bob fee
National Committee Member
W hen Bob Fee returned to Hutchinson after graduating from the University of Kansas in 1987, he thought he was simply joining the family business, the one his grandfather started years before.
Little did he know the Fee Insurance Agency would not only expand so dramatically during the next three decades, but that the young man from a town in Kansas would eventually become an industry leader and advocate at the state and national levels.
In October, Fee was inducted as the newest member of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America’ s national executive committee. He is only the fourth Kansas agent to serve as part of the association’ s top leadership team.
Fee currently serves as president and chief operations officer of Fee Insurance Group in Hutchinson- a family business dating back several decades, although the agency’ s roots run deeper, tracing back to 1883. Fee and his brother, Allen, chief executive officer, lead a team of 34 employees, and an agency offering nearly all forms of insurance and bonds, as well as an employee benefit and individual life insurance and retirement programs. Today, the agency boasts more than 2,000 accounts and five additional locations, including Wichita, Dodge City, McPherson, Salina and Overland Park.
Simpler beginnings Fee’ s grandfather, Frank Fee, was a schoolteacher, who also dabbled in real estate to supplement his meager income. One day, Fee was approached by his friend and his insurance agent, who asked if he wanted to buy his agency. Eventually, Frank quit his teaching job to operate the insurance agency and the real estate office.
Shortly after graduating from KU in 1953, Frank’ s son, Franklin, joined his father as he continued building his insurance business. Franklin operated the insurance side, while Frank ran the real estate business. By 1956, Bob’ s father, James, who graduated from KU and served two years in the U. S. Navy, also joined the business, eventually taking over for his father to operate the insurance side.
But by the mid-1970s, Frank had died, and Franklin wanted out. In turn, the older brother sold his half of the business to James, who decided to solely operate an insurance agency. And just as their dad did, Allen joined the company in 1984, followed by Bob three years later. When he started, Fee remembers the agency having only three employees: a bookkeeper as well as personal lines and commercial lines representatives.
“ Allen and I have worked hard over the last almost 30 years and have grown the business,” he said.“… It’ s fun having people who have been around a long time with you. It’ s family. We have a great staff. We really do have a great staff.”
Comptroller Belinda Fellows started with the Fees in 1984. Back then, Fellows handled accounting duties, claims and anything else that was needed. Eventually, as Fellows family grew, she left the agency, only to be asked to remain as a part-time employee, handling payroll duties from home. Once her children were back in school, she rejoined the agency as a full-time accountant / comptroller. When she decided to move to Manhattan, Kan., seven years ago, the Fees offered her the opportunity to still work full-time and telecommute.
“ If you would be able to define a great boss, it would be the two of these people,( Allen and Bob Fee),” Fellows said.“ I mean it. It really is. It just doesn’ t get any better. They care for you not only at work, but outside of work. There’ s that family feeling. Their( belief) has always been family’ s first. They’ re great. I feel like I’ m truly blessed since the first day I walked in and got a job.”
“ We’ ve got a great team, and it’ s all based around great employers we have. Most of the people that are here, I’ d say the majority have been here 10-plus years … I’ m glad to go to work, and I’ m so thankful for what I’ ve been provided.”
An advertisement from October 1987 announcing Fee’ s return to Hutchinson to join the Fee Insurance Agency.
| MARCH- APRIL 2016 | KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER
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