a lot of control over rates, but we do our best to accommodate and provide a better service. We try to keep our same values intact.”

The hard-working Dunmore native said her favorite part of the job is her customers. “We see many of the same customers for many years. We see customers who grew up in this town. We watched them grow up. We know a lot of people in Dunmore. We’ve had generations of customers. Talking to them and helping them is the best part of the job. We love the people and the community.”

All of Polizzi Moraski’s siblings worked in the business too. Her siblings are Michael and Matthew Polizzi and Michelle Rinaldi.

Her brother Michael is affiliated with a mortgage company located on the second floor of the building.

“I want to do this as long as possible,” the long-time business owner said. “I enjoy serving the people in this community.”