The first two generations invested more than 60 years of their working lives in cultivating and sustaining the family business through disciplined hard work, steadfast integrity, and persistent tenacity. Their success, however, came with real sacrifice. The long hours required to succeed in the insurance business often conflicted with the demands of raising a family, especially when both the first- and second-generation office quarters were located in the family home.

Most of my grandfather’s living room functioned as his office, with two desks, three filing cabinets, and a long table covered with policy brochures, applications, photographs of fires and automobile accidents, and promotional giveaways. Two details help describe my grandfather, A. E. Card. First, he did not smoke or drink, and he strongly disapproved of those habits—except, perhaps, when the person was a customer. Second, in 1997, while my wife and I were in Florida, we ran into a longtime client named Bob and made dinner plans with him and his wife. During dinner, Bob told us how he became a loyal customer of my grandfather’s agency. In 1935, shortly after being discharged from the Navy, Bob visited a used-car lot on Gratiot hoping to buy his first car. When he asked the owner how much money he would need for a down payment, the owner pointed to a man standing off to the side and said, “See that man over there? If you go talk to him, he may be able to help you.” Bob walked over, introduced himself to A. E. Card, and the two began walking down Gratiot. They turned left on Burns Avenue, where my grandfather stopped and invited Bob into his home. As Bob recalled, laughing so hard that the whole table joined in, “My God, Ron, it was like walking into a bank. He had papers, adding machines, rubber stamps, typewriters, and applications of every kind.” Bob sat down, and before long my grandfather told him, “Sign here, here, and here.” Bob believed he then made weekly payments to my grandfather for both the car and the insurance—at a time when no bank in Detroit would even talk to him. From that day forward, Bob said there was no other agency he would consider. My grandfather’s entrepreneurship and kindness to a stranger astonished him. As Bob put it, “I felt as if he had dropped from heaven.”

The practice of operating an insurance agency from the family home continued at my parents’ residence in Grosse Pointe Woods. In 1950, my father chose a corner house at Roslyn and Goethe with future office use in mind, including convenient parking and easy directions for clients. Having learned building and construction skills by watching projects take shape during the Great Depression, he became a quick study and proved exceptionally talented at remodeling the basement. First, he divided the space in half, then added a separate staircase and side-door entrance for the office. The finished area comfortably accommodated five large wooden desks—four of which are still in use today—and three full-size filing cabinets for policies, with a five-foot lateral file on top for customer index cards used to track policy numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and related information. Claim histories were filed separately on the back of each card. For a medium-traffic residential office and workflow system of the 1950s, it was a clever, functional layout that served as our operating headquarters throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

As noted above, operating an insurance agency from the family home created both advantages and disadvantages. The challenges were constant: three phone lines rang at all hours, and customers stopped by whenever they felt the need—on weekends, in the evenings, and even on Sundays. Because my sister, brother, and I were raised in that environment, we often saw little of our parents. Each evening, Mildred prepared dinner between 5 and 6 p.m., and we ate together promptly at 6 at the kitchen table. Afterward, we took turns doing the dishes. From 7 to 9 p.m., Mildred returned to the office to call policyholders with expiring policies, explaining any rate increases and the reasons behind them. Most evenings, Wilbur made house calls, leaving us largely on our own, with little supervision or discipline as we completed our homework. Having now experienced both sides, I firmly believe in a clear separation between home and business—just as essential, in its own way, as the separation of church and state under the U.S. Constitution.

Your home should be your comfort zone, a place where you can relax and enjoy real family time, nurturing, and role-modeling to raise and instill values in your children. But while running a hectic insurance agency in the living room or basement, it still requires both parents’ involvement, which fell short as the workload spread thin the time they could spend with the children, especially during our developmental years. Of less importance, but still genuine to those of us with knowledge of the P&C industry, was that the initial revenue generated by small agencies took years to build to a healthy, sustainable level. This is inherent in the P&C revenue structure, so the agency’s income supported only a modest lifestyle for the first two generations. Luxury cars and Cadillacs were simply out of the equation; i.e., even A/C in their cars and houses didn’t exist until the 80s.

