Katy, TX resident Andre Kanyo has led a colorful, riveting life. To some, he may be the warm, approachable face you spot from time to time around the town. Those who know him better consider him a husband and father, a loyal disciple of God, a small business owner and an experienced aviator.

Kanyo is the proud owner and founder of Kanyo Health Insurance, conveniently located in the heart of Katy near 1463 Road. As a world-traveled man of principle and conviction, Kanyo integrates integrity into every aspect of his business model.

In a nation with a tricky and often shady health insurance sector, over 30 million U.S. citizens are uninsured, and completely unequipped for illness or injury. Many believe they can’t afford insurance; others don’t understand how to navigate the murky path toward becoming insured.

Kanyo Health Insurance’s commitment to transparency, strong ethics and open communication sets the agency legions ahead of others. Its founding principles closely align with Andre Kanyo’s own life.

Kanyo spent his youth in Denver, Colorado, and then voyaged around the country.

“I went to school in New York, and then I got into the Navy, so I was in Pensacola, Florida. That’s where I was going through flight school, and where I met my wife originally,” Kanyo recalled.

“I’ve navigated a supertanker and I’ve flown solo aerobatics! When I was in school, I went to Kings Point, which is the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. I’ve been around the world in various different ships, and I was also a Navy pilot, which is where the aerobatics came from.”

Kanyo met his wife twenty-seven years ago. Kanyo pursued a career in the oil and gas industry, leading the two to Louisiana for fifteen years, and then to Houston. By the time they arrived in Texas in 2010, the married couple had grown into a family with two beautiful sons, both children at the time.

“I was in the maritime sector of oil and gas, so I worked in HR for ten years, roughly,” Kanyo said. “I served in operations and consulting for the last fifteen.”

However, the oil and gas industry were by no means Kanyo’s final calling. When the industry took a sharp downturn several years back, the highly adaptable man was compelled to search for a new path.

“I got laid off twice in the last five years of my 25-year-old oil and gas career, and I needed something else to do. This opportunity came across my desk three times in the nine months I was looking for work, and I figured there had to be something to it, so I checked it out, and the rest is, as you say, ‘history,’” Kanyo remarked.

“I had a familial presence in insurance. My father-in-law and brother-in-law were both in insurance before me. It just wasn’t something I was interested in thirty years ago.”

However, as an avid believer in the Lord, Kanyo does not chalk his profession shift up to sheer coincidence. He relied on God to guide him in his journey, upholding the notion that everything happens for a reason.

“I actually think that I got into business because of God in the first place. I think the three opportunities that came across my desk to bring me into this career were because of Him. It wasn’t because the oil and gas business were in such bad shape,” Kanyo confided.

Thus birthed Kanyo Health Insurance, an agency with values drastically contrasting many “similar” competitors. What sets this agency apart from other providers?

“Education and customization!” Kanyo emphasized. “I listen to my clients and educate them on all options that are available to them. They may or may not even become my client, but my hope is that they part ways a little more educated about insurance, and how it works, than when they reached out to me.”

“My goal is to position people toward understanding and helping themselves. I don’t consider myself a salesman. I consider myself an educator first. Insurance is difficult enough as it is, to navigate it on your own.”

“You need to show you what’s out there, how it works, and how to get ahold of something specific. Not everybody is looking for the same thing in insurance, everybody needs something slightly different,” Kanyo professed.

Kanyo acknowledged the confusing nature of the industry, emphasizing heavily with the uninsured, particularly those befuddled by the process or fearful of unaffordable costs.

“Firstly, don’t put your information out there on the internet! Find a local agent, either through a referral or through their references, and find somebody you can trust to talk to,” Kanyo advised.

“Navigating insurance is difficult, and understanding what all is covered, and what isn’t covered; this is key to getting the right insurance plan. You might think you’re getting something that’s going to work for you, and then you find out that either it has limitations, your doctors aren’t taking it or your hospitals don’t take it.”

“You’ve got to find somebody and talk to them about your needs and your budget, and then see where that goes.”

Additionally, Kanyo Health Insurance offers “human capital,” or PEO services, including payroll, 401k, HR assistance and workman’s compensation. The agency competes with ADP, Insperity and similar companies.

“I service the individual market as well as the business market,” Kanyo said.

Aside from work, Kanyo and his wife relish traveling together, watching movies and going to the beach.

“We have a dog, so I enjoy spending time with my dog,” Kanyo smiled. “And our boys, we have a meal with our oldest son pretty much every Sunday. Our youngest son lives in Austin, so we go visit him every two or three months, as soon as we get the opportunity.”

Maintaining and endlessly growing a closer relationship with the Lord is a pillar in Kanyo and his wife’s lives. The couple has attended Second Baptist Church for over a decade.

“I’ve been a member of Second Baptist ever since I’ve been in Houston, and that was my kids’ influence. They motivated me to join that particular church because of their outreach program for youth. When we first got here, that was the first church we visited, and then we visited a number of others, and then went back, because of their programs,” Kanyo remembered.

“I was a member of various Bible study groups at the West Campus, and now the 1463 Campus, we’ve been over here now for two years.”

“Right now, my wife and I are going through Master Life Course, we’re in book number two, and that’s something that she and I enjoy doing together, is getting to learn more about the books and studying things in depth like that, and those types of Bible studies, because they’re a little bit more intimate. They’re a lot better for learning.”

At Kanyo Insurance Agency, you can depend on trusted, knowledgeable professionals who are trained to meet both your business and personal health insurance needs. We are experienced advisors who take a consultative approach to serving our customers. We can assist you with a wide range of health coverage, from healthy individuals and small businesses, to short-term gap insurance and coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. In the end, we can help you find solid health coverage that fits your budget. Visit our website for more information.