
Our professional, experienced team at Ayr Farmers Mutual is here to protect the Homes, Farms, Businesses, and Vehicles you care about. We look forward to meeting all of your insurance needs.
Jason Vernooy, Chair
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Jason has owned and operated William Kipp Funeral Home since 2005 and is a strong supporter of many sports teams, clubs and organizations in the North Dumfries & Brant County areas. Having grown up on a farm just west of Ayr, Jason has a great interest in farming and rural life.
Dave Thompson, Vice Chair
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Dave was appointed to the Board in November 2015 and is a Senior Mechanical Engineer and Project Manager with WalterFedy, an integrated architecture, engineering, and construction firm. Dave and his family reside in the village of St. George.
Brad Adams
- Read Bio Brad joined the Board in March 2022. Brad is the General Manager of a small property development company in Toronto, and has over 30 years experience in the corporate agricultural world. He is a long-time member of the Paris Agricultural Society and 4H Canada’s National Foundation. Brad and his family live in Brant County on the family farm.
Cathy Formica
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Cathy has been a member of our Board since 2010. Now retired after 38 yrs as General Manager for a Cambridge company, her daily business activities were in the manufacturing sector and her core beliefs remain consistent with those of AFM. Cathy and her family are long-time residents of Ayr.
David Jamieson
- Read Bio David joined the Board in March 2022 and is a Professional Engineer and Quality Assurance Manager at a company in Cambridge. He serves as an Elder and Treasurer at his church and is an active member of the Rockton Agricultural Society. David and his family are the sixth generation to live on the family farm west of Kirkwall.
Ed Hesselink
- Read Bio Ed joined the Board in March 2023. Recently retired as President of Cambridge Brass, Ed holds a BA in Economics along with an MBA. A long-time resident of Reidsville, Ed and his family have a small cow / calf operation and are further developing their property in a sustainable fashion. Ed has served on various committees and boards within industry, church and community
Executive
Jeff Whiting, President & Chief Executive Officer
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Jeff joined Ayr Farmers Mutual in 1993 and became President and CEO in 2013. Jeff has held many positions on various Mutual Insurance Industry Committees, and recently completed a 12-year term, where he was chair with the Board of Directors at Farm Mutual Re. Jeff was raised in rural Brant County where he continues to reside with his wife and 3 kids.
Jodi Meiering, Chief Operating Officer
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Jodi joined Ayr Farmers Mutual in 2017 as the Chief Operating Officer and has more than 20 years insurance leadership experience in both company and brokerage operations. Jodi has a passion for people and customer service. She embraces the opportunity to work closely with the AFM team to provide vision, care, integrity, and resilience to create an exceptional experience. Jodi enjoys living in Stratford with her family.
Dave Paterson, Chief Financial Officer
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Dave joined the Company as Controller/Treasurer in 1990 after receiving his BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University and became Chief Financial Officer in 2009. Dave has held several positions on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Insurance Accountants Association and is past Treasurer of Cognition Plus software. Dave and his family live in Baden.
Peter Gilbert, Chief Information Officer
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Peter joined Ayr Farmers Mutual in 2018 and accepted the role of CIO in 2020. With more than 20 years of experience in IT leadership, Peter is passionate about driving technology innovations to enhance employee and Policyholder experience.
Travis Seaman, Vice President of Customer Experience and Enablement
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Travis joined the company in 2006 as a Claims Representative and has held several positions of increasing responsibility over the past 15 years, including managing the Claims and Loss Prevention Departments and being the functional lead for AFM’s Guidewire Software Implementation. Currently, Travis serves as the Vice President of Customer Experience and Enablement. Travis and his family are happy to call Guelph home.
Agents
Abel Pinto
- Read Bio Abel is a life-long resident of the Waterloo Region, where he lives with his wife and two children. Giving back to his community is important to Abel. He has been active in the Kitchener community as a volunteer coach for soccer and baseball. In addition, he is proud to participate in the many community events for which Ayr Farmers Mutual is well-known.
Abel has over 13 years of experience servicing clients in the industrial safety industry. During this time, he built lasting relationships while providing the best experience to his clients.
In his free time, Abel enjoys being active, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Alison Gunn
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Alison has worked at Ayr Farmers since 2015 as Claims Representative, and is delighted to take on the role of Agent. Alison obtained her CIP (Chartered Insurance Professional) designation in 2018. In 2020, she became an instructor with the Insurance Institute of Ontario, Conestoga Chapter.
