Agency Perpetuation

Wichert Insurance is comprised of separate corporations or limited liability companies operating in locations throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

Defining Differences

Wichert Insurance creates, builds and perpetuates agencies in concert with co-owners. Key Wichert differences include:

Wichert provides legal, financial, accounting, automation and insurance markets to group agencies without necessitating a majority equity interest.
Wichert provides all employees and support services to owners who are typically the resident principal or longtime previous owner.
Wichert performs all “back office” administrative functions at the home office leaving the local offices to focus on sales and customer service.
Agency owners maintain significant autonomy in the day-to-day activities of the agency.
Wichert provides the insurer contract and appointment with many leading insurers. Many contracts are on a preferred basis, giving individuals the clout and respect only found in larger agencies.
Wichert Insurance transactions have included retirements, estates, merging offices and the operation of an existing office. These transactions have been cash, cash plus retention, owner financing, bank financing, C-corps, S-corps, LLCs and retention-only plans.

Planning for the Future

You have built a successful business with valued clients and employees. Now it’s time to think about and plan for the future.

How will you realize the value of your agency? How will you transition to retirement? What if you want to slow down a bit and enjoy more time away from the business, but are concerned about the operations?
Are back office operations dragging down the productivity of your staff? Could their time be better spent on sales and customer service?
Are you struggling to get the attention and service from markets that your business deserves? Do you need to offer better or different carrier options to retain your customers? To grow your business?
Does your technology and automation need a significant investment of both dollars and training?

Getting Started

#1 - Explore

While we believe Wichert's procedures will maximize your financial interest, we feel the best place to start is a confidential discussion of your overall agency goals, and how Wichert may be able to help you achieve them.

#2 - Agree

If it appears that we have common ground, we will sign mutual confidentiality agreements to examine financial statements, company production reports employee contracts and other necessary information.

#3 - Plan

If we continue to move forward, we will examine tax aspects related to the type of corporation versus the possible transaction. We will talk openly about value, potential and plans to perpetuate your agency.

The Wichert Perpetuation Solution

Wichert Solution (PDF)

Testimonials

It is with pleasure and gratitude that we share comments on our experience with the Wichert Insurance Company. While we have had experiences with a number of other insurance agencies, we have never before encountered such a level of excellence in providing services to a customer.

The superior experience, knowledge, and expertise with the not-for-profit business sector demonstrated by Wichert Insurance is outstanding. Our account executive, Roger Perry, and his team, in particular, provide useful insights and proactive facilitation during the due diligence phase of the process. In addition, they understand the budget constraints that most not-for-profit organizations are under and they work hard to get us the best coverage for the most reasonable cost. All of these tasks, whether business-related or interpersonal, are accomplished with a noticeable degree of competence, integrity, and timeliness.

Therefore, we would highly recommend the Wichert Insurance Company to any and all businesses for their insurance needs.

I highly recommend DesignPro (Wichert Insurance) as an outstanding business insurance provider. I am the Owner of Metro CD Engineering, LLC. We selected the DesignPro team many years ago as our insurance provider. DesignPro has done a great job at servicing our needs. They are proactive and respond quickly to our requests for contract reviews, certificates of insurance requests, insurance upgrade quotes and many other services. We have had DesignPro speak to our design professionals about professional liability. This has really helped our employees understand how insurance works. We selected DesignPro over other providers based upon their integrity, local presence and outstanding reputation. I am confident that DesignPro will provide the same level of excellent service for you.

We are grateful for the superior customer service we have experienced from Roger Perry and Linda Sullivan. They are quick to respond to all inquiries and are willing to take the time to listen to our needs so they can provide the best coverage tailored to suit our growing organization.

The team at Wichert Insurance are true professionals. They study and learn the business of their clients. This provides the foundation for assembling accurate and complete coverage against loss. Also, learning the business of clients is critical to control the cost of insurance. No one does it as well as Wichert Insurance.

I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you how happy with are with the DesignPro Insurance Group. We have used your firm for over 14 years, since 1998, and throughout the years you have shown attention to our needs, professionally and with great attention to detail.

You and your team have been professional and very service oriented. Your knowledge of the construction industry and the insurance needs architects must have is in-depth and well detailed.

Your response time to questions concerning insurance issues is great, typically within the same day. When I call you for an insurance certification, I usually have it within 15 minutes.

I just wanted to thank you for the great service you have given us.

The Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties in Northeast Ohio is a not for profit organization with an annual budget of 2.5 million dollars. With six locations and 90 emergency beds, the shelter serves thousands of mothers and children each year. When our agency needed insurance we interviewed several reputable insurance companies, meeting with representatives and reviewing multiple bids. However, we wanted more than a policy and an annual invoice. We wanted a company that took the time to get to know us, to understand our line of work and think ahead for the best insurance options that would meet our growing and changing needs. From Property & Liability to Directors & Officers coverage, we found a great partner in Wichert Insurance. Our Account Executive continues to be on site multiple times during the year, reviewing the annual policies, asking difficult questions about areas of potential risk and helping to write internal control statements that protect and respond to the vehicle, employee, Board of Directors and building issues that arise year after year. We have maintained the same Account Executive during that time and he has been immediately responsive to every phone call, email or text message sent. During both emergency times and weeks of routine business it has been very comforting to rely on and trust the professional at Wichert Insurance.

Our firm was formed in 1971 as a sole proprietorship and since the mid-1970’s, Paul Hastings and Brad Bush have provided us with unequaled and high quality service. Their expertise and counsel have been invaluable to us in the day to day operations of our firm. Whether it is a contract review, certificate request, or an answer to a “simple” question, they are responsive and follow through with expert advice.

Brad recently conducted a continuing education class for our management team that was most informative. We have already invited him back next year to keep us “educated” on the ever changing liability aspect of the architectural profession.

We appreciate the service and look forward to a continued working relationship with DesignPro

Faithfully serving my family for two generations, the knowledgeable professionals at Wichert Insurance in Medina, have become so much more than Insurance Advisors. They are personal family friends who understand and provide peace of mind with our changing family needs.

Thank you Kellie Light