I was extremely fortunate to have a bloodline of insurance thoroughbreds who survived the growing pains and passed down a well-established P&C book of business that grew from within as families grew and matured. In large measure, our priority service and competitive rates led most of our clients to refer neighbors and friends to our agency. We were also blessed with solid relationships with insurance companies, built and sustained by both generations. Representing one of Citizens Mutual Insurance Company’s first agents, my grandfather’s agency code number was 17, and my Father was #276. Citizens Insurance has become a leader in Michigan’s top domestic marketplace primarily because of its selection criteria of appointing only top-tier agencies they choose as partners; Thus, they’ve increased their standing and portfolio of competitive policies year after year, beginning with the brilliant Flagship leader: Roy A. Westran, CPCU, President.

The W. G. Peppler Agency continued to operate out of my parents’ basement after my father retired in 1971. At this point, I was a second-year music major at Eastern Michigan. His retirement issued a final ultimatum, which became my last chance to follow in his footsteps and make the agency's future my livelihood. I recall that the Vietnam War protests and anti-establishment dissent were in full swing on EMU’s campus. At age 19, I had to make a complete turnaround to get serious about the business, or my parents would have sold the agency and comfortably retired. But without my mother’s willingness to hold on to the agency for two more years while I proved myself at Wayne State University, the 3rd generation would not exist. This is very representative of the emphasis both of my parents placed on education as the key to success in today's ever-advancing, competitive business world. Having experienced a personal hardship while competing against veteran agents, he’s aware of this fundamental truth, as my father was not allowed to finish high school, coming from a dysfunctional German family of 8. During his many years as an insurance agent, he avoided company meetings and other insurance functions because he felt inferior for not having completed high school. His success took much more effort and hard work as he was forced to learn the dynamics of insurance agency operations in the absence of the fundamental subject courses taught in High School.

Going back a year, in the summer of 1970, I happened to be at Sears & Roebuck and ran into an attractive high school acquaintance, Janet Collins, who was on break from her job in the catalog department. I asked Janet out for dinner at Blazo’s, and our relationship became more serious while I was studying music at Eastern Michigan. Then, in the fall, Janet began her first year at Olivet College. As our relationship grew, Janet completed her first year at Olivet and transferred to Eastern Michigan for her second year. At the same time, I transferred from Eastern Michigan to Wayne State University and changed my major to pursue a full Business Administration curriculum.

During the summer break that followed, I planned to work in the agency. But before starting, I discussed with my mother, Janet, joining us at the agency, beginning with filing and general office work. Jan had some office experience, including completing orders at Sears and handling general office duties at Bock Radio & T.V., where she answered the phone and used her typing skills. Little did I know that this summer position would mark the beginning of Janet’s lengthy and successful career with the agency. Since I had now committed to a career as a third-generation agency owner, Janet, with 2 years of academic work behind her, chose to forgo her college degree and join the agency staff full-time. So, Janet began training under my mother’s expertise for a secretarial position. Eventually, Jan attended home and auto insurance training classes funded by Citizens and Safeco. Each company held an in-house study class on premium quoting and home and auto coverage. Janet was a fast learner, and, coupled with the hands-on training from Mildred, Jan’s proficiency in personal lines soared as the classes held by Safeco & Citizens were highly structured. Three months before graduating from WSU, Janet and I married on September 21, 1973. Here again, we followed in the footsteps of past generations of married partners working together. Although this pattern can create complications, it takes a superior blend of personalities for married couples to work together successfully, and we had just that!

History Speaks Volumes

and sheds light on many significant evolutionary precursors: Of impressive background, honor, and merit, before Mildred entered the Insurance business, she pursued executive administration experience and training, which she mastered at Cleary Business College. This accomplishment led her to the coveted position of Personal Executive Assistant to Walker L. Cisler, then-President of Detroit Edison. Mr. Cisler was considered the brainchild of Atomic Energy’s Fermi One Power Plant. Consequently, Mildred’s tenure and travels here and abroad with Walker Lee Cisler required classified security clearance, authorized and signed by Dwight D. Eisenhower, as Mildred’s position and duties with Mr. Cisler during the initial planning stages of Fermi One required “Top Classified Clearance.”

After several years serving in this capacity, Mildred’s exposure to Mr. Cisler’s brilliance and modus operandi heightened her business protocol and broadened her business acumen. Then, at age 32, after meeting my father, she realized it was time for her to focus on their primary, natural desire to procreate. Because it was time to start a family, she resigned from her position with Detroit Edison and Walker Cisler. Upon her marriage to W. G. Peppler, they began insurance training under Archie Edwin Card. After a short time, they began transitioning the policy portfolio to the 2nd generation, forming W.G. Peppler Agency in the early ’50s. Their quest to start a family was a phenomenal success, producing children born in 1950, 1951, and 1952, with a mere 13- and 11-month gap between them and me.

