Craig Cerretani

Longfellow Benefits

After many years of selling life insurance following his graduation from Holy Cross College, Craig Cerretani had the feeling something was missing in his professional life. Before long he put his finger on it: teamwork!

So in 1998 he proceeded to team up with three other insurance professionals at his place of employment, enabling his current Boston-based insurance brokerage and consulting firm Longfellow Benefits to be born. In the process, Craig saw to it that this new brainchild fulfilled his personal ideals for a great company: a commitment to excellence and passion as well as strong dedication to honor, dignity and respect for one’s clients and colleagues.

At one time, a professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization, Craig today demonstrates those ideals via a combination of hard work, determination, and positive spirit. His passion and dedication for always striving to improve Longfellow’s professional atmosphere, aimed not only at his colleagues and staff, but toward clients and even vendors as well, exemplifies an inspiring professional model for business leaders of all stripes and professions.

“Regardless of what you do for a living, be the best you can at that job,” he says. “Push the ball forward every day. Be all you can be every day. Make yourself indispensable to your employer and your clients. That’s how you succeed.”

This invaluable attitude has not gone unnoticed among those he works with. Longfellow Senior Consultant Meghan Cooper explains, “Craig is engaging, very much a mentor. He imparts knowledge and brings you under his wing. He shows you his world. He’s a very positive person, and that is infectious. He is a big part of our culture who works hard to maintain the high energy that permeates the firm.”

With Craig’s help, Longfellow Benefits has been named to Boston Business Journal‘s “2009 Best Places to Work.” Of this, Craig remarks, “This is the fourth year in a row we have been honored by BBJ in this way! Obviously, this speaks to the high quality of our Longfellow team as well as this very special culture we have, one that rewards teamwork and the entrepreneurial spirit.”

In terms of his specific role, Craig currently heads the Executive Benefit Practice. Longfellow clients thus benefit directly from his expertise in design, implementation and ongoing service of Health and Welfare, Retirement and Executive Benefits programs. In addition to this, he and his company provide specific expertise in other matters, such as acquisition analysis. “Many of our satisfied clients suggest that this expertise is a true differentiator in their world of mergers and acquisitions,” says Craig.

Craig spreads his knowledge and skills beyond his role as part of the Longfellow team. A true thoughtleader, he’s involved as a trustee at Danversbank, a co-Founder of the newly-formed Holy Cross Technology Group and a member of the Holy Cross Gridiron Club Leadership Council. He is also a past trustee at the Landmark School, a past president of the Literacy Volunteers of MA, a past board member of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and a past board member of the New England Hi-Tech Charity Foundation. He continues to work closely with emerging technology and life science companies, ever pushing himself to learn more about what’s new and on the horizon.

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