Katy Welch Cintron, 30

Occupation: Chief Operations Officer, Merrill Insurance, Eustis

What I do: Leading leaders and our entire team, managing systems and processes and all things people, places and things.

How I got started: I got into insurance the same way everyone else in the field did – entirely by accident. Before working in Insurance, I spent time in the event sales space, and prior to that worked for the executive office of Governor Rick Scott’s administration while I was living in Tallahassee. Seven years ago, I started on the carrier side in personal claims and found my way to Merrill Insurance through a mentor as a commercial lines account manager. I both slowly and quickly grew into my current role now as our organization grew.

I’m passionate about insurance because: I enjoy helping our organization grow and teaching our team to be problem solvers. Being a true problem solver will take you so much further than the trade really will, and I pray that whether someone is with our team for one year or for 30, they are better because we got to spend the time working together. Watching team members new to the industry develop into professionals is incredibly rewarding.

Outside of the office: There isn’t a ton of spare time with a toddler, a career, and sports! But I enjoy traveling with my husband and my son, attending sports events, and coaching volleyball.

My first job: I worked at a Walgreens on the floor as an associate and eventually worked as a pharmacy technician through college until I had to leave for my internship.

My local mentors: In my local community, I have more mentors than I can count. But just to name a few, I hope one day I have as much experience with people, mission work and in the insurance space as Kent Merrill. Kent will leave no stone unturned and has never met a stranger. In the coaching sphere, I hope to have as much influence as Jim Hoffman, who still dedicates endless amounts of time to developing coaches and supporting his daughter and one of my best friends, Alisha Wintersdorf, through her coaching journey, now at Lake Sumter.

The best advice I’ve received: The cheesiest advice is the advice that I still am working to get better at every day just like many, many young professionals do. “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

Fun fact: I’m a coach for American Athletic Clubs, a girl’s youth volleyball club in the Central Florida region. Alongside the Warner family and Alisha Wintersdorf, our club has gone from a one-team tiny club to 10 teams this upcoming season. Though we have been challenged many ways, our dedication to growing the sport in our area has consistently prevailed. We are very blessed to have the athletes and families that we do continue to pour back into us the way we pour into them. A true testament to our mission is the number of players who have graduated from our program that return to coach right beside us raising up the next generation.

If I had a million dollars to give away: I would absolutely give back to the local youth sports organizations. As a coach in this space, there are many families who place financial hardship on themselves to be able to afford their children the opportunity to play sports at a higher level. In fact, there are many incredibly talented players who never have the opportunity to do so because of the financial barrier. It could be life changing to so many athletes who just want the chance to compete and potentially earn their way to a college scholarship and beyond.

Life after 40: Lucky for me, 40 is still 10 years away! In the next 10 years, I see myself right where I am now at Merrill and hopefully continuing to achieve each of our growth milestones. I hope to continue spending more time with and growing my family.