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A Look Inside the History of Kapnick Insurance

Many people have heard of or seen Kapnick Insurance in one way or another, but probably don’t know about our vast history. Take a look inside the history of Kapnick Insurance and how it all got started when Doug, Jim, and Mike sat down with WJR’s Business Biography’s host Jeff Sloan.

Kapnick was founded in 1946 by Elmer Kapnick. He started the company out of necessity, not too long after World War II. The company really started to flourish after Elmer brought on his son, Doug, in 1965. He focused on expanding Kapnick beyond Adrian, MI – where it was started. Under Doug’s leadership, Kapnick grew from around ten to 110 employees.

Doug was able to bring his first son, Jim, into the business in 1991 – a couple years after graduating from college. After working with Jim for a while, the two of them were also able to get Doug’s second son, Mike, to join the family business in 1996. Jim would oversee the sales side of the business while Mike would oversee the finance and accounting side. This was a significant milestone in Kapnick’s history, as most family-owned businesses do not perpetuate to the third generation.

In their time at the helm, Jim and Mike have implemented multiple business strategies to make Kapnick successful. They believe it is all about gathering people to communicate and brainstorm to further their potential for success. Although Kapnick has thrived and proven to be a great place to work, Jim and Mike don’t want to become to comfortable. They know that constant work and growth is essential to helping Kapnick continue to succeed as much as possible.

As you’ll hear on WJR’s Business Biography with Kapnick, Doug has a hard time getting the smile off his face when thinking about the success that his sons have brought to the company, and how Jim’s children have also joined the family business now. Listen to Doug, Jim, and Mike discuss the history and future of Kapnick on WJR’s Business Biography here.

You can read a summary of the program here.