Like a good neighbor, Kyle Rourke is here to stay. The State Farm insurance agent bought and renovated the former Zeph’s restaurant building, relocated his State Farm office there from Main Street, uses local vendors whenever he can, and, when it comes to Peekskill’s future, he’s all in.

“I love Peekskill, the people in Peekskill and the opportunity in Peekskill,” Rourke told the Peekskill Herald in an interview at his offices on Central Avenue.

Rourke grew up in a State Farm household, moving several times as his father made a career with the insurance giant. Today, Kyle Rourke’s firm insures nearly 6,000 households with home, fire, renters and condos policies and around 8,000 automobiles through his two offices in Peekskill and Hackensack, N.J. Three-quarters of those policies come from the Peekskill office.

Competitive swimming taught him lessons about dedication and hard work. He was a top-eight swimmer in New York State during his teen years at Cornwall High School in Orange County. That led to a full athletic scholarship to St. Rose College in Albany, where he set school records.

“During winter break we didn’t go home like other students,” Rourke says. “With nobody there on campus we would do a half hour or hour of cardio, then two hours of swim in the morning and two more hours in the evening. We put in four-and-a-half to five hours total, including four in the pool.”

His entrepreneurial talents emerged during his college years. At a young age he owned three rental properties that he bought and repaired. During the covid rent moratorium, he decided it was time to sell. Having to get those deals done remotely was a challenge. “Contractors working on my properties sent me photos of the work and the real estate agent showed them through videos. I hired an attorney to handle the closing and never had to go back.”

Rourke held a variety of positions within State Farm before opening his own agency on East Main Street in Cortlandt in 2015. The most rewarding corporate job was working on the large loss team in the New Windsor office where he arrived on the scene with instant help for insured families to recover.

“A lot of people think ‘what am I paying for’ – that’s what you’re paying for,” Rourke says. “I showed up with houses still on fire with a checkbook, hugging them, telling them everybody is safe – that’s the most important thing. Unfortunately, I had one where three little girls died. That was the worst one I ever had.”

After building his Cortlandt State Farm agency from zero clients, he relocated to the Lofts on Main building in Peekskill. The business kept, growing particularly during the covid years of 2020 to 2023. 

“Our biggest obstacle is ‘I don’t have time to talk, call me later’ or ‘I’m very happy with so and so.’ But during covid everyone was looking to save money. Our employees were considered essential so everyone was able to keep working and were able to get a hold of people at home on the phone.”

Unlike other nationwide competitors, the State Farm model is built on getting to know each customer personally and building long-term relationships.

“Our model is if something happens you know that you will talk to the same person in my office through the whole process. You know the person who sold you the policy and you know where we are. That’s the relationship we build with people year after year.”

Renovating the Former Zeph’s Building on Central Avenue

Rourke was very pleased with the location of his office on Main Street in the Lofts on Main ground floor space. But always on the lookout for opportunity, the chance to buy and renovate a building emerged in April 2023, and he purchased the former Zeph’s restaurant property on Central Avenue.

He started looking two or three years ago and asked a lot of people connected in the city if they knew of any properties.

One of those people was Louie Lanza. “I’ve known Louie for a very long time. We talked about his building on North Division Street, but he couldn’t sell that because he had a lease with a tenant. He was aware of the Zeph’s building and connected me with his business partner Brendon Fitzgerald, and Brendon and I were able to work out a deal.”

The project to renovate the building was another challenge. Rourke got it done in under 18 months, making the move in November of 2024. “This was a local property in complete disrepair and I came in and hopefully did a good job rehabbing it.” 

A structural engineer was hired first to inspect the condition before the closing. The next step was the design. “I pretty much mocked up how I wanted this building and went to my architect Marco Mandra and said this is what I want, and he made it work. I changed it on him throughout the process and he was awesome.”

Water running down Central Avenue through the MacGregory Brook was one of the challenges as the Zeph building’s basement was an issue. 

“We took off the porch, dug up the entire front and waterproofed it,” Rourke said. “Then we dug up the entire side and waterproofed it. There’s a pipe underneath that directs anything that flows from that front all the way down the side all the way down the back and it runs all the way down to a pit. There’s a whole new foundation with French drains underneath it with sump pumps. We’ve had some big rainstorms and – knock on wood – not a single drop in here.”

Rourke served as his own general contractor and kept the trades working round the clock. “The inspectors from city hall in Peekskill were awesome. They were great keeping appointments during the frequent inspections so I could keep people working.” All in, he figures the total project cost at least $2 million, including the $900,000 purchase price.

The result is a great new office space that his employees and his clients are loving. “It’s been fantastic here – the team loves it. You come into work everyday, it changes your mood. It becomes a fun, happy place to work.

“We get a lot of real good feedback from customers too. A lot of people remember Zeph’s and love what we’ve done with the building. A new customer wanted my designer’s info because she’s redoing her house.  I love showing people around to see what we’ve done. I brought her down to show her the kitchen.”

Finding a Home in Peekskill

Community involvement is a big part of Kyle Rourke’s business model, just as it is with State Farm. Marketing is key to creating a local brand, as well as buying from local businesses. “We sponsor cars in local parades, work with the SPCA, the Chamber of Commerce and golf events and breast cancer causes. We’re also involved with the local Little League, Support Connection, the Girl Scouts, and our local police and fire department.”

To companies that invest in Peekskill, Rourke turns to them first. “Our holiday parties every year – at Spins, Taco District, we do everything we can to stay here.” He hired local contractor Urbina’s Mechanical Service Corp. for a lot of his construction and bought lots of materials from Dain’s Lumber and Home Mason Supply. “I’m out there in the community and I try to do all my business local.”

After 11 years in the local area, Rourke has found the place he wants to be for the long haul.

“This wasn’t home and it’s totally home now. I want to stay close to the business and support the community and restaurants and places that I shop. This is where I want to be and do as much as I can to see Peekskill succeed.”