The three John brothers have reunited at Hagan Hamilton Insurance Services in McMinnville.
Jim John, a 1981 McMinnville High School graduate and youngest of the siblings, recently moved back to McMinnville after 27 years of working outside the area. He is serving as chief operating officer.
He joins Rick, the oldest brother, who serves as company chief executive officer, and Tony, the middle brother, who works out of the Sheridan office.
Jim served a stint in the U.S. Air Force, then attended Walla Walla University in Walla Walla, Wash., where he earned a bachelor's degree in business management. Afterward, he spent 20 years managing operations for national companies.
"Professionally, I'm looking forward to his expertise and insight that he brings from managing national companies," Rick said. "Personally, it's great to have him and his family back in town."
"Jim knows what we need to keep the bar set high and he's going to be applying his considerable skills in operations to ensure our customer service continues to come first, even as we grow."
Hagan Hamilton recently completed a restructuring of its executive team. Joining the brothers are Gary Eastlund, chief sales officer, and Craig McClain, executive vice president.
"Our newly formed executive team combines more than 100 years of successful industry expertise and creative drive to exceed our clients' service expectations for years to come," Rick said.
Although the economy appears to be in a downturn, Hagan Hamilton has continued to expand. In the last 10 years, it has grown from 33 to 45 employees and added offices in Sheridan and Newberg.
Its most recent acquisition came May 1, when it purchased the Newberg agency Insurance Exchange. "We built our business on outstanding customer service and we are not willing to sacrifice quality for growth," Rick said.
Rick started with the company in 1981 and purchased it in 1991. He has served as CEO since 2000.
A key to growth, he said, is employee training.
"We are locally owned and represent a variety of insurance companies, so we can customize insurance plans to fit the individual needs of our clients. And it's our employees who make that happen," he said.
Hagan Hamilton employees are some of the best trained in the industry, according to the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research.
"We encourage professional growth, and we have a well-educated and well-trained team because we do," Rick said. "They are the experts in their field, and that's important to our clients."
Hagan Hamilton was recently named one of the 100 best companies to work for in Oregon by Oregon Business Magazine. The results, based on confidential employee surveys, rank businesses based on salary and benefits, retention and accountability, rewards and incentives, career development and training, diversity, community service, policies and procedures, organizational pride, teamwork, and other qualities.
Hagan Hamilton was the only locally based company to make this year's list. It also was honored in 2005.
"When you acquire six agencies in 10 years, it's important to continually assess your internal systems and processes, and that's what I do," Jim said. "Rick has done a tremendous job with Hagan Hamilton and I'm honored to be able to work together with him to continue offering the highest level of service."
Jim's wife, Darla, is a school teacher. They have a 10-year-old son and 18-year-old twin daughters.
"On a personal note, it's great to come home to McMinnville," he said. "I've always felt at home here."
"My grandparents were here in the 1930s and, as kids, we would often visit for the holidays. It's really a dream come true."