On Sept. 22, Rick Braile will be behind the counter at Ben & Jerry’s in Patchogue scooping ice cream as part of a fundraiser for Patchogue-Medford Youth & Community Services, where Braile is the board president.

That’s just one of the many civic organizations with which Braile is active.

Braile is also on the board of directors of the Village of Patchogue’s Business Improvement District and a member of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce.

Braile is also active with the Rotary Club of Patchogue, where he has been a member  for more than 20 years. The club awarded him its Paul Harris Award in 2019 for outstanding community involvement.

Braile schedules the speakers for the Rotary’s luncheon meetings and “attends all of our events,” Rotary Club president Paul Moran said, including a recent Day of Service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.

“He’s always the first to raise his hand to help out,” Moran said.

Braile is also president and owner of Bay Harbour Insurance Agency in Patchogue, which is celebrating its 40th year in business this year. It is an independent agency, meaning it sells personal and commercial insurance from a number of different companies.

The insurance agency was started by Braile’s father, Richard Braile, and his business partner, Chris Allenger, in 1985, in the same building on Waverly Avenue where it is still located.

Both Richard Braile and Allenger retired several years ago.

Rick Braile joined full time in 1988 and became a partner in the 1990s.

“I’ve been sitting at the same desk for over 30 years,” he joked.

The insurance business has changed a lot over the years, Braile said. 

Fax machines were the latest in technology back in the late 1980s.

“When I started, everything was paper files,” Braile said. “Now, everything we do is on the computer.”

The industry has also gotten more competitive, where firms like Bay Harbour Insurance compete with other independent agencies, captive agencies that sell products from only one insurance company, and agencies that sell insurance online.

It’s customer service and personal attention that make the agency stand out, Braile said.

Bay Harbour has a separate unit, Bay Harbour Financial Services, which sells life insurance and financial products. Braile is a partner in that business with Larry Boncimino.

Braile’s roots in Patchogue run deep.

He grew up in North Patchogue and graduated from Patchogue-Medford High School in 1980, where he was on the wrestling team.

Braile’s wife Valerie is deputy village clerk for the Village of Patchogue. The couple have three daughters, age 28, who are triplets: Meghan works for the Village of Patchogue and attends Suffolk County Community College; Jacqueline works for the YMCA and is an intern at CoHo Coffee House; and Kaitlin is an attorney in Philadelphia.