By Jennifer McDaniel business founded in 1982 . The agency offers nearly all forms of insurance , and has grown to nearly 12 times its original size since Davidson purchased the business from his father 17 years ago .
Today , his agency boasts repeated nominations as one of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America ’ s Best Practices agencies . Of the more than 1,100 companies nominated , the agency is only one of 216 independent businesses selected in 2013 , 2014 and 2015 .
Making a Choice
As a senior at Minneapolis High School , Davidson excelled academically , earning several honors including being recognized as a Coca- Cola Scholar – designating him as one of the top 150 students in the nation .
A few years later , he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in secondary math education from Bethany College . But after six years spent working as a math teacher and football coach at both the college and high-school levels , he decided to make a change and came home to carry on his family ’ s farming tradition .
“ Eventually , I was at a point when I had to decide if I wanted to get back into coaching college football , which could involve moving my family around the country , or did I want to raise my children in a solid , stable environment ,” he said .
Eventually , Davidson began working at his father ’ s independent insurance agency in 1999 . Later that year , he purchased the business , which his father started 17 years earlier . Soon , The Davidson Agency expanded , adding offices in Bennington , Glasco and Minneapolis .
Through the Years
“ When you volunteer , you share ideas ; it ’ s certainly helped me learn and grow my business .”
Looking back , Davidson said he ’ s seen several changes not only within his agency , but in the insurance industry itself .
“ When I first started , we mainly dealt with farm , auto , home and crop insurance ,” he said . “ But in 2013 , we entered the Combined Agents of America , which allowed us access to many markets , and so we had the ability to write anything .”
Based in Austin , Texas , the network is comprised of 53 independent insurance agencies located throughout Texas , Oklahoma and Kansas . In 2015 , CAA generated more than $ 738.5 million in property and casualty premiums , and currently works with 18 of the largest insurance companies in the nation , company officials said .
“ If I continued in what I had , I would ’ ve been very limited in what companies I had to offer ,” Davidson said . “ But by growing , we ’ ve given our client base in rural Kansas options , so they don ’ t have to go to bigger cities like Wichita or Kansas City . By joining CAA , we have solid market access for our client base so they don ’ t have to travel 30-40 miles or more … and , by doing this , their money is spent locally . We ’ re enabling those dollars to be spent locally instead of somewhere else .”
And while technology has played a bigger role in the way business is done , Davidson said he ’ s also noticed changes in how insurance companies view potential clients .
“ When I started , there was no computer … we were just purchasing one ,” he said . “ In 1999 , rating was
| November - December 2016 | KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER
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