Of phenomenal significance, according to CNN Money, family-owned businesses fight long odds to become generational legacies. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 90 percent of American companies are family-owned or controlled. It is noteworthy that two-thirds of family businesses fold before reaching the second generation, and just 13% make it to the third. Advance planning and positive adolescent exposure are vital keys to fostering a potentially successful family entrepreneurial legacy. According to Forbes Magazine, a recent study concludes: “Less than one-third of family businesses survive the transition from first to second generation ownership. Another 50% don’t survive the transition from the second to the third generation.” These studies and “points-in-fact” are indisputable and resonate broadly with my perspective, given the enormous number of exposure units on which these statistics are based.

The Third Generation Evolves

Once I made my career decision, my field of study at Wayne State University was clear: Business Administration with a strong emphasis on tax, accounting, statistical methods, and business law. The significance of combining these specific areas of study led me to link all related subject matter knowledge offered within Wayne State’s Business School that I could fit into my Business Administration curriculum. I felt confident that the benefits derived from my approach would round out and enhance my general business knowledge. This ability would foster knowledgeable leadership and respect through applying the combined mechanics to my future property and casualty client base. Also, this could play a significant role in setting me apart from the majority of agents who rely solely on a pre-licensing review class to pass the state licensing exam, absent of learning the broader business management essentials taught in formal training. Accordingly, the continuity, relevance, and interactions among financial accounting, statistical methods, tax law, and business law would promote and achieve a well-rounded, broader, and balanced intellectual perspective needed to advance the third generation of agency leadership to a supreme level of proficiency and success.

Upon graduating from WSU in 1973 at age 22, I took my father’s desk at W.G. Peppler Agency after receiving my insurance license and was immediately granted a 50% ownership stake in the agency. I realized that along with this gift came the responsibility and accountability for the agency to grow and flourish. This demonstrated the level of confidence the second generation placed in my ability, which affirmed my predisposition to live up to the expectations of performing at my very best, doing everything it takes to stay abreast of the P&C marketplace dynamic forces that continue to evolve each day.

Given this leadership responsibility, my primary objective was to enthusiastically pursue advanced technical knowledge specific to property and casualty insurance to develop the agency to its fullest potential. In 1978, after meeting the industry experience mandate (5 years) required to enroll as a candidate for the most advanced and prestigious P&C distinction, I started my journey to become a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU). I began my studies by registering for 2 of the national exams necessary to earn this coveted designation. The Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter is a professional designation in the property-casualty insurance and risk management field administered by The Institutes (aka American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters). Achieving the designation requires the completion of eight courses (10-course exams in 1982) covering topics such as risk management, insurance company operations, business law, finance and accounting, property insurance, and liability insurance. Today, held by fewer than 65,000 people (less than 4% of the insurance industry), the CPCU designation is widely considered the most distinguished designation in our industry. Formal education and continuing growth through advanced education remained my decree, so promoting the use of structured knowledge in our new, proactive office procedures and client interactions, through cross-selling and account development, became our updated operating policy from this point forward.

In 1979, at age 28, after operating and growing our client base for six years, we had to undertake an action plan to meet future opportunities and continue moving forward. We had outgrown our basement headquarters and would benefit from a more professional image that a permanent office building would provide. The vision I had to meet this objective took shape because I was confident the agency could achieve a high rate of return by purchasing a commercial office building. The more difficult part of connecting to my vision was finding this building, and then, of course, there was the financial aspect. In addition, I was troubled that, due to a lack of funding, I had missed several opportunities to acquire smaller agencies. The solution was obvious: we needed to change our business structure from a partnership to a C corporation. Doing so would allow the agency to accumulate retained earnings, bolstered by a substantial tax benefit not available to partnerships. After explaining my growth plan to my mother, an unqualified response followed: “This is all up to you, Ron. That’s why we sent you to college.” Hence, we proceeded to complete the incorporation, effective 4/01/1979. I was elected President, and Mildred served as Secretary/Treasurer. Thus, The Peppler Agency Inc. had $23,834 in stockholders’ equity; however, this money belonged entirely to the original sole proprietor, W.G. Peppler, my father. Mildred insisted we assign stockholders’ interests equally between us (50/50) in our Corporate Minute Book, ignoring the fact that I had not contributed a single dollar of my own. To this day, the agency’s stock equity contribution remains entirely funded by my parents’ original donation. Again, this fact reflects my parents’ generosity to the 3rd generation without hesitancy. The Peppler Agency’s dictum remained in line with our forefathers' commitment to promoting and demonstrating Fairness and Integrity in every action we touched or triggered; our generational loyalty has been and remains an absolute virtue and a threshold never to be violated or compromised. The Agencies’ bloodline of Card-Peppler faithfully adhered to this covenant.

