Strengthening good relationships leads
to exponential growth for this Ohio agency
By Dennis H. Pillsbury
When Matt Simon, CIC, CPCU, took over leadership of Hill & Hamilton, Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 2020, he was assuming the presidency of a successful agency that had served its community for 100 years. The agency was founded in 1920 by J. Glenn Hill and Fred Hamilton. Matt’s father, Tom, joined the agency in the 1980s as the third owner and Matt came on board in 2006—after taking a circuitous route that involved a lot of soul-searching.
“After I graduated from college,” Matt explains, “I started working for Motorists Insurance (now Encova) as an underwriter. I began as a personal lines underwriter and then moved into commercial lines.
“I was on a company visit to an agency in Parkersburg, West Virginia, when the owner of the agency asked me why I wasn’t working at my dad’s agency,” he recalls. “He actually suggested that I was crazy not to and talked to me about the opportunities offered by working in an independent agency, especially an agency that had the excellent reputation enjoyed by
Hill & Hamilton.”
Up until that point, Matt says, “the idea of working with Dad had never occurred to me. He is a great guy and always let me make my own decisions without any pressure one way or the other, so I knew that I would have to bring up the subject if I was interested.
“I first went and talked to my then-girlfriend/now-wife about the possibility, telling her what the Parkersburg agent had said to me about how well respected the agency was in the independent agency community and also about the opportunities that working at an agency offered,” he adds. “She agreed that talking to Dad made sense. Of course, there was always the chance that he wouldn’t hire me.”
Timing is everything
Matt continues, “My timing turned out to be perfect. Dad was getting a little burnt out with having to wear so many hats at the agency and was looking for someone else who could eventually take over the operation. He decided to give me a shot and see how I worked out.”
So, in 2006, Matt joined the agency with a chance to prove himself and, like many new hires, he started as a rank-and-file employee. “I was employee number nine and worked as a producer responsible for growing my own business,” he explains.
“My experience at Motorists really served me well as I jumped in to learn the sales process and mesh it with my knowledge of the underwriting side of the insurance business. And it turned out that Dad and I really complemented each other. Dad was a great salesman and I’m more of an operations guy.
“So, once I had proven myself as a producer (about six years), I moved into an operations role as well, where I could start making decisions about the agency’s future direction,” Matt explains. “I remained in that kind of hybrid position until 2020, when Dad turned over the presidency to me and he became chairman.
“And yes, he’s still here and showing no signs of retiring. He’s still a great salesman and one of our greatest assets. He now can focus on the part of the business that he loves and I can do the same,” Matt says.
Becoming CoverLink
Since Matt started with the agency, it has acquired a number of other agencies and has grown from one location to five; it structured its operation so that there was little or no disruption to the clients who knew and trusted the service provided by the acquired agencies. “Those agencies continued using their names after the acquisition,” Matt explains.
“[W]e realized that we needed an umbrella under which each of the offices could operate in order to facilitate our plans to grow exponentially—combining the strengths of the people at each of the five offices in a united front.”
—Matt Simon, CIC, CPCU
President
“[M]att had suggested that I talk with him if I ever decided to make a move. … [He] wasn’t focused on what would help him and his agency, but on what was best for me.”
—Scott D. Greene
Insurance Advisor
“In fact, in every case, it was because those agencies enjoyed an excellent reputation that we bought them and we didn’t want to jeopardize that,” he adds. “Like our agency, they all were values-driven organizations that focused on service to clients and emphasized always doing the right thing.
“By the same token,” Matt explains, “we realized that we needed an umbrella under which each of the offices could operate in order to facilitate our plans to grow exponentially—combining the strengths of the people at each of the five offices in a united front. We wanted an identity that allowed us to lean on the expertise of our offices to attract new business effectively through referrals, as well as have the size to compete for larger accounts.
“We began to plan for the transition to the umbrella name, which we decided would be CoverLink Insurance, to reflect our ability to link our clients and prospects with the right blend of coverage, price, and service,” he explains. “It reinforces the fact that customers can have peace of mind knowing that what matters most to them is protected.”
