Williams and Associates purchases KWA insurance

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[On Dec. 5 Williams and Associates Insurance Agency bought KWA Insurance, increasing its volume by about half.

The purchase finally settles a matter between the two companies that caused confusion for years. KWA had several name changes throughout the years and one was Williams Associates Insurance, very similar to Williams and Associates. The fact both had Harrisburg offices on Poplar Street further befuddled some customers.

"Even company people had confusion over it," Williams and Associates Partner Steve Williams said.

Nearly every day staff of either company received correspondence or visits from customers of the competing company.

"We did get some mail and we would drop it off with them or return it to the post office," Steve said.

"We'd get their customers trying to pay their bills here. Now it doesn't matter," Partner Jim Williams said.

Kurt Williams changed the name to KWA Insurance to distinguish his business, but was soon to leave the insurance game. He put the company up for sale and approached other agencies. Williams and Associates took him up on the offer.

Steve Williams and Jim Williams are cousins. Kurt Williams is no relation to them, other than sharing the same last name and career.

The purchase allows Williams and Associates to expand in the area, particularly in the Gallatin County area. The purchase adds the city of Shawneetown and Gallatin County as Williams and Associates clients. Williams and Associates already has among its larger accounts the school districts of Harrisburg, Carrier Mills and Galatia, Southeastern Illinois College, city of Harrisburg, Carrier Mills, Saline County, Hardin County and the Saline Valley Conservancy District.

The agency retained Kurt Williams' office in Ridgway - where he started in the business - and the Eldorado office that Kurt had bought from the Driscoll Insurance Agency. Kurt's Harrisburg office is the only one not being kept.

Williams and Associates' product line is fairly evenly divided between property casualty insurance and employee benefits insurance.

Products the agency offers its customers KWA did not offer are professional liability and medical malpractice coverage.

For most KWA customers, they will not notice much difference, Jim said.

"It's basically a name change. We have added staff and we will be able to give people better service than they had before because of the new staff we've acquired and new staff we've added," Jim said.

The agency currently has a staff of 14.

KWA had owned an office in Marion, but closed it prior to the sale. Williams and Associates already has an office in Marion and will not be opening the former KWA Marion office.

Williams and Associates has the title of "Blue Leader" with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, one of only two downstate agencies with that distinction.

For Steve Williams, customer service is the key to the agency's success.

"Hopefully it's our service and our integrity. Our customers are free to shop wherever. They can buy our products in any store and any other agency. I think it's service that keeps our retention. That's the key to it," Steve said.

"We've always tried to keep our customers first. That's where our income comes from. We work for the customer, not the insurance company."

Jim's father Don Williams began his career in insurance in 1945 and his brother, Steve's father, Bill, joined him as a partner in 1952 to form Williams Insurance Agency. In 1960 former Hardware Mutual agent Jack Davenport joined the brothers as a partner to form Williams and Davenport Insurance, located in the original Saline Valley First Federal Savings and Loan building on the Harrisburg square.

Don Williams served as the only president of the board of Saline Valley First Federal Savings and Loan, merged with Bank South and then Old National Bank. The bank outgrew its location on the square and finally built the office at 409 E. Poplar St.

Williams and Associates bought the bank building in 2000, expanding its office space from 2,500 square feet to 11,000 square feet and offering another benefit.

"We are the only insurance agency we know of with a drive-through window," Jim said.

"If they need to make a payment or need an insurance card, they don't even have to get out in bad weather."

Jim joined the firm in 1979 upon Davenport's death. Following Bill's retirement in 1997, Steve became a new partner in the agency.

The purchase of Leberman Agency in 1982 made the agency the largest in southeastern Illinois and a 2000 partnership with Farmers State Bank created a new market within the bank's locations.

The December purchase of KWA gives the agency a presence in the five communities of Harrisburg, Marion, Eldorado, Ridgway and Evansville/Newburgh, Ind.

-- DeNeal receives e-mail at bdeneal@yourclearwave.com.