Location - Location - Location

Next, I plan to expand our agency by purchasing a commercial office building to house a larger operating staff and project a superior professional image.

Accordingly, a building and location that, at first glance, generate an immediate impression of competency, stability, and success. Upon closer examination, it reveals the inner qualities that reflect what the agency staff exemplifies: a foundation of trust, integrity, longevity, and proficiency in perpetuity assurance, matched and visually conveyed by what our office staff produces. My dream was to purchase a building that would enhance our public image and project a professional, robust atmosphere of strength, prestige, and success. Ideally, with high visibility, but in reality, after checking the market, I knew I’d have to build on the east side, as most of the commercial buildings around here are older, likely built in the 50s. I knew the west side of town was out because it would spread our client base too thin. Facing this reality, I believed an interim step of leasing would likely be required for several years until our retained earnings were sufficient to purchase. My father knew of my plans, so we discussed buying vs. leasing. Wilbur responded: “Well, let’s start looking.” During the spring, summer, and fall that followed, we searched. But after pricing out the market, I realized I would have to settle for much, much less than my vision and dream had been. When I found two buildings with reasonable asking prices, they were far from my dream headquarters. I did not want to buy only to end up compromised; my father put it this way: “Let’s keep looking,” which indicated he, too, wanted something more. As winter approached, I expected to see fewer options on the market, so I nearly fainted when I came across a new listing in the Grosse Pointe News for a perfect location built in the mid-’60’s, with a bit of work and a bit of vision, excellent potential to reach my vision! I was so excited and couldn’t wait to approach the owner, knowing this location would sell extremely quickly. A real estate agency hadn’t even listed this building. But the reason was apparent, b/c it was Pat Burton Realty on Harper near Verner. Then, after calling and finding out the asking price was $200K, I choked, b/c that was a massive sum of money back then. But my father remained calm, then said to me, “Let me go to Comerica Bank and get you a cashier’s check to use when you set up an appointment and see what you can do.” Well, he wanted me to go alone, but at age 28, I didn’t foresee Pat Burton taking me seriously; I put on my business hat, laced with good energy, and the meeting couldn’t have gone better. I negotiated the selling price down by over 20% (stunning me) using the powers that be and the influence of a $25,000 cash-in-hand offer. Our meeting concluded with a handshake, and after debriefing with my father, we drew up the purchase agreement that day.

I felt incredibly fortunate that this one-of-a-kind office building came on the market. Had it sold before we could act, I cannot imagine where the agency would have ended up. After seeing this location and its modern construction, I knew that even if I built elsewhere, I would likely have been on Mack Avenue among a block of stores, with nothing comparable to the daily exposure this site offered. Thousands of cars passed by each day, and many stopped directly in front of the office at the traffic light. After we closed on the building, I paused to give thanks for the confidence and belief that focused determination can make extraordinary things happen. This business and this building elevated me to a level I had never imagined possible. The location played a vital role in strengthening our public image and building name recognition for Peppler Insurance, giving the agency a distinct advantage. A one-month traffic study led me to estimate, with an approximate 10% margin of error, that about 10,000 cars passed the office each day, with roughly half stopping directly in front of it at the red light.

The purchase of this prime location proved to deliver the benefits of billboard advertising {ranking traffic & locale} and led to a significant increase in name-brand awareness over the ensuing years. My father’s generosity in following his heart led me to acknowledge, once again, his significant contribution to advancing my generation through this opportunity, and to realize that he had also fulfilled his dream. So W.G. Peppler did possess the same entrepreneurial attributes as my grandfather; he realized that he himself might not have the leading business skills necessary to take the agency to this level, but he invested heavily in the perpetuation of his livelihood’s by-product by way of his son’s education and demonstrated leadership skills through encouragement and perseverance. W.G. Peppler then devoted his hard-earned and conserved resources, knowing the ability that his financial strength could indeed secure the well-being and forward-thinking opportunities for my generation.

