The James L. Hubbard Insurance Agency was founded as a
full-service insurance agency in 1957.
Hubbard, of Mount Pulaski, was a recent graduate of Quincy
University when he began his career as an insurance agent in
Decatur. The agency soon began to specialize in providing insurance
and surety bonds to contractors throughout the state.
In 1978, Hubbard visited Quincy University in search of a new
producer and hired Kevin Breheny. Ron Koopman joined the firm in
late 1978 as treasurer. Breheny's first year success sent Hubbard
back to Quincy University in 1979 where he hired Randy Cannady as
an inside placer and Tim Patton as a producer. This set the stage
for what was to become J.L. Hubbard Insurance and Bonds.
As Hubbard turned his attention to other areas, he appointed
Breheny president of the agency. The agency performed well, and
Hubbard became more interested in making his home in Montana a
permanent residence. In 1983, he sold his interest in the agency to
Hertz & Associates of Nevada, Iowa. Breheny and the Hertz's
teamed up and formed Hertz-Hubbard-Breheny Co., doing business as
J. L. Hubbard Company-Decatur. Hertz & Associates were good
partners, giving Breheny and his team the freedom to develop new
plans and strategies that would favorably position the company for
the '90s.
Over the next eleven years, agency premium grew from $2 million
to $16 million. In 1994, the management team of Breheny, Cannady,
Koopman and Linda Hopkins accepted an opportunity to purchase
Hertz-Hubbard-Breheny Co., and Breheny & Associates Co. was
formed. Then, in 2002, the agency merged with Soy Capital Bank
& Trust Co. In 2005, the agency moved to its current offices in
Forsyth.
Today, J. L. Hubbard Insurance and Bonds has grown to over 30
employees offering all lines of insurance products to customers
throughout a 150-mile radius and represent over 50 insurance
companies.
It sells commercial insurance, personal insurance, surety bonds
and employee benefits to more than 3,500 clients throughout Central
Illinois. With premium income of over $53 million, they have been
named one of the top 30 agencies in the nation by IIAA's Best
Practices Study Group.
