As Al Shank Insurance enters our 80th year we celebrate the company we keep. We've represented Allstate since 1979. It's no secret that Allstate had a long affiliation with retailer Sears. The name Allstate was actually was borrowed from a automobile tire sold in the Sears catalog and the company started in April of 1931. In the past couple of decades they've added the brands Encompass, Esurance, and recently, National General to their portfolio.
When we appointed with Allstate in 1979 it was not without some controversy. Allstate was just coming into Kansas to appoint independent agents. They had some agents already in the bigger Sears stores and later some neighbor offices. Obviously they saw the way to increase business in the rural areas wasn't going to be through Sears stores as not every town in Kansas and other states could support a Sears store. So for them, it just made sense to try and tap into an existing network of agents, the independent agent. Here in Liberal, we had one independent agent that sent letters (yes before email) out to other independent agents in the area urging them (including ASI) to not sign a contract with Allstate. I guess the fear of what a competitor Allstate could be by "infiltrating" the independent agent system was viewed very dimly by some. At ASI we saw a chance to bring a company with a great reputation to the policyholders in Liberal and the area, and we never looked back after signing that contract.
For just about any policy a person or household, or business needs Allstate is there. Like their slogan says, "You're In Good Hands with Allstate." Thank you Allstate for allowing Al Shank Insurance to be a part of the "Good Hands" team. Al Shank Insurance....Insurance as it should be from people you trust!