Not done overnight
When the various agencies officially came under the CoverLink umbrella on March 1, 2020, it was after a year-and-a-half of planning for the transition, as well as agreeing on the new name. “We reached out to all the carriers and clients before we made that transition so that no one was blindsided,” Matt says.
“I overthink and overprepare,” he admits. “We wanted to do all the work ahead of time. It took us about three months to let all parties concerned know that we were not leaving the past behind, but instead, building on it.”
In addition, Matt says, “We made it very clear that we would continue to focus on doing what was right for each of the four constituencies that we serve—the four C’s to whom we owe everything—our carriers, our clients, our communities, and our colleagues.
“This renewed emphasis has proven to be very effective in attracting new clients through referrals, developing a more strategic relationship with carriers as we become better aligned with their marketing needs, being able to provide even greater support to our communities as we grow, and attracting new colleagues who want to join a team that really enjoys where they work with each person on the team having an opportunity to succeed.
“We’ve made it abundantly clear to all that we are not walking away from the values that have seen us serve the four C’s for 100 years, but that we are making ourselves relevant for the next 100 years of growth,” Matt concludes.
New talent
When Scott D. Greene joined CoverLink as an insurance advisor in June of 2023, he brought with him a “forward-thinking attitude and a drive for growth” that he believes meshed perfectly with CoverLink.
Meg Hyden and Gina Loehr, Senior Account Managers; Matt Simon;
Tom Simon, Chairman of the Board; and Leah Loehr, Senior Account Manager.
“I’ve never worked anywhere like this place. It truly is a functional family where all members of the leadership team observe an open-door policy, and they always back you up if there’s a problem.”
—Meg Hyden
Senior Account Manager
“I had been in the industry, working at two other agencies and had reached the point where I had to find the perfect fit or start my own agency,” Scott says. “I even had a name picked out: Greene Light Insurance. But first, I wanted to talk to Matt. I had known Matt since 2016 from industry conferences and was impressed with his vision and integrity. But most of all, I was impressed with the way he treated the people at his agency.
“At one of those conferences,” he adds, “Matt had suggested that I talk with him if I ever decided to make a move. He was very open and transparent, and he clearly was interested in helping me decide what was best for me. It was refreshing. Matt wasn’t focused on what would help him and his agency, but on what was best for me.
“I remembered that when, five years later, I realized that the agency I was with was not a good fit for me,” Scott explains. “I wasn’t getting any younger and I had a family to support. I met with Matt and talked about his plans for the agency, as well as how I might fit in. I was impressed that he openly talked about his plans going out over five years, 10 years and even 20 years.
“I have a wife and three kids that I needed to talk to, and I also needed to pray for guidance” he adds. “And my prayer was answered as I went over the history of Hill & Hamilton and its relationship with an agency that I really respected. They both had the same culture.
Accountant Connor Adelsberger and Tom Simon (Right)
Account Manager Jordan Springs (Bottom)
“I went over the carrier mix that CoverLink had and realized that there was no way I could achieve that quickly. And most importantly, I realized that so many great people had gravitated to CoverLink and loved it there. The decision was easy. I realized that this was where I was meant to be and it’s certainly proven to be true,” Scott concludes.
Senior Account Manager Meg Hyden has been with the agency for 10 years and has watched how effectively Matt and his team led the transition to CoverLink. “They lead by example and treat us all as capable, competent adults,” she says.
“This has resulted in an enjoyable atmosphere where everybody is ready to help out. Our teams support each other even to the point of covering someone’s job if that person needs to take time off for any reason. It’s a caring community that’s led by Matt.
“I’ve never worked anywhere like this place. It truly is a functional family where all members of the leadership team observe an open-door policy, and they always back you up if there’s a problem. We never have to worry about them throwing anyone under the bus. I love it here,” she concludes.
Rough Notes is proud to recognize CoverLink Insurance for its strong support of the four C’s. The 35 colleagues at the agency have helped it launch 2025 with a 17.5% year-over-year growth rate as well as providing both monetary and physical support to the many community-based nonprofits that the agency supports, many of which are youth-oriented. The agency is a proud representative of what is best about the independent agency system.
The author
Dennis Pillsbury is a Virginia-based freelance insurance writer.
