By Dennis Pillsbury
Pictured left to right are Gregory & Appel's executive vice president and general manager, David Riley; president, Daniel C. Appel; (standing) senior vice president, John G. (Jack) Mahoney; and Jeff Webster, CPCU.
Gregory & Appel was founded in 1884 by John J. Appel and Frederick Gregory in downtown Indianapolis and remains in the heart of the city. "We're committed to being good corporate citizens and grow along with the city," Dan Appel, current president and representative of the fourth generation at this family-run agency. "We've been around for more than 100 years," Dan continues, "and feel it is our responsibility to give back to the community." The agency gives 10% to 20% of its pre-tax profit to human service and cultural institutions in central Indiana and was recognized for its contribution when it received the National Society of Fund Raising Executives' 2000 Small Business Philanthropy Award. "We also encourage our employees to be active in the community."
This philosophy has brought the agency to reach premium income well in excess of $100 million with
70 employees. Commercial lines contributes the largest percentage of the agency's business. However, Gregory & Appel also has significant personal lines and employee benefits business.
Dan says the agency has evolved to one where "we really are risk managers who take a holistic approach to our clients. We offer engineering and loss control services as a way to reduce the premium for our customers and also to make our business attractive to our insurance company markets. We've always taken risk management seriously, regardless of the market conditions. Today, it's no longer a question of reducing premiums, but rather of reducing the increases and simply keeping a market. But the key point is to provide clients with the tools to keep costs in line.
"We've prepared our clients for this change in the market conditions," Dan continues. "From the very beginning, we advised our clients that the soft market would not last forever and that our emphasis on loss control would pay off over the long term. This really lets us stand out from the crowd. There's a huge client education piece that lets professional agents distance themselves from the competition."
Service is also a key part of the relationship with the client. Gregory & Appel uses a team approach to develop a "multi-layer relationship" with its commercial clients. Commercial clients have a lead broker, a risk management director and a customer service representative handling their account. And each client also has its own claim representative who "acts as an advocate and liaison with the insurance company adjuster during a claim," Dan explains. "These people meet regularly with insurance company claims personnel and adjusters and have a good relationship that makes them effective advocates for our clients."
A large number of specialty programs
"We have a large number of specialty programs that have helped us during the soft market," Dan says, adding that "they also give us some market clout with our insurers. Our largest specialty is in the health care industry." The agency provides coverage to all types of health care providers, including hospitals, individual physicians, physician groups, multi-specialty clinics, nursing homes, home health care providers, retirement communities, visiting nurse associations, health care networks, managed care organizations and mental health, sports medicine, occupational medicine, rehabilitation and physical therapy facilities.
Dorothy J. Jones and David Riley are shown in front of the downtown Indianapolis building that is owned by BOS Community Development Corp. and occupied by Gregory & Appel. Jones is president of BOS.
Other specialty programs include automotive aftermarket services; landscapers, where the agency has the endorsement of the Indiana Nurserymen and Landscapers Association; lumber, where the agency is the preferred provider of employee benefits coverages to members of the Indiana Lumber and Building Supply Association and the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen's Association; public sector; professional liability; habitational coverages; and social services. The agency also provides specialty programs for two sports areas, one of which is closely identified with Indianapolis--motorsports--and the other which is a little surprising--ski areas, where Gregory & Appel serves as the Midwest broker for Willis Corroon.
Gregory & Appel also is a founding member of APPEX, an association of regional brokers throughout the United States. "We joined this group of like-minded brokers so that we could better serve those clients who operate in a number of states. We know all the member brokers and know that our clients will be treated with the same care and continuity of service that we insist on at our agency."
Dan continues that the real key to the agency's success has been its "ability to recruit and keep good people. This business depends on human capital. We have to be able to attract and keep good people and we've been able to do that by treating our people well and paying them well. Recently, we had someone retire from the agency after 59 years of service." He adds that this "all ties in to being willing to invest in the future and being client-focused. We support our people's entrepreneurial spirit and let each person on our staff exhibit his or her creative talents."
Gregory & Appel also has made a "big investment in technology. Part of the services that we offer are Web-based products to our clients. But we don't hide behind automation. It is an additional way to do business with our clients and to communicate with clients who want it this way." Dan notes that "one of the things that has really helped us maintain an up-to-date Web-based service is our proximity to students who really know this stuff." The agency is located at 520 Indiana Avenue, only a block away from Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis. Their building is owned by a neighborhood redevelopment project that is part of a successful revitalization for downtown Indianapolis. "We've built a nice place to live in combination with the city and other members of the community. It's very gratifying to have played a part in this effort to keep downtown Indianapolis a place where people want to live
and work."
Dan concludes, "We've gotten old by thinking young every day. Our people are constantly looking for new opportunities and for new ways to better serve our clients. And that all ties in to our mission which is to build partnerships with our clients, partnerships of trust and confidence, partnerships of shared goals and strategies."
(For a look at Gregory & Appel's offices in 1934, see "Centuries of Rough Notes," page 144.)
Gregory & Appel has a reputation in its area that is second to none. It is based on a focus on continuous improvement in client service and regularly giving back to the community. They are very deserving of recognition as this issue's Marketing Agency of the Month. *
Dale E. Hume (left), vice president of Gregory & Appel, is pictured with Clarence M. Taylor, Jr., director of safety and protection for the Indianapolis Children's Museum and Karen A. Kennelly, the museum's vice president of finance and administration. The Indianapolis Children's Museum is one of the agency's oldest accounts.
One of the agency's oldest accounts, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, is a highlight of center city. The museum, established in 1925 and insured by Gregory and Appel since then, has grown to be the largest museum committed to enriching the lives of children. The museum welcomes more than a million visitors annually and houses numerous temporary and permanent exhibits in 10 galleries. It offers more than 4,000 programs and activities each year and maintains a collection of more than 105,000 artifacts.
The museum was founded by Mary Stewart Carey after she visited The Brooklyn Children's Museum. With the help of several civic-minded women and contributions from children in nearby neighborhoods, the museum obtained its first collection. The museum began life at a carriage house on Indianapolis's old Northside and then the Garfield Park Shelter House. It moved to its present location at 30th and Meridian in 1946.
The Children's Museum became the nation's largest in 1976 when it reached 225,000 square feet. Today, it has reached 356,000 square feet, thanks to the addition of a new restaurant, more storage space and a new loading dock in 1983; a 20,000-square-foot atrium entrance and Welcome Center added in 1988; the SpaceQuest(R) Planetarium, increased classroom space and new galleries in the early 1990s; and the addition of The CineDome(TM) in 1996, a 310-seat, large-format film theater.
The museum includes as the centerpiece of its Welcome Center, the largest water clock in North America. Designed and built by French physicist-turned-artist Bernard Gitton, the clock is approximately 33 feet tall and comprises more than 40 glass pieces specially blown in factories throughout Europe, 100 metal pieces and 70 gallons of a water-methyl alcohol mixture.
In 1997, The Children's Museum received the National Award for Museum Service from the Institute for Museum and Library Services for its commitment to the surrounding neighborhood and the Indianapolis community. In 1998, it was voted the nation's #1 children's museum by readers of "FamilyFare."