Alpena Agency

What Alpena Agency does

Alpena Agency, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned independent insurance agency founded in 1930 by Frank Bailey in Alpena, Michigan, now in the early stages of a fourth-generation family ownership transition (announced December 2020) led by Steve Wilson (President, Co-Owner), Pete Wilson (Executive Vice President, Co-Owner), Claire Kostelic (Senior Vice President), and Erin Olsen (Vice President). The firm operates from a main office at 102 S. Third Avenue in Alpena and a branch at 215 Morenci Avenue in Mio, employing approximately 40+ staff across Personal Lines, Commercial Lines, Employee Benefits, Medicare, Health & Life, and customer-service functions. As an independent agency, Alpena Agency represents multiple carriers spanning P&C, life, health, Medicare, and specialty lines - including Auto-Owners, Progressive, Cincinnati, Hastings Mutual, Accident Fund, Michigan Millers, Foremost, BCBS of Michigan, Priority Health, Humana, Mutual of Omaha, and others - giving customers a single point of contact for quote comparison across providers.

The agency's core product set covers auto, home (including condo, renter, mobile, and rental), life and disability/long-term care, individual health (direct, Healthcare.gov subsidized, short-term, travel), Medicare Advantage and Supplement plans, commercial business lines (property, auto, general liability, workers' comp, umbrella, D&O, EPLI, bonds), specialty lines (boats, snowmobiles, ATVs, campers), farm and country-estate coverage (reportedly insuring hundreds of Michigan farms), and group benefits for employers (group health, life, voluntary life, disability) - the latter practiced for over 25 years. Distribution is dominantly sales-led: direct phone, text, in-person at either office, website quote requests, and a customer referral program, with no phone-menu IVR. Distribution channels also include educational YouTube content for the Medicare practice.

The revenue model is commission-based, recurring, and multi-line: the agency earns producer commissions from each carrier for policies bound and renewed, plus residual/renewal commissions that create stickiness, with monthly billing and quote-based (not publicly listed) pricing. Marketing emphasizes independence, multi-carrier access, "no phone menu," and an annual "Insurance Resume" review process targeted at retention and cross-sell. Alpena Agency serves individual consumers, families, business owners (commercial lines across Michigan), Medicare beneficiaries (especially those aging into Medicare at 65), employers/groups seeking benefits, and specialty/seasonal property owners - all within the state of Michigan.

Name

Alpena Agency

Legal name

Alpena Agency, Inc.

Website

https://alpenaagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alpena Agency is a family-owned independent insurance agency founded in 1930 in Alpena, Michigan, representing multiple P&C, life, health, Medicare, group-benefits, farm, and specialty carriers for individuals, families, businesses, and Medicare beneficiaries across Michigan, operating from two offices with about 40 staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alpena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commissions: As an independent insurance agency, Alpena Agency earns commissions from multiple insurance carriers for policies sold and serviced. They represent many different insurance companies and offer customers choices based on coverage needs and pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Alpena Agency is an independent insurance agency founded in 1930 that represents multiple insurance carriers to sell and service auto, home, life, health, Medicare, business, specialty, farm, and group benefits insurance products to individuals and businesses throughout Michigan. It earns commissions from carriers by matching customers to policies, providing personalized service through direct phone, text, in-person consultations, and an annual Insurance Resume review process across its Alpena headquarters and Mio branch office.

Product overview

Alpena Agency is an independent insurance agency founded in 1930, offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products across Michigan. The company operates as a multi-carrier agency representing various insurance companies, providing customers with multiple coverage options and competitive pricing. The core product offerings include Auto Insurance, Home Insurance, Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Medicare Insurance, and Business Insurance. Additional specialized products include Specialty Insurance (boats, snowmobiles, ATVs, campers), Farm & Country Estates Insurance, Group Benefits, Individual Disability Insurance, and Long Term Care Insurance. The agency specializes in Medicare coverage with Medicare Advantage Plans and Supplement Plans through providers including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Priority Health, Mutual of Omaha, and Humana. For business clients, they offer Property, Automobile, General Liability, Workers' Compensation, Directors & Officers Liability, Umbrella Liability, and Bonds. The agency also provides individual health products including Health Direct Plans, Healthcare.gov Subsidized Plans, Short-Term Health Plans, and Travel Health Insurance. As an independent agency, they represent multiple insurance carriers allowing them to offer customers choice and competitive options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Auto Insurance