Fortunately, my father lived for an entire year after purchasing the Harper office building. He spent most of his time very involved with remodeling our new location, doing the work he loved most, working with his hands, and customizing the office for our equipment, business machines, security, and decor. A good example involves Wilbur tackling a backbreaking effort to recondition our 18-year-old concrete parking lot, which had developed wide cracks in many areas due to foundation settling. Wilbur spent the entire summer filling these 1”- 1½ inch cracks with 1/gal. containers while sitting on a milk crate. I’d estimate it took 50/gal. to do this work at age 75. Before this work, he was installing a new kitchen faucet, body halfway inside the cabinet, huffing away; all I could think of was a heart attack. W.G. Peppler died on November 15, 1980, at age 75. He passed away suddenly after suffering a stroke at home. In the end, Wilbur lived to witness the benefits and successes of his life’s work, which he passed down to the next generation, and to see it “blossom into full bloom.” Unfortunately, Wilbur did not live to witness the conferral ceremony for my CPCU designation, which took place at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach on October 11, 1982.

Recession Triggers Opportunity

Due to an economic downturn in 1990 and other factors specific to the insurance industry, most agencies experienced a severe reduction in revenue. As a result, The Peppler Agency Inc. experienced its first corporate loss in history. This is not a time for reflection but for action. After spending many hours in a “problem-solving mindset,” it became clear that our agency needed to develop a plan to incentivize and motivate our inside sales staff. I decided that the best, most direct method would be to pay each employee a financial benefit for each new policy they write, a task that has always been part of their job duties. The new incentive plan would add a monthly payout tied to the efficiency of their workflow in producing new business, which is quantifiable and time-sensitive. To keep my fairness posture aligned with my business objective, I brought my loyalty pledge to the table regarding compensation bonuses for family and agency members. The employee compensation plan I instituted factored in efficiency and workflow, so it recognizes that key employees who excel in productivity and efficiency should receive a more significant monthly bonus in addition to their bi-weekly salary. Traditional employee bonus checks have always been issued at year-end but haven’t included a spreadsheet or an analytical breakdown of individual performance; therefore, the year-end bonus has been somewhat arbitrary and has left employees' contributions to the agency's profitability vague. A significant benefit of this compensation plan is that it is both earned and paid monthly, providing each member with a timely report of their earnings, which are now under their direct control. In the past, year-end bonuses lacked a clear correlation, but the new incentive plan addresses this. My monthly add-in compensation enhancement to inside sales CSRs was a new concept to independent agencies and a factor that other agencies either didn’t offer or refused to consider!

It’s uncontested that money is a prime motivator for employees. Human nature supports the benefits of immediate gratification by instituting a monthly bonus payout based on a formula that tracks the number of new policies written. The procedure was designed with incentive-based components, ie, line of business, lead origination, account development, profitability, etc., so the amount paid out is structured with various features. This well-structured method of additional compensation would meet the criteria to positively affect the agency's bottom line.

When my business plan was nearing finalization, Janet had advanced to the office manager position and interacted with each employee daily; thus, she pretty much ran the front office (the open area). The hierarchy and reporting directives required employees to report to Jan, who in turn reported to me. As such, I felt her input was valuable, but to my dismay (and awe), she was dead-set against it, responding: “Ron, they don’t need it, they’re happy just the way it is, and their salary is good as compared to others.” Due to Jan’s instant, hostile defiance, coupled with her tone and body language, my excitement dissipated as I thought, “…well, she knows these ladies better than I do,” since she works alongside them daily. So, I back-shelved this incentive venture endeavor for about two months. Then the idea and concept remained alive in my mind, keeping me awake at night. Still, Jan’s reaction kept resurfacing until I finally concluded, “Jan simply cannot see the big picture “…and doesn’t get the part about “It takes money to make money.” My business sense kept my judgment wheels churning, then finally they screamed out to me, “Well, sure, Jan, you see them as happy, BUT you’re missing the point! This time, I began with a simple directive to Jan: “The decision has been made – I’m moving forward, and the monthly bonus plan is now in place! From here on, Jan assisted me by providing specific data relevant to the elements we needed to construct, then blending and integrating an attractive formula of the criteria and derivatives to produce our very first Terms & Conditions Fee Schedule. Within several months, it became clear: I can stand behind this plan’s effectiveness, One Hundred Percent. Over a short period — one year, then two years — our premium growth rate increased from an annual average of 3% to 10%. Rather than every employee walking out by 5:15 pm, some sales reps stayed significantly longer. In fact, up to 1-2 hours of mutually beneficial time. I’ve witnessed Roxanne’s car there at 7:15 pm on a Friday! No question that employees’ efficiency increased even during our usual 9-5 pm office hours. It turned out Jan took to this bonus plan by adding special, random monthly contests, thus creating a quasi-game field: $50 or more in cash was added to the employee with the highest policy count in one of the several categories.

