Fresh
out of college in 1961, Fred Taylor admits that a lifetime career in the insurance
industry was the furthest thing from his mind. After high school, and a
few years of study at the University of Missouri; Fred left college and served
his country by enlisting in the Air Force. While there he served in the
Military Police for Strategic Air Command at SAC Air Force Base in
Oklahoma. After 4 years in the military, Fred enrolled at South East
Missouri State, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. And a month after graduating,
(in 1961) he got his first job in the
insurance business with Safe Co in St. Louis. Fred went on to pay his
dues in insurance by working at places like Employers of Boston (now
Commercial Union) and Maryland Casualty. He will tell only his closest
associates, that at first he hated it. But in time, he developed a love
for the business. And while at Maryland Casualty, he was often asked to
share his expertise while speaking at seminars and other similar events.
It was while he was with Maryland Casualty, that a company from out of state
came calling. They wanted Fred to help them establish an Excess and
Surplus lines business in the mid west, with an office in West Des
Moines. Eight years later, in 1988, after opening a second office in
Jefferson City, Missouri (in 1986) Fred and his wife Barb bought this
business, and renamed it Taylor Insurance Services.
It goes without saying that one of the most important components of a highly successful business is its staff, particularly if that staff is seasoned and well trained, like it is at Taylor Insurance. And you can't keep a good employee for long, if they aren't happy. Fortunately for Taylor Insurance, most of their employees have been with them for a long time. Low turnover equates to stability and that says something about a business. Moreover, high morale amongst the staff translates into great customer service, which is obviously a huge plus in customer satisfaction. And customer satisfaction is a premium at Taylor Insurance.
Taylor's
staff
is loaded with highly experienced personnel. In fact, several staff
members have accumulated literally-- several decades of experience. Take Dennis Culp, Mary Lefler and
John Baldus for example. The three of them combined have been with
Taylor Insurance for more than 40 years. And that doesn't include their
extensive experience prior to working at Taylor. Dennis Culp is Taylor's
Senior VP and joined Taylor Insurance in 1989. Mary Lefler has been the
Dram Shop Specialist at Taylor Insurance for the last 15 years. She joined Taylor Insurance in 1989, and John Baldus,
another one of Taylor's three Vice Presidents, joined
the team in 1993.
Like Fred, Dennis Culp is a highly skilled, experienced and savvy, veteran insurance professional. Prior to working for Taylor Insurance, Dennis honed his skills at places like USF&G (Royal) where he served as their Branch Manager.