RAMSEY-WEEKS PARTNERS WITH NEW INVESTOR TO SUPPORT LONGEVITY
Long standing community insurance agency, Ramsey-Weeks, is excited to announce a new partnership with First MainStreet Insurance, L.C. (FMSI). First MainStreet is an Iowa-based firm that supports agencies like Ramsey-Weeks by giving them access to additional resources and insurance carrier markets. This partnership will allow for the continuation of localized customer care, with the benefit of more holistic coverage offerings.
Ramsey-Weeks takes pride in its long-term local ownership and presence. Jim Ramsey and Darcy Swick will remain as local owners in the venture. Together with Lori Vandestouwe, Teresa Phipps, Felicity Meads and Cindy Pollock servicing in insurance and with Paul Pohlson, they will continue to support and provide the same quality service to personal and business insurance clients. Paul will transition his clients to others in the office over a projected 3-year path to retirement. Kevin Kolbe, Dave Stoakes, Jessica Menary, and Cara Kenkel will continue to service Ramsey- Weeks Real Estate. With the support of FMSI, Ramsey-Weeks will be able to provide additional carrier and market resources to ensure the long-term growth and strength of the agency. The firm’s day-to-day operations will continue as they always have, maintaining their local presence and activity in the community out of their location on 5th Ave.
“The FMSI platform recognizes what it means to operate in a small, close knit community where trust and strong relationships are so important when doing business,” Jim Ramsey shares. “FMSI will allow us to continue to nurture those small community values while at the same time providing us with the additional resources that are essential in order to take care of our customers’ needs in an ever-changing insurance marketplace.”
This transaction also allows Dustin Smith to pursue his focus on financial strategies and planning by joining a local firm focused in that industry with most of his current clients. While transitioning to retirement, Paul will be spending time in a family business in a neighboring community. The Ramsey-Weeks team has appreciated their work and is excited about what’s to come for them both.
“We have really enjoyed getting to know the FMSI folks,” Jim continues, “many of them work in agencies that have become a part of the FMSI team so they experience firsthand what it takes to succeed in small rural Iowa communities.”
First MainStreet Insurance, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, IA, is an organization that was established in 2017 when
likeminded individuals recognized the value for sustaining the small-town insurance agency and its local legacy. The FMSI model focuses on community agencies, a lot of them family-run organizations, to perpetuate their business while giving them access to robust resources and carrier markets to better service their clients. To date, FMSI supports 18 agencies in 20 locations throughout the state of Iowa, and one agency in Tennessee.