The Rathbun Agency Makes a Difference In The Community

When it comes to supporting the community, the Rathbun Agency puts its money where it matters.

About eight years ago, the Lansing, Michigan-based business stopped spending any money on advertising, using those funds to support nonprofit initiatives instead. The agency also created its “Quotes for a Cause” program. Each month, Rathbun partners with a different local nonprofit organization, promoting its mission through the agency’s newsletter and social media and presenting it with a $1,000 donation.

“When people think of us, they think of community,” says Ben Rathbun, agency President, noting that 80 nonprofits and counting have benefited from Quotes for a Cause.

Last year, Ben and his fiancée, Lillian Werbin, launched the For Good Foundation, focused on doing good work in the community. In May of this year, Ben and the agency also received the 2021 Dan Fulwider Award for Community Involvement from the national Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. The award recognizes the Big I member who has gone above and beyond the call of service to truly make a lasting difference in their community over the past year.

Family History

The agency was founded by two Rathbun brothers, Jack and Jim, in 1956, who were later joined by their brother, Gene. In 1983, Gene’s son, Paul, came on board and eventually became agency President. The third generation of the Rathbun Agency began in 2014 when Ben, Gene’s grandson, joined the organization as a Personal and Commercial Lines Producer. Ben became part of the ownership team in 2019 and assumed the role of President in 2021 upon Paul’s unexpected passing. 

Throughout the agency’s history, people have always made the difference. “Our people truly care about what they do,” Ben says. “Every single person here is top notch, and I know that they will take care of our customers and each other.”

In turn, the agency works hard to treat its people well, which helped earn The Rathbun Agency the designation of a 2021 Best Agency to Work For by Insurance Journal. 

“Some agencies just throw money at people and hope they are happy. We realize that what account managers and staff members really want is to know they are valued and that their efforts to take care of customers are appreciated,” says Ben, adding that one of the company’s best-known perks is that agency owners will remove snow from every employee’s car at the end of the day.

“Knowing that when you leave at 5 p.m., your car will be cleaned off, means a lot in Michigan in the winter,” Ben says.

That’s not to say Rathbun doesn’t focus on compensation. The agency contributes 18% of each employee’s pay to their 401(k) and matches employee contributions up to an additional 3%. And when the agency receives contingent commission payments from carriers, everyone shares in the reward.

“We have an actual red carpet that we roll out when company reps come to present profit-sharing checks, and we pass the check around so everyone can hold it,” Ben says. 

Because of its employee-focused culture, the Rathbun Agency has very little voluntary turnover. “We don’t lose employees to other agencies—they leave when they retire,” says Ben.

The agency also works to bring new talent to the industry. Recently, Rathbun started a mentorship program with its local school district, where every high school student in the district’s insurance program is assigned an insurance professional as a mentor for an entire semester. 

Continued Outreach

Like most agencies, the Rathbun Agency has future goals that involve continued growth and perpetuation planning. However, it also takes a much broader view of its role not just in the Lansing community, but in the insurance industry as a whole. 

“We are focused on helping diversify our industry,” says Ben. That includes working with Michigan’s Department of Insurance and the National African American Insurance Association to expand the mentorship program throughout the state. 

“In order to truly serve our communities, agencies need to reflect the makeup of those communities,” Ben says. “We are closer today than we were eight years ago, but there is still much work to do, and we are committed to doing it.”