The Insurance Office

What The Insurance Office does

The Insurance Office, Inc. is an independent insurance agency headquartered at 200 N. Main Street in Charles City, Iowa, operating continuously since the early 1900s and family-owned by the Kloberdanz family for over 50 years. The agency offers a broad portfolio spanning personal lines (auto, homeowners, life, health, renters, condo, mobile home, personal umbrella), commercial lines (BOP, commercial auto, commercial property, general liability, professional liability, workers' compensation, commercial umbrella, surety/fidelity bonds, inland marine, crime), specialty lines (farm, motorcycles, boats, RVs, snowmobiles, toy vehicles, special events), employee benefits, and ancillary services (leave management, loss control, financial services, annuities, permit/license/notary). It distributes these products through carrier partnerships with Aflac, BCBS, Grinnell Mutual, Nationwide, Partners Mutual, Progressive, Prudential, and Travelers, serving individuals, families, small and medium businesses, farm operators, and specific industry verticals (accounting, consulting, construction, healthcare, law, manufacturing, breweries) across Iowa and the broader Midwest.

The business operates on an insurance commission revenue model, earning recurring commissions from carrier partners for policies placed and renewed, with quote-based pricing and monthly billing cadence. The go-to-market combines a sales-led, one-on-one advisory approach with community-led growth through the Charles City Chamber of Commerce, a Refer-A-Friend program, Facebook presence, local SEO targeting nearby towns (Osage, Rockford, Mason City, New Hampton, Nashua), and educational content marketing via a blog. Five named staff carry over 120 years of collective experience — Bob Kloberdanz (Owner/President, 28 years), Bret Kloberdanz (Owner, 35 years), Pete Kloberdanz (Owner/VP), Deena Downs (Agency Manager, 13 years), and Sheena Bohlen (Personal Lines Specialist, 7 years) — providing the firm's primary competitive moat.

The agency has no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, no disclosed funding, no M&A activity, and no subsidiaries. It is a bootstrapped, family-controlled independent agency that competes on local trust, multi-carrier access, and tenure rather than on technology differentiation or scale. Distribution is conducted through the physical office, phone, and website quote request forms.

Name

The Insurance Office

Legal name

The Insurance Office, Inc.

Website

https://charlescityins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Insurance Office is a family-owned independent insurance agency in Charles City, Iowa, offering personal, commercial, farm, specialty, and employee benefits coverage through eight carrier partnerships to individuals, families, businesses, and farms across Iowa and the Midwest.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Charles City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commissions: As an independent insurance agency, The Insurance Office earns commissions from insurance carriers for policies sold. They partner with multiple established insurance carriers (Aflac, BCBS, Grinnell Mutual, Nationwide, Partners Mutual, Progressive, Prudential, Travelers) to offer a variety of insurance products to customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Insurance Office is an independent insurance agency that sells personal, commercial, farm, life, and health insurance policies to consumers and businesses across Iowa and the Midwest. As an independent agent, it places coverage with multiple established carriers (Aflac, BCBS, Grinnell Mutual, Nationwide, Partners Mutual, Progressive, Prudential, Travelers) and earns carrier commissions on the policies it sells. The agency complements insurance placement with related services such as annuities, loss control consulting, leave management, and notary/permit services.

Product overview

The Insurance Office is an independent insurance agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products and services. The company provides personal lines insurance (auto, homeowners, life, health, condo, renters, mobile home), commercial insurance (business, BOP, commercial auto, commercial property, umbrella, workers' compensation, professional liability, general liability), specialty insurance (farm, bonds, toy vehicles, boats, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, snowmobiles, special events), and employee benefits coverage. As an independent agency operating since the early 1900s, they partner with multiple insurance carriers including Aflac, BCBS, Grinnell Mutual, Nationwide, Partners Mutual, Progressive, Prudential, and Travelers to offer tailored solutions. Additional services include annuities, financial services, leave management, loss control, industry-specific coverage, and permit/license/notary services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AflaccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier partner providing supplemental insurance products including accident, disability, and health insurance. Aflac logo is displayed on the carrier partners page indicating an active distribution relationship.
• BCBS (Blue Cross Blue Shield)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor health insurance carrier partner providing health insurance products. BCBS logo displayed on carrier partners page indicating an active distribution relationship for health coverage offerings.
• Grinnell MutualcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional mutual insurance carrier partner offering property and casualty insurance products. Grinnell Mutual logo displayed on carrier partners page indicating an active distribution relationship.
• NationwidecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor national insurance carrier partner providing auto, home, business, and specialty insurance products. Nationwide logo displayed on carrier partners page indicating an active distribution relationship.
• Partners MutualcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional mutual insurance carrier partner. Partners Mutual logo displayed on carrier partners page indicating an active distribution relationship.
• ProgressivecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor national auto insurance carrier partner. Progressive logo displayed on carrier partners page indicating an active distribution relationship for auto insurance products.
• PrudentialcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor financial services and insurance carrier partner offering life insurance and annuities. Prudential logo displayed on carrier partners page indicating an active distribution relationship.
• TravelerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor national property and casualty insurance carrier partner. Travelers logo displayed on carrier partners page indicating an active distribution relationship for business and personal insurance products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Burns & Wilcox: Specialty wholesale insurance broker and underwriting manager distributing through independent retail agents. Comparable in serving the independent-agency distribution channel, particularly for specialty and excess lines carried by The Insurance Office.
• Marsh McLennan Agency: U.S. middle-market brokerage arm of Marsh McLennan, operating through regional offices. Comparable independent-brokerage model serving SMB and mid-market clients, but with substantially larger scale.
• HUB International: Large North American insurance brokerage operating through a network of regional offices. Comparable independent-agent distribution model but at much greater scale and geographic reach.
• Lockton Companies: World's largest independent insurance brokerage, headquartered in Kansas City with deep Midwest roots. Comparable in independent brokerage model and multi-line offering, but serves much larger commercial accounts at global scale.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Global insurance brokerage and risk management firm with extensive retail brokerage operations across the U.S. Comparable in product breadth and brokerage economics; differs by scale and national reach.

Direct peers

• Cottingham & Butler: Dubuque, Iowa-based independent insurance brokerage serving commercial and personal clients across the Midwest. Direct comparable: same Iowa footprint, multi-line independent agency model, similar SMB and farm-adjacent customer base.
• Holmes Murphy & Co. Waukee, Iowa-based independent insurance brokerage with deep Midwest roots, offering commercial, personal, and employee benefits solutions. Highly comparable in geography, multi-line structure, and family-founded heritage.
• TrueNorth Companies: Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based independent insurance and financial services firm serving mid-market commercial and personal clients across the Midwest. Comparable as a multi-line Midwest independent agency with similar product breadth and customer profile.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kloberdanzinsurance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Insurance Office