Originally from Kitchener, Alison moved to Ayr a few years ago with her husband and son. Alison places great value on being involved in the community and the relationships she has made with Policyholders and co-workers.
Alison loves walking around town and exploring Ayr’s many beautiful trails. And she loves hosting game nights with friends and family. When she has some time to herself, she loves spending time in her art studio.
Bobby Longmuir
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Bobby recently joined Ayr Farmers Mutual, moving from Windsor to St. Thomas with his wife and three children. He enjoys going on weekend journeys with his family, hanging out in the backyard with friends and family, or being at the park. Bobby also enjoys competing in sports, especially slow-pitch and golf.
Bobby is focused on delivering an outstanding experience to all in his work as one of our new Agents.
Chris Demarest
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Chris brings many years of experience to Ayr Farmers Mutual, having begun his insurance career in 1994. He was born on a family farm in rural Oxford County and currently resides outside of Princeton with his wife and two sons.
Chris enjoys hockey, softball, golf, and spending time with his family.
Chris Down
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Chris started in the insurance industry in 2012 and has been dedicated to servicing his clients at Ayr Farmers Mutual Insurance as an Agent since 2019.
Chris grew up on a rural property near Owen Sound and now lives with his wife and daughter in Woodstock, where he enjoys meeting new people and connecting through recreational sports.
Chris McCullough
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Chris joined Ayr Farmers Mutual as an agent in 2019 after 8 years of working in the insurance industry. He has a passion for talking about insurance (really!) and enjoys working with people to make sure their insurance needs are met and that the products are understood.
Chris grew up in Hanover and currently lives in New Hamburg with his wife and two children.
Craig Van Torre
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Craig joined our team of Agents in 2011, and he is not new to the insurance industry. For many years he worked as an Underwriter.
Craig was raised in the Norwich area and is a 4th generation family farmer in the ginseng industry. Craig and his wife and daughter live in Otterville.
David Hilbert
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David is a Chartered Insurance Professional and joined the Ayr Farmers Mutual family in 2011 after spending 13 years with a national independent adjusting firm.
David has developed a unique understanding of the value of insurance and the importance of helping others.
Derek Gillespie
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Derek began his career with Ayr Farmers Mutual in 2013, as a Claims Representative. Dealing with auto, property, liability, and bodily injury claims, Derek’s approach to Policyholders, resulted in positive experiences and testimonials, with at least one Policyholder wanting to set him up with her daughter! Derek earned his CIP designation and is delighted to grow his career and be an Agent.
Born and raised in Innerkip, Derek and his wife and son continue to call Innerkip home. Derek is very involved in his community, playing softball, and hockey.
Doug Green
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Doug joined AFM in 2011 with agricultural experience having served customers in 15 counties throughout Ontario.
Doug prides himself on developing customer relationships and being a "people person”. Coaching, playing hockey, and attending livestock shows are a few of his passions.
James White
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James has seven years of experience in the insurance industry, gained while working in account management at Desjardins Insurance. James is thrilled to join the Ayr Farmers Mutual family, as an Agent.
James was born and raised on a small hobby farm in Harley. He currently resides in Burford with his wife and son. He loves being outside, enjoying the nature trails in and around our community, and plays hockey and golf.
James is actively involved in local youth sports, and helps coach his son’s minor hockey team.
Jamie Sass
- Read Bio Jamie is a life-long resident of Paris, where he lives with his wife and family. Together, they enjoy spending time with their friends and making as many lasting memories as possible.
He has been very active in the community over the years, coaching youth hockey, baseball, and learn to skate programs. Jamie has also participated in various events and building projects, including the Brant County Sports Complex, playground builds, and the Rotary/United Way Air Show. Jamie comes to AFM with 27 years of experience in customer relations, sales, and project management. One of the reasons he joined the Ayr Farmers Mutual team was because of Ayr's reputation for being so involved in their surrounding communities.
During Jamie's free time, you will find him either on the golf course or rocking on a stage playing the drums. His other interests include curling, hockey (Go Oilers Go), baseball, and playing cards!
Jamie Terdik
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Jamie was born and raised in St. George by parents who both grew up on farms in the Simcoe area. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Health Science from Western University in London.
Following in her father’s footsteps, she began her career as an Insurance Advisor with The Co-operators in 2014. Prior to this she worked for several years as the Food and Beverage Manager/ Events Coordinator at Savannah Golf Links where she began playing golf frequently, a sport she still enjoys.
