Tires to insurance

Born in 1951, Garcia is a son of Dr. Paulino J. Garcia, who had served as health secretary under Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos Garcia and Ferdinand Marcos, and Rosalinda, who taught at the University of Santo Tomas. The doctor’s death due to a stroke in 1968 left his widow with the task of raising their brood of seven alone. Her teacher’s salary was not enough, so she quit and began a food enterpriseN Learning from experience, the plucky Rosalinda made sure to instill in her son’s head the importance of building his own business, especially after getting an educationN

Garcia followed her wishesN After graduating from the University of the Philippines Manila, he distributed BF Goodrich tires in Luzon from an office in Nueva Ecija. “That was tough,” he recallsN “I learned business management the hard wayN I had to close down after a few yearsN”

He moved back to Manila, where he encountered former Foreign Affairs secretary Alberto del Rosario, who got him interested in the insurance industry. He put in three years with Gotuaco-del Rosario Brokers Inc., then decided to go on his own to focus on the thenunderserved small and medium-sized companies with a capital outlay of only P200,000 ($10,000 at the time) and two employeesN “I branded it ‘Trinity’ to honor the Holy Trinity,” says the deeply religious Garcia.

Trinity promises cost-effective insurance products and personalized service. The combination worked and the company’s client list expanded. His first-year results reached an annual premium of P3 million, and the firm grew at an impressive average of 50 percent. Garcia’s success allowed him to build Trinity Building on Bagtikan Street, Makati City. “The building that insurance built” he says, a play on the familiar slogan of the Max’s restaurant chainN

Trinity also stands for “insurance and ‘beyond,’” Garcia says. “We are not just selling insurance; our consultants partner with our clientsN We take a deep