Celebrates 40 Years and Three Generations

In 1982, Greg L. Young was attending what was then Drury College as a junior in the business school. With graduation looming, he was considering his career options, most of which involved leaving Springfield. Unbeknownst to him, his parents weren’t having it. His father, Bill D. Young worked in life insurance and was making plans to keep Greg in town. Bill approached a property and casualty agent with an office down the hall from his in the Plaza Towers and asked to buy his agency. Eventually, Bill got a yes and presented Greg with the news that he wanted him to run the business. “It was just out of left field,” said Greg.

On April 1, 1982, Greg sat in a closing office with his parents, who used their house as collateral, to buy the agency. “We signed the paperwork and as we were walking out the door, my dad handed me the keys, laughed and said, ‘Well, good luck and don’t lose my house.’” Bill continued to work in his annuity and life insurance practice and Greg ran the office while finishing his education. He was 20 years old and had zero intention of losing his parents’ house.

In 1999, Greg Young expanded from dealing in non-standard auto insurance, making the switch to a full-service insurance agency. The agency specializes in protecting families’ assets like homes, property, and vehicles, as well as offering coverage for small businesses with a host of mom-and-pop shops and artisan contractors on its roster.

Keeping it all in the family, Greg’s son, Bryant G. Young, joined the firm on April 1, 2012, and has risen to the level of Director of Business Development . His start date was an intentional move so that all the family firm’s  anniversaries would be celebrated on the same day.

While three generations of the Young family have built and run the firm, the family traces back five generations in Greene County. “We have longstanding roots in the Ozarks,” said Bryant Young. He also emphasized that the firm is particularly focused on taking care of families and small businesses locally. “Small businesses and households tend to get overlooked and that is something we actively try to combat. We do the legwork,” he said. “You don’t have to call around to see who is going to offer you the best coverage for the best price. I’m going to do the shopping for you, saving you time.”

Greg Young made sure to mention that with the recent birth of Bryant’s daughter, her place as a fourth-generation Young in the firm is already secured. “We just need another 17 years and we’ll have her licensed,” he said with a smile.