Best Places to Work 2007: The Insurancenter

The Insurancenter remains among the Best Places to Work for the second year of the competition. The Joplin-based company is the largest insurer of car washes in the United States, but President Scott Brothers said 75 percent of its business is providing business insurance in the Joplin area. About 90 percent of The Insurancenter’s practice is business property and casualty insurance and employee benefits. The company also provides home, auto and life insurance. Just as the company helps its clients with employee benefits, Brothers said, The Insurancenter uses benefits to attract and retain employees.

The Insurancenter’s benefits remain largely unchanged since the 2006 Best Places to Work survey, Brothers said. Full-time employees pay less than 10 percent of the premium for health insurance. The Insurancenter also offers health insurance to part-time employees, who pay 31 percent to 50 percent of the premium.

The company pays life insurance premiums for full and part-time employees who work more than 20 hours a week.

In people development, The Insurancenter offers tuition and professional development course fee reimbursement for continuing education, and Brothers said the company also pays bonuses to employees who attain professional designations.

The Insurancenter did make a slight change to its vacation and sick days policy this year, Brothers said. New employees are immediately eligible for two weeks of vacation and five sick days in the first year of employment, though there are some restrictions on the benefit, he said.

The Insurancenter continues to retain most of its employees, experiencing less than 5 percent turnover in 2006.

The Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America recently selected The Insurancenter to participate in the Best Practices Study Group. The company was among 195 independent agencies picked from more than 800 nominations. There are 30,000 such agencies in the United States.

“That is a similar type of honor (compared to Best Places to Work), but it is within our industry,” Brothers said.

The Insurancenter has been an affiliate of the Glatfelter Insurance Group of York, Penn., since 1993. Glatfelter has been majority-owned by an employee stock ownership plan since 1987.

Christine Baker, the company’s marketing director and an employee for 11 years, said her co-workers are among the reasons that The Insurancenter is one of the best places to work.

“They think of you as a person – not just an employee,” she said.

The Insurancenter

Founded: 1895

Address: 2901 Arizona Ave.

Joplin, MO 64804

Phone: (800) 444-8675

Web: www.theinsurancenter.com

Employees: 33

Services: Insurance products