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving Michigan since 1930 - 4 generations of family ownership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Auto-Owners InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier represented by Alpena Agency. Customers can report claims directly through Auto-Owners. One of the insurance companies listed for policy coverage.
• Pioneer State MutualcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier represented by Alpena Agency. Listed among carriers for claim reporting.
• Michigan Insurance CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier represented by Alpena Agency for policy coverage.
• Cincinnati Insurance CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier represented by Alpena Agency for commercial and personal lines.
• Accident Fund Insurance CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkers' compensation carrier listed for Alpena Agency customers.
• Hastings Mutual Insurance CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier represented by Alpena Agency for policy coverage.
• Allied / NationwidecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier partnership for Alpena Agency customers.
• ProgressivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuto insurance carrier represented by Alpena Agency.
• Michigan Millers InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier for Alpena Agency policy coverage.
• Foremost Insurance GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty insurance carrier for boats, snowmobiles, ATVs, campers and other specialty items.
• Retailers Insurance CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier for Alpena Agency customers.
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of MichigancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Medicare Advantage and Supplement plan provider, health insurance partner for individual plans. Alpena Agency writes directly for BCBS.
• Priority HealthcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedicare Advantage and health insurance partner. Alpena Agency writes directly for Priority Health for individual health coverage.
• HumanacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedicare Advantage and Supplement plan provider available through Alpena Agency.
• Mutual of OmahaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMedicare Supplement plan provider available through Alpena Agency.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Auto-Owners Insurance: Michigan-headquartered regional mutual insurer; one of Alpena Agency's core carrier partners. Comparable personal, commercial, and life product portfolio distributed through independent agencies.
• Acuity Insurance: Wisconsin-based regional mutual insurer distributed through independent agencies across the Midwest. Comparable multi-line independent-agency distribution model with similar carrier-relationship-driven economics.
• Cincinnati Financial: Ohio-based regional property-casualty carrier distributed through independent agencies; Alpena partner. Overlapping commercial and personal lines agency model with multi-state Midwest reach.
• Erie Insurance: Pennsylvania-based regional mutual insurer with a strong captive-agent distribution model. Overlapping personal, commercial, and life product set with comparable service-oriented agent model.
• Hastings Mutual Insurance Company: Michigan/West-Midwest regional mutual carrier; Alpena carrier partner. Comparable personal and commercial lines distributed through independent agents in similar geographies.

Direct peers

• Frankenmuth Insurance: Michigan-based mutual insurer operating through an independent agency network across the state. Closely comparable multi-line personal, commercial, and farm coverage model with similar Michigan geographic focus.
• M3 Insurance: Mid-market independent insurance brokerage headquartered in Wisconsin with Michigan operations. Similar multi-line, multi-carrier placement model serving businesses and individuals across the Midwest.
• Burnham & Flower Insurance Group: Michigan-based independent insurance agency providing personal, commercial, and group benefits products. Comparable regional multi-line independent agency structure with strong Michigan roots.
• Michigan Farm Bureau Insurance: Michigan-focused farm and country-estate insurance specialist with a captive agency force. Directly comparable farm insurance niche and rural Michigan customer base overlap.

Regional players

• Pioneer State Mutual Insurance Company: Michigan-based regional mutual carrier; Alpena carrier partner. Comparable personal and commercial product set focused on Michigan and select Midwest states through independent agents.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AlpenaAgency
• Facebookfacebook.com/alpenaagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alpena-agency-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alpena Agency