All In The Family: Huff Insurance

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For three generations, members of the Huff family have worked together to provide insurance expertise, personal service and dedication to the community.

Huff Insurance was started in 1960 by W. Ray Huff. His daughter, Nancy Nicklow, began working part time at the company at age 14 while still in high school. Through the years, she learned everything about the business, from filing to reporting claims to working in the personal and commercial lines departments. Nicklow became a full-time employee with Huff Insurance after completing college, and in 2007, she took over full responsibility for the company because her father passed away.

Being a locally owned and operated company, Huff Insurance is an important part of the community.

“There’s a sense of family and community inside our organization, as opposed to a big company that doesn’t closely relate to their customers,” explained Nicklow. “You’re not just a number. We know who you are.”

Huff Insurance is an independent insurance agent, representing 13 insurance carriers, which enables it to provide one-stop shopping of the competition and to provide the best protection at the lowest available price. Huff covers practically all different types of insurance with the exception of individual health insurance.

Today, Nicklow aims to optimize each of her 11 staff members. “We work each person’s strength so that the business can grow,” she said. In the early years, Huff was the salesman and enjoyed mingling with people, while Nicklow enjoyed handling computer tasks. Today, Nicklow oversees the entire firm while her husband, Jerry, is the marketing director.

The company has changed significantly since 2007 when Nicklow took over. “Back then, we were a low-tech company,” said Nicklow. “Today, we produce weekly Facebook videos and have an online presence. We would’ve never dreamed of it 11 years ago.”

Nicklow’s children now are starting to work part-time at the firm just as she did years ago. Nicklow’s long-term goal is to keep the agency within the family and for her children to eventually take it over. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Nicklow assured. “We want to make sure the agency is molding to their strengths too.”

Although Nicklow has had opportunities to sell her company to bigger businesses, she hasn’t been interested. “When we look at our core values, those offers weren’t appealing,” she said. “Selling out to a big corporation wouldn’t support that goal.”

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