MacDermott’s Insurance Agency Ltd. of Port Alberni has been named Brokerage of the Year by the Insurance Brokers Association of B.C.
The special 2018 centennial award was presented to the company at the Centennial Conference in Vancouver on May 31, at B.C. Place Stadium.
“It recognizes us as professionals in the insurance industry,” said general manager Rosemary Mesic.
Nominees were evaluated by an independent panel of judges and judged on internal efficiency and office technology; employees; influence and integrity; consumer technology and digital tool adoption; financial performance; their story and their stance.
MacDermott’s was founded in 1908 when Alfred Carmichael formed the real estate firm Carmichael and Moorhead Ltd., to act as agents for the Alberni Land Company and deal with the sale and lease of lots pertaining to settlement in the new Alberni District.
When Brian and Mary MacDermott bought the company in 1975 they kept the Turner Bros. Agencies name but added (1975) Ltd. Later that year they changed the name to MacDermott’s Insurance Agency Ltd.
Gary and Barbara Connauton bought the company on April 28, 1991 and retained ownership until Nov. 1, 2017, when it was bought out by Schill Insurance.
From 1908 until present, MacDermott’s has always been located on Argyle Street. The industry has changed over time, but the company’s basic philosophy of servicing the needs of its customers and the community remains the same.
