Connell Insurance renovates, expands office

“We are trying to grow internally,” said Tim Connell, president of the 31-person, independent insurance agency. “We are looking to hire commercial producers as well as benefits producers.”

Connell plans to add two or three support staff and sales counselors in both 2007 and 2008.

As a part of that expansion, the company added Jennifer Rice as an account manager for its life and health department. Rice was previously a compliance officer with Smith Barney, the Citigroup brokerage and investment-banking subsidiary.

Connell said the company wants to continue expanding in markets outside the Branson area. Although Connell Insurance has no plans yet to open an office in Springfield, Connell said the company is looking for Springfield-area residents who will work on an automated basis.

“We are … on scale with other independent shops in Springfield,” he said.

Connell Insurance’s headquarters is in a building the company owns at 1691 S. Business 65 in Hollister, and the agency has a branch office in Kimberling City.

S. Welko Construction Inc. of Kimberling City is remodeling the Hollister office at an estimated cost of $75,000. Connell said the agency has taken about 2,500 square feet of tenant space to expand its office to 10,000 square feet. Changes include doubling the size of the conference room and replacing and repositioning cubicles for a better workflow. The renovation is expected to be finished in March.

In other company news, Connell Insurance employee Randy Holm received a Certified Insurance Counselor scholarship for 2007 by the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents’ Education Committee. The scholarship will cover tuition for the CIC Institute, where Holm will study for the CIC designation.

Prior to joining Connell Insurance in 2005, Holm was a regional representative for Allied Insurance. As Connell Insurance’s vice president of property and casualty operations, he is responsible for the overall management of commercial and personal lines property and casualty insurance, and for overseeing company relations, claims administration and account servicing.