Tuscarawas Insurance and Kemp Insurance Merger Expands Services in Barnesville
Tuscarawas Insurance Agency, that county’s oldest agency, merged with Kemp Insurance of Barnesville in February, expanding agricultural insurance options while keeping familiar faces and a “small town” feel to the local business.
President and owner Zach Mottice has led the Tuscarawas agency, headquartered in New Philadelphia, for five years. During that time, the business expanded with agencies purchased in Strasburg and Sugar Creek. The business is licensed in Ohio, West Virginia, Florida and Tennessee.
Mottice said he and Kemp Insurance owner Kim Stephen didn’t necessarily know each other but had mutual connections and worked with a lot of the same carriers.
“The footprint of the Tuscarawas Insurance Agency is small town, small community,” he said. “Very similar to what is the foundation base of Kemp insurance.”
Mottice noted the agency is agriculturally based that connects them to the rural villages in the areas. He said he believes Kemp Insurance Agency and Tuscarawas County Insurance Agency work well together because of their connections to the farming community.
Emi Jones, licensed agribusiness account representative, will work at the Barnesville location as its office manager.
Jones’s family is also rooted in farm life, with Jones being the fourth generation working in the agricultural field. Her family owns D&J’s Sales and Service, Inc. in Cadiz, and her dad, former state representative Don Jones, was recently appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Ohio Farm Service Agency executive director.
Mottice said it’s important to note Stephen and licensed account representative in Barnesville, Molly Harris, didn’t go anywhere and this is a rebranded Kemp Insurance Agency.
“I’m grateful that I know, going forward, my customer base is being well attended to as far as their needs,” Stephen said. “It has been a real blessing for me.”
Mottice said the merging has gone smoothly. He added Stephen and Harris are exactly who he thought they were, and the clients and community in Barnesville are awesome.
The Kemp Insurance building located at 280 West Main Street has been renovated with updates including new carpet and a fresh coat of paint.
Mottice noted the local agency has long supported the athletic department at Barnesville, partnering with athletic director Brad Hannahs to support local sporting events. His parents are school educators of 50 years, and he has been a coach for 26 years, so building a relationship with sports and being involved in athletics of the community are important to him.
Operations manager Alicia Haney said the agency is involved with the county fairs around the area as well, including Belmont, Harrison and Guernsey Counties.
Stephen, Harris and Jones will be at the Barnesville office every working day while Mottice and Haney will travel to the location at least once a week.
Mottice said the agency is now able to offer many more possibilities to its existing clients through this merger by offering better rates, more avenues and bigger company selections.
“It’s not only a great opportunity for Kim to partner with somebody like Tusc Insurance, but it’s a great opportunity for all of Kim’s long term clients to have more carrier options and broaden the scope of what she’s able to offer to clients.”
Mottice emphasized how the Tuscarawas Insurance Agency is not a “white collar agency” with men in a suit and tie. Instead, the agency is the people’s “neighbor” who is part of the community. He noted this is a way employees pursue better personal relationships with clients.
The agency’s employees are all licensed with years of experience, and the agency does a lot of work with commercial insurance while covering all options for farms and agricultural businesses.
“There’s a lot of similarities to the communities that we work in. So Barnesville fits right in line with that,” Mottice said. “The relationships are just going to continue to prosper because of what Tuscarawas Insurance can provide for the Kemp clients. It’s been a perfect fit.”
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