With crystal-ball clarity, the inclusion of this incentive undertaking is directly responsible for tripling the agency’s growth in new policy count and premium, after accounting for rate increases, while maintaining a manageable edge in profitability. And while I acknowledge Jan’s initial response, “they're happy now," I wasn't b/c I knew the agency team could do better. They just needed some added incentive, just as in life, "we all do"! More importantly, this allows each member of our team the ability to control their income. During the following decade, I can easily attribute this well-structured incentive plan as the single most significant contribution, directly responsible for leading the Peppler Agency to many company awards.

The Principals and Their Mark

Mildred came to work every day of her life, demonstrating her values to everyone she met. She emulated and owned the character attributes we would all hope to achieve at some point in our lives. Mildred lived by and often shared her living, breathing covenant, exemplified in "Be True to Yourself," and didn't give in to human defects through "excuses and blinders". The following is how I express and “own” the principles she lived by: "Once you know the truth, you have a responsibility to accept it and act on it – you can no longer ignore it, nor hide from its existence." Janet and I, having worked with Mildred for over 24 years, had a special relationship with her and tremendously high exposure to the attributes that had become part of her living truths, which her actions affirmed. But with respect to my personal life and my lifetime of obstacles, I found the only way to begin accomplishing this was through rigorous self-examination, aka introspection, which requires a nightly routine of concentrated practice until you know that you've reached this higher pathway. Because of its name, "illumination," it becomes ingrained into your actions and soul; it replaces ego-driven auto-response and closed-mindedness that allow your ego to block truth and justify twisting reality to rationalize the acceptability of deceit and half-truths, some falsely claimed as truths, but in disguise, because of the blinders and trance humans resort to, to block genuine truth. Therefore, these hypocrites must avoid any genuine self-examination to be "happy" and "self-righteous," which feeds and inflates their ego. Once this mindset is locked, it circulates into your subconscious, where predisposed prejudices dominate and become your self-dealing mechanics, through twisted white lies without boundaries and with extreme vacillation from fair dealings, all slanted and rationalized to benefit them alone. It becomes your way of thinking and "living a lie." People living in this bubble dare not engage in the true-self practice of self-examination, as they can't live in the world I just paraphrased. And hold little hope ever to lead a genuine life of honor, integrity, and living truth, as their livelihoods are fully compromised by chasing false gods. So, whether they renounce self-examination or decide to live in self-centered contempt, Socrates was known as the first moral philosopher of the ethical tradition of thought and is known for two proverbs that seem to apply to these shortfalls: 1. "The unexamined life is not worth living" & 2. "There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance".

The Torch is Passed

Mildred died of a massive heart attack on January 17, 1994. As the autopsy verified, she blew out the inner endocardium wall of her heart. She became aware she had an enlarged heart due to an extended period of extremely high blood pressure, discovered by an eye doctor she consulted about blurred vision and cataracts. The doctor found Mildred to have a life-threatening diastolic blood pressure level so high that she was told to go to the E.R. immediately. I'm afraid this emerged when my mother felt duty-bound to hold down the agency while I finished College. So, I add here and expound upon sacrifice, as this event represents my ultimate hardship. Having great difficulty processing my grief, it took many, many months for me to accept the likely circumstances leading to her early demise. Fortunately, Janet, who was very close to Mildred, moved through her grief as she still had her mother to care for and spent most of her free time with her for several more years.

To fill the two corporate offices Mildred held in our family corporation, I moved to the positions of Chairman and Treasurer, while Jan took on Vice President and Secretary. During her estate planning years before, Mildred once again demonstrated her loyalty and fairness by leaving her agency stock to her daughter-in-law, Janet, in a full and equal split, matching the amount she left to me.

Mildred's gift of stock to Jan represented 20.3% of the outstanding common stock. Along with the 18.7% of stock I gifted Jan during the mid-'80s, Jan, without investing a dollar, owned a total of 39% of the agency, which now involved the lifelong work product of three generations. What's significant here (common sense) is that you don't acquire stock ownership by simply working at the agency for 20 or 30 years! All agency members, including employees and Officers, perform work for the corporation and are compensated for it. Employee compensation is set by Corporate Officers, while the Board of Directors sets officers' salaries. When Peppler Agency was incorