Insurance Associates of the Triad merges with Martinez & Associates - News - The Courier-Tribune
ASHEBORO — Eight years ago, Reynolds Lisk and Art Martinez, two local insurance agency owners, had lunch. The topic of the conversation that day was the future of their respective companies.
Lisk, Charles Swiers and Richard Garkalns at that time were owners of Insurance Associates of the Triad. They were beginning to think about the perpetuation of their business. Throughout the years, they were approached by banks, private equity-owned agencies and agencies located in other towns. However, Lisk, Swiers and Garkalns, who were known for decades for their community involvement — personally and through their company — wanted to keep the company locally-owned and operated.
Art Martinez, owner of Martinez & Associates, was in his early 30s at the time and had established a reputation as a future leader and insurance agency owner in Asheboro. He began his insurance career representing Nationwide Insurance and hoped to one day represent other national insurance carriers — as an independent insurance agent. Nationwide was in its early stages of allowing its exclusive agents to narrate other insurance companies. Martinez was eager for this opportunity because as an exclusive agent, he was only able to offer Nationwide Insurance to his clients.
Nationwide’s corporate changes helped facilitate the merger between Insurance Associates of the Triad and Martinez & Associates. The merger will officially take place on July 1.
The name will remain Insurance Associates of the Triad.
“The brand of Insurance Associates of the Triad is synonymous with excellent customer service, professionalism and industry knowledge. In my eyes, it has represented the most sought after and respected insurance agency in our community,” Martinez said.
Before the merger, the Triad Business Journal listed the company as the 13th largest insurance agency in the Triad. The 27-member staff brings over 600 years’ worth of insurance industry experience to agency customers.
The roots of the company date back to the 1800s. Since, seven or eight different agencies throughout the years have merged to form today’s company. The last merger was in 2005, when Midstate Insurance, owned by Garkalns and Swiers, merged with Neely & Lisk Insurance. Those companies provided face-to-face customer service and they developed relationships with their clients. Those clients knew who to call when a tree fell on their home, their car bumper got dinged or they had a child and suddenly needed life insurance.
Today, insurance products are offered in many different ways to consumers. A customer can purchase their insurance online or over the phone. However, when they do that, they don’t get the one-on-one, personal assistance that a local agent can provide. For instance, an agent at a call center in Utah may not know the fire insurance rating of your community or the local building codes that can affect insurance premiums. A local agent does and can use that personal knowledge to guide the customer to the best match of needs, wants and insurance coverages.
Local insurance agents can provide the same ease of doing business applications as an online or direct insurance company. They can provide access to mobile apps and help customers set up online accounts. For some people, that type of technology can be challenging. A personal touch makes life easier.
Today, Insurance Associates of the Triad sells a wide variety of insurance, such as auto, homeowners and business insurance. It also provides one-stop shopping for individual and group life and health insurance. For persons needing to be bonded, like contractors, the agency reps sell surety bonds as well.
The list of companies the agency represents is long — Cincinnati Insurance Company, Auto Owner Insurance, Nationwide Insurance, The Hartford, Travelers, United HealthCare, Progressive, West Bend Insurance, State Auto, Mutual of Omaha, Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance, USLI, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Philadelphia Insurance, National General, Liberty Mutual and many more.
“The insurance companies we represent are all well-known household names because of the amount of advertising they do on TV,” Martinez said. “You can come to our office and we can show you what those companies offer and find the best insurance plan for your particular needs.”
“So by having a local agent, a local person to advise you, we can provide you the insurance coverage you need and want. You don’t get that personal service by going online or calling a company’s call center,” Lisk added.
“We will be able to provide broader coverages with more insurance products that will enable us to better attend our clients and our community,” Martinez said.
And community involvement is a root that runs deep within the company. Former owners Garkalns and Swiers pause to be involved in the community. Lisk and Martinez have held top volunteers posts with the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Randolph County and many other organizations. Lisk outlined projects his company has embraced throughout the years. Martinez vowed to continue them.
They include a September blood drive in honor of a deceased employee; Christmas party for the Boys & Girls Club; $25,000 pledge to the Zoo City Sports Complex; and tens of thousands of dollars of donations to the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA, Randolph Cancer Center, Sunset Theatre, scholarships for Randolph Community College and much more. Employees are given two hours a month to contribute to the community.
Keeping these traditions is important for Martinez.
“I respect the foundation that Richard, Charles and Reynolds set and look forward to continuing them,” Martinez said.
Insurance Associates of the Triad is located at 350 N. Cox St., Suite 1, Asheboro. Agents can be reached at 336-626-3030 or www.iatriad.com.
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SRC: https://www.courier-tribune.com/news/20200614/insurance-associates-of-triad-merges-with-martinez--associates
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