Al Shank Sez…..We’re Open for Small Business

As Al Shank Insurance celebrates its’ 80th Anniversary we INSURE SMALL BUSINESS. In fact, we are a small business too. You may know we insure some of the larger businesses in Liberal and the surrounding area and may think we don’t insure small businesses. WE LOVE SMALL BUSINESS. With companies like Farmer’s Alliance, Allstate, Hartford, Travelers, Employers Mutual, State Auto, Attune, and Progressive we offer small business owners a one stop shop for their small business insurance coverages such as buildings, inventory, other contents, autos, worker’s compensation, umbrella liability, general liability and more. All of the companies we use are A rated by A M Best and have special products for small business.

I’m like many that think small business is the backbone of our country and particularly rural America. I have watched the sale and migration of many local  businesses in the past 40 years or so. It is disturbing to watch the change when a local business sells to a larger business headquartered outside Liberal and the local area. Usually the local business that was sold was a good “corporate neighbor” to the area. You saw their advertising at the local high school games, or local concerts, or other local events. You knew they supported those events with their money and for the most part probably supported more things than we even knew about. Let’s face it, sometimes that buck we spent on ‘advertising” becomes more of a “donation,” but small business does it anyway. I’m not sure how much insurance we’ve sold because Dad bought “advertising” in the 1972 Liberal High School yearbook that I was sports editor of at the time, but he did it anyway as did many others.  Anyway, we watch local businesses get bought out, which is real recognition that someone outside the community saw real value in them. You can’t really blame the local business owner for selling. Most of us work hard and want to have something of value so we can see  a comfortable retirement in our future. They want to get the best deal they can and if there is not a local buyer, they may not have a choice. 

What happens then? Well, some buyers come in and try to give the same support that the old business did, but if they have multiple locations they can’t always provide the same level of support the old, local business did at all their locations so they provide less and some just don’t care to support events we “locals” value. Some have a local presence for awhile and then close the local location and consolidate it into other locations. Anyway, we lose that good “corporate citizen,” who gave to local causes as well as the jobs and economic impact they provided to the area. 

Which makes us all the more bullish on local businesses and making sure they survive. Every one of them needs all  the community’s support and help. We’re a small business and we want to insure Liberal’s small businesses too. You might say we are “OPEN FOR SMALL BUSINESS”……It is just one of the ways we can help you…..Al Shank Insurance…since 1941, Insurance as it should be from people you trust.