Jamie lives in Paris and enjoys good food and the outdoors.
Jeff Holmes
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Jeff began his career with Ayr Farmers Mutual in 2003 as an Agent and worked in that role until 2012 when he began a role in the business operations, mostly recently holding the position of Manager of Marketing & Distribution. Jeff is thrilled to have returned to the Agent role.
Born and raised on a small hobby farm just outside of Drumbo. Jeff will tell you that he learned “small-town values” which he still practices and lives by every day.
Jeff is always happy to be of assistance to Policyholders and the community.
Jim Pate
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Jim joined Ayr Farmers Mutual in 2001, bringing with him extensive, first- hand knowledge of farming. Raised on Brantwood Farms in Brant County, he graduated from the University of Guelph, and operates a cash crop farm in Hamilton.
Jim appreciates the opportunity to serve his Policyholders.
Jonathan Richmond
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Jonathan joined Ayr Farmers Mutual in 2002 after working for several years as an independent insurance adjuster. He is well-versed in the insurance claims process and in the harvesting & processing of maple syrup. Jonathan currently resides in Cambridge.
Kerri Kelly
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Born and raised in St. George she knows the heart of small-town living firsthand. Kerri lives locally and enjoys neighbourhood gatherings, lifelong friendships she’s made, and road trips across the countryside cheering her kids on from the sidelines. Her favourite job is being a Mom, but she is also thrilled to be an Insurance Agent.
Kerri worked in media for over 25 years. She has a passion for community and helping others, and believes in paying it forward and living life to its fullest.
Kevin McComb
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Kevin has worked in the Insurance Industry for 30 years. As an Agent with Ayr Farmers Mutual since 1996, he takes great pride in providing exceptional service. Kevin specializes in agri-business insurance products.
Kyle Knechtel
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Kyle was born, raised, and currently resides in Ayr with his wife and daughter. Kyle and his family love to float down the local rivers and fish while soaking in nature.
A big hockey fan, Kyle was fortunate to have a promising hockey career playing in many different places and leagues. He now focuses his athletics on Slo-Pitch and enjoys playing the game.
Kyle has a great deal of experience in the retail industry and enjoys all the great relationships he has built through his work experience. He is excited to be part of the Ayr Farmers Mutual family.
Kyle Mansbridge
- Read Bio Kyle grew up in the small town of Bright where he learned the importance of lending a hand to others. For the past decade, Kyle has lived in Woodstock with his wife and their son. Kyle has more than ten years of experience in the insurance industry, working in claims, marketing, and as a broker. Kyle has a passion for using his industry knowledge to help people with their insurance needs.
Mark McMahon
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Mark has over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. Raised in Innerkip, and currently residing in Woodstock, Mark takes pride in using his industry knowledge to help people make informed decisions about their insurance needs.
Miguel De Sousa
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Miguel was born and raised in Kitchener. He has spent time employed in different industries only to realize his aspiration of working in the insurance industry which meets his desire to assist and service people’s insurance needs.
Miguel resides in Ayr with his wife, three children and pets. He enjoys soccer, squash, and vacationing at the family cottage.
Ron Lapointe
- Read Bio Ron has almost 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, serving Policyholders as a commercial insurance broker. Ron lives with his wife and children in Woodstock, where he was born and raised. Ron enjoys playing golf and hockey and spending time with his family. Ron enjoys meeting new people and getting to know Policyholders well so he can serve their insurance needs.
Ryan Weis
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Ryan resides in Stratford and was born and raised in York Region (north of Toronto). For over 20 years he has worked in the agricultural industry, mainly in the poultry industry, working for Maple Leaf Foods and Cericola Farms in procurement and operations. Most recently, he worked in animal nutrition with Archer Daniels Midland. He takes pride in finding solutions for his clients and loves being an Agent with Ayr Farmers.
A University of Guelph graduate, Ryan holds degrees in Animal Science (Bachelor’s Degree) and Science (Master’s Degree).
Ryan enjoys spending time with his daughters and his grandchildren. An avid beer league hockey player (goalie), enjoys playing golf and beginning to curl.
Thomas Mundie
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Thomas joined the Ayr Farmers Mutual team in November, 2021. Prior to joining AFM Thomas worked for five years with Agricorp as a Claims Adjudicator.
In his spare time Thomas enjoys skiing, playing golf and hockey, and volunteering in his community.
Thomas grew up in rural Brant County and now resides in Kitchener with his wife Courtney and his dog Winston.
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