Hastings Mutual Celebrates 125 Years With An Open House
Hastings Mutual Insurance Company Shares Milestone Anniversary with the Community
Hastings, Michigan, July 19, 2010: Hastings Mutual Insurance Company will open its doors to the community for an Open House event in honor of the company’s 125th anniversary on Saturday, August 28. The Open House celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in conjunction with Summerfest weekend activities.
During the Open House, guided tours of Hastings Mutual’s home office will be available and visitors can see the Wall of History that contains documents and artifacts dating back to the company’s incorporation in 1885. Following the tours, light refreshments and musical entertainment will be provided in the D. W. Windstorm Café.
Special guest, Jake the Fire Safety Dog will be at the Open House to demonstrate how to escape safely from a smoke filled trailer from 10 a.m. to noon and again from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Jake is part of the non-profit charity E.S.C.A.P.E, Education Showing Children and Adults Procedures for Evacuation. Visitors will not want to miss this canine as he performs other fire safety techniques in the parking area at Hastings Mutual.
Hastings Mutual will be the official sponsor of the Hastings Trolley on Saturday August 28th. The Trolley will provide free transportation from our office to the courthouse, halting service during the parade which starts at noon. Please feel welcome to park at Hastings Mutual and ride the Trolley downtown to avoid Summerfest traffic.
“We are excited to share our 125th anniversary with members of our community at the Open House and throughout the weekend of Summerfest,” said Dan Hill, VP of Marketing. “Hastings Mutual has remained a strong and award winning company because of our local values and consistent financial responsibility. We are a proud to be a part of the city of Hastings and to celebrate our proud history at this milestone occasion.”
Hastings Mutual History
In 1885, Daniel Webster Rogers founded the Michigan Mutual Tornado, Cyclone and Windstorm Company, the first of its kind in the State of Michigan. D.W. Rogers founded the company after two cyclones ripped through the Barry County area in the early 1880s, destroying lives and property.
The company was first operated in the upstairs office of Rogers and Rogers Insurance on the Empire Block, where the Walldorff Brewpub is currently located. The company moved several times over the years including a stay on Jefferson Street. This historic office building was relocated to Charlton Park where it stands today. The company also occupied a location on State Street and Broadway that is now used as an office building for the City of Hastings. In 1961, Hastings Mutual moved into its current home on Woodlawn Avenue. The company’s success made it necessary to undergo two expansions, first in the ‘80s and again in the ’90s.
In 1920, the company changed its name to the Michigan Mutual Windstorm Company and is often referred to as the “Windstorm Company” to this day.
Throughout the years, the Windstorm Company has merged with over 15 insurance companies from surrounding areas. In 1959, it formerly reorganized as Hastings Mutual Insurance Company and became a general insurance company.
About Hastings Mutual Insurance Company
Hastings Mutual is an award winning, A. M. Best: A+ rated, regional Property Casualty insurance company. Hastings Mutual operates in six Midwestern states. The company, based in Hastings, Michigan, has been writing commercial, farm, and personal lines business through independent agents since 1885.
A Remarkable Milestone As Hastings Mutual Reaches 125th Anniversary
Hastings Mutual Insurance Company Commemorates a Proud Past and Exciting Future
Hastings, Michigan, April 1, 2010: Hastings Mutual Insurance Company, a regional Property Casualty insurance organization serving six states in the Midwest, is celebrating with their agencies, employees and community. The cause for this occasion is their milestone 125th Anniversary. Hastings Mutual is known as a financially solid, customer focused organization that maintains their Midwest values while offering world-class commercial, farm and personal insurance products.
Recognizing the importance of strong relationships in the Company’s long history, Hastings Mutual will spend this year in appreciation to agent partners, former and current employees and private individuals who have played a role in the development of their business. The official kick-off will be on April 5, 2010, which marks the anniversary of the incorporation day dating back to 1885.
Dan Hill, Vice-President of Marketing, at Hastings Mutual comments, “We are excited to spend this year remembering our proud past. We were a company built from incomparable values and we maintain our spirit of quality, responsibility and customer service. I am proud to say that today we are stronger than ever before. And, we look forward to an exciting future, which includes geographic expansion, technology enhancements and continued agency focus.” Hastings Mutual recently introduced Iowa as the sixth state where they work exclusively through independent agents to write property and casuality insurance. This development highlights the 125 year old Company’s focus on measured growth and financial responsibility. Only 13 percent of property and casualty companies reach a century old (according to the Insurance Information Institute), and Hastings Mutual has readily surpassed that mark. For more information and an enhanced history of the company, visit their Web site at: www.hastingsmutual.com.
About Hastings Mutual Insurance Company
Hastings Mutual is an award winning, A. M. Best: A+ rated, regional Property Casualty insurance company. Hastings Mutual operates in six Midwestern states. The company, based in Hastings, Michigan, has been writing commercial, farm, and personal lines business through independent agents since 1885. For more information about Hastings Mutual and their 125th anniversary, access the company web site: www.hastingsmutual.com.
Hawkeye State Welcomes Hastings Mutual
We now serve six states in the Midwest. Beginning April, 2010, Hastings Mutual began offering farm, commercial and personal insurance products exclusively through their independent agency partnerships.
This is an exciting development for the 125 year old company. Dan Hill, Vice President of Marketing states, “Expanding our national reach was a decision we did not take lightly. We spent a considerable amount of time ensuring a new state addition would blend well into Hastings Mutual’s current market mix. We take pride in our financial strength and we know Iowa will offer us the opportunity to grow while providing exceptional coverage and service.”
The company will use their existing business model to begin operations. This includes territory managers who are responsible for developing and maintaining independent agency partnerships. Vallery Jameson, is Hastings Mutual’s first hire in Iowa. She has 14 years of insurance experience with agricultural and commercial lines focus. As the new territory manager, Vallery commented, “I am excited to begin developing relationships with independent agents. I have had the privilege to work with many of these same individuals in the past and I am eager to introduce all of Hastings Mutual’s products and benefits to Iowa.”
Hastings Mutual Insurance Company is planning on developing additional staff in Iowa to ensure quality services and customer satisfaction.
About Hastings Mutual Insurance Company
Hastings Mutual is an award winning, A. M. Best: A+ rated, regional Property Casualty insurance company. Hastings Mutual operates in six Midwestern states. The company, based in Hastings, Michigan, has been writing commercial, farm, and personal lines business through independent agents since 1885. For more information about Hastings Mutual and their 125th anniversary, access the company web site: www.hastingsmutual.com.
About Hastings Mutual Insurance Company
Hastings Mutual is a regional Property Casualty insurance company operating in five midwestern states. The company, based in Hastings, Michigan, has been writing commercial, farm, and personal lines business through independent agents since 1885.
Hastings Mutual is represented by over 900 independent agencies in the Midwest.
Hastings Mutual has been protecting its policyholders since 1885.
Hastings Mutual is financially sound, with assets exceeding $617 million as of 12-31-07.
A.M. Best, a leading insurance company rating organization, rates Hastings Mutual A+ Superior.
Hastings Mutual’s Past and Future
In 1880, and again in 1882, tornadoes tore through parts of the small community of Hastings, Michigan, destroying over $225,000 worth of property. At the time, this amount was nearly 500 times the cost of a new home. D.W. Rogers, a local farmer, took action. At his request, his brother, state legislator Jeremiah Rogers, sponsored a bill legalizing the formation of windstorm insurance companies in Michigan, which became law in February of 1885.
On April 5, 1885, the Hastings-based Michigan Mutual Tornado, Cyclone and Windstorm Insurance Company was incorporated. By 1908, "The Windstorm Company" had grown from 160 to 43,000 policyholders, sharing $74,000,000 of insurance in force. At the end of 1925 the company was the second largest mutual windstorm insurance company in the world. Prosperity continued through the 1930's, 40's and 50's, even during the Great Depression.
On January 15, 1959, "The Windstorm Company" formally reorganized as a general, non-assessable mutual known as Hastings Mutual Insurance Company. Insurance policy documents weighing almost four tons had to be rewritten to facilitate the change.
For well over 100 years, Hastings Mutual Insurance Company has had an outstanding reputation based on good customer service and needed insurance products, backed by sound company finances. We are indeed proud of our past and look forward to a progressive future of serving you!
