Jerald “Jerry” M. Balestrino is a native of Hubbard, Ohio, and he is a graduate of Hubbard High School, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and Youngstown State University. He is the youngest of Tom and Francis’s six children and a proud uncle to 19 nieces and nephews.

After finishing art school, Jerry spent a few years working as a studio and portrait photographer before realizing his passion for video. This interest in video and news media led him to a position as a video photographer and editor for Youngstown’s WYTV Channel 33. While there, Jerry returned to school and worked to achieve a bachelor’s of science degree in business administration from Youngstown State University. This new degree then led him into the area of sales and customer service, where he spent the majority of his career as a veterinary pharmaceutical sales representative.

After working for companies such as Bayer and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals he decided to close this career path in his life. Jerry knew he wanted to work to help people on a personal level. After much consideration and consultation with family and friends, he decided to focus on helping people in an area that many people struggle to understand.

He enrolled in Hondros College’s online property and casualty course and set off on his career in the insurance agent industry. Jerry joined Gem-Young in June of 2020 and, soon afterward, passed his licensing exam to become a risk management advisor. He is currently working on his life and casualty license and looks forward to serving all insurance policyholders in their best interest.