MEMBER PROFILE - AW Anderson Agency

CELEBRATING THREE GENERATIONS AND 81 YEARS IN BUSINESS

AW Anderson Agency

Art Anderson opened the AW Anderson insurance agency shortly before shipping out to serve in World War II. Upon returning home, he set up shop in the Meadowmart Shopping Mall, where, today, Doc’s Diner serves legendary biscuits and gravy.

In 1959, he built the iconic building with the blue awning at 6464 North Second Street in Loves Park. Drivers passing by can navigate from the brick building with the analog clock out front, hands helpfully reminding commuters of the time, and of AW Anderson Agency’s years of service.

Today, the third generation of Andersons, Art’s grandsons Christopher and Kyle, run a bustling office of 11 licensed personnel and are looking to grow their staff. In 2022, AW Anderson Agency celebrated their 81st year in business and their 50th year as a member of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.

AW Anderson Agency is an independent insurer, which means they can shop for policies in various lines of business for their customers. Having property, casualty and life insurance contracts with many carriers allows their agency to seek policies to fit a wide variety of clients. They take great pride in helping anyone from the business owner that has 50 employees to the individual looking to purchase their first home.

The Anderson brothers grew up in Roscoe, graduating from Harlem High School. Both sought higher education at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin before returning to Rockford and joining the family business.

“I remember when I was starting to learn how to read and write, I was writing a paper about selling insurance and didn’t know what that meant,” said Chris.

“Our father, Steven, never pushed us to come into the business. When I graduated from Carthage in 2008, in the heart of the recession, it was hard to find a job. But the firm here offered me a position going into my senior year, and that offered me a sense of security,” said Kyle. “That offer came in the last year of my grandfather’s life, and I remember him thinking it was neat that I was going into the family business.”

In November of 2022, Kyle was promoted to president of the AW Anderson agency, continuing the legacy of service his grandfather began.

“An insurance policy is just a piece of paper until you have to use it,” Kyle explained. “Every conversation we have is designed to educate our customers as much as we can. The numbers and endorsements on the paper mean something, and it’s our job to explain what they mean.”

AW Anderson Agency has policies in effect that were issued as many as 50 years ago, and they find that new business is driven by referrals. “Happy customers create word of mouth,” Chris said. “Referrals have driven the bulk of our new business for many years.”

“Our service builds relationships. Relationships build trust. Trust is why people choose to insure with us for 30 or 40 years. We’re here to help people and intend to continue to do that for many years to come,” Kyle said.

For more information about AW Anderson Agency, visit www. AWAnderson.com.