Keeping it in the Family

It’s no secret that insurance is a family business. If we ourselves aren’t the father/mother/daughter/son of someone in the business, it’s quite likely the next person is. While many of us fall into the insurance industry by chance, there are yet many others who grew up in the business.

Here at Insurance Journal, we have our own share of family history–Publisher Mark Wells took over the magazine when his father passed away some time ago. But the family connections don’t end just with Mark–also on staff is Mark’s wife Gayle, son Britt, and daughter-in-law Andrea. Midwest editor Kevin O’Reilly is the direct descendant of Al O’Reilly, owner of Chicago-based O’Reilly Insurance Agency and Seguros del Norte. Advertising coordinator Karla Boedeker is married to a claims adjuster of a large P/C agency, and so on … I think you get the picture.

When it came to selecting agencies to feature in our cover story on family agencies, there was no shortage of interesting stories to be told from across the Western region. We had so many submissions–it was difficult to narrow down our decision. So we decided to profile five different family agencies throughout the Western states.

And while we wish that we could have profiled all of the agencies we received submissions from, we hope that you will take the time to get to know the five agencies we featured on page 22. From California to Oregon to Montana, each of the agencies we profiled all shared one thing in common. They have the unique opportunity to spend every day with the people they care the most about.

But beyond family agencies themselves, one of the most unique aspects about the insurance industry is and always has been the family-type atmosphere and camaraderie amongst those in the industry. At meetings and trade shows across the country, insurance professionals are always happy to meet their peers, swap stories and welcome newcomers into “the family.”

If you have a unique family agency story you’d like to share … or any other ideas, please drop me a line at cbeisiegel@insurancejournal.com.

Thanks for reading.