BY JEFF FALK
LEBANON – Ron Ensminger was always surrounded by family, so in turn, he now surrounds himself with family. And with those ingrained values, that’s pretty much how he treats everyone with whom he comes in contact.
After all, isn’t that what insurance is all about, family?
Ronald L. is one of the Ensmingers at Ensminger Insurance, a full-service, family-owned, independent insurance agent located in North Lebanon township. Walk into Ensminger Insurance’s office at 860 Kimmerlings Road, and one can’t help feeling at home.
Oh, and by the way, please call him ‘Ron’!
“We try to keep it a family atmosphere,” said Ron, president of Ensminger Insurance for the past decade. “It’s always been pretty much family. We all get along. It’s not like I even go to work.
“If you’re happy, you’re going to treat your customers better,” Ron added. “We want them to feel like they’re part of it too.”
But Ensminger Insurance goes beyond making clients part of its extended family.
Ensminger Insurance offers a wide variety of services, everything from auto insurance to homeowner’s insurance, health insurance, insurance for business, life insurance, farm insurance, renters’ insurance and motorcycle insurance. It even features tax preparation, payroll services and accounting service.
It’s not surprising that Ensminger Insurance’s most powerful forms of advertising are referrals and word of mouth.
“We really want to push customer service,” said Ron. “I’d like our customers to at least be happy with their experience. I like them to feel like they’re fully covered, and that they’re not over paying for their coverage.
“If there is a catastrophe, insurance is a way to go back to where you were,” Ron continued. “It’s a way to protect your assets. Life insurance for your spouse. House insurance for your home. Auto insurance for your means of transportation. It’s piece (peace) of mind. People buy it because they want to feel secure.”
But not only is Ron a merchant, he’s also a customer. Because he believes in the importance and power of insurance, Ron buys just about everything he sells.
“I’ve got home insurance, auto insurance, business insurance, life insurance, health insurance,” said Ron. “Pretty much everything we have, we have for ourselves.
“I think the biggest misconception about insurance is that people believe we control rates,” added Ron. “We’re just the same as everybody else for that. Actually, the state has to approve any increase. People say, ‘I never had a claim. Why did my rates go up?’ But it’s based on other factors.”
As one may have guessed, Ron’s values have been passed down to him from prior generations of Ensmingers.
Ensminger Insurance was founded in 1964 by Ron’s father, Ronald N., who passed away in February of last year. One could say that Ron grew up around the insurance industry, and grew into the insurance business.
Ron’s grandfather also operated an insurance agency.
“Yeah, I pretty much grew up around it,” said Ron with a smile. “The business has always been at this location. I started full-time in 1993, and before that I worked here part-time. We had a really good year this past year, and I felt like I had a good year for my dad.
“I learned everything from him,” Ron continued. “Honesty. Integrity. Doing the right thing. Helping others. Treating customers the way you want to be treated. The last couple of years, he would come over for part of the day and just sort of hang out. It was probably more just to give advice to me.”
And Ron has gone out of his way to perpetuate the family theme. His sister Janell Ensminger is an enrolled agent with extensive accounting, income tax and insurance experience.
Cousin, agent and customer service representative Dawn Heilman specializes in automobile, homeowners, mobile home and life insurance, among other things. And Keith Kreiser, a long-time friend of the family, is an agent who handles the writing of all types of insurance contracts.
Barbara Dengler, a second cousin, and Angela Trainor, perform administrative, support and customer service duties, all in the Ensminger way.
“Probably the biggest thing that has changed over the years is that we used to drop off policies,” said Ron. “Now more people are coming here. Business sort of runs in cycles. Sometimes it’s up, and sometimes it’s down. Over the years, we’ve added on or remodeled this building three different times. And we probably do a lot more advertising than we used to.
“I think people like the fact that we’re out in the country, and not in the city,” Ron continued. “Not being in the city, you don’t have to fight for parking here.”
The insurance industry continues to evolve. And what experience has taught Ron Ensminger is that change is inevitable.
Changing with the times is just part of doing good business.
“There’s bigger agencies than there used to be,” said Ron. “There’s less smaller agencies. I’d say we’re a middle-sized agency. And the insurance companies probably take our advice less. I’d say there’s 20 insurance agencies in Lebanon County, and there’s more stuff brokered out now. But we try to find the insurance company that’s best for our clients.
“”A couple of years ago, people thought the industry was going to go more towards the Internet,” Ron continued. “But people like the personal service. They like to sit down with someone local.”
To reach Ensminger Insurance, dial: 272-9877, or via e-mail at ensins@comcast.net. Or for further information visit its website www.ensins.com.
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