3 minute read
Meet Ohio's Small Business of the Year
Westerville agency holds prestigious title
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce awarded Associated Insurance , 925 N. State St. Suite 200, the Small Business of the Year award in November. The company has served central Ohio for more than 150 years and has based its operation in Westerville since 1923.
President and CEO Bill Bishop, has served in this role since 1996. He attributes the company’s success to the central Ohio and Westerville communities, an outstanding client base and the exemplary team he has helped forge.
“Our communities are where our successes lie,” said Bishop. “We owe a lot of our success to our truly amazing clients and (insurance) carriers we represent, but also our team. If you do not have a good team, you can have all the tools in the world, but the team is what pulls it all together. Our team realizes our community supports our business and we need to support our community.”
Associated Insurance contributes to the community through a variety of efforts.
“We work closely here locally with the [Westerville Area Resource Ministry] WARM. We assist them by volunteering at food drives and also with Central Ohio Food Bank,” said Bishop. “Anything we can do to help with cancer. Cancer is a disease that is going to impact everyone, if not directly then indirectly. The last couple of years, we have supported Make-AWish and A Kid Again. We are big into supporting our youth, so we’re also partnering with Second-and-7 to help promote literacy.
"We not only have fun contributing to our community, but we understand time is an investment for people and it is equally important versus monetary donations. So for every hour that one of our employees volunteers – up to two days – we'll give them two additional vacation days per year.”
Bishop has deep roots in Westerville, bearing witness to the City’s expansion and also playing an active contributor to the growth of the area. In 2011, the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce named him Business Person of the Year and he served as a Board of Trustee for the organization.
“Westerville is a really special, unique place, and we're very fortunate to be here,” said Bishop. “Westerville’s grown a ton. I grew up here. I went to Westerville South High School. I moved here when Schrock Road was one or two lanes. The people who helped build this city to what it is today had that vision and foresight. They took a chance. I give them so much credit. It is a beautiful thing.”
From a business standpoint, Bishop keeps Associated Insurance's mission clear:
“We strive to be an agency of choice and industry leader,” said Bishop. “So we want to be an agency of choice for our clients, the companies we represent, our communities, but we also want to be the agency of choice for our employees. We want our employees to be happy here and not have to worry about going somewhere else, because they know they're appreciated and we're helping them not only achieve their professional goals, but also their personal goals. We take that seriously.”
For more information about the company, visit www.Associated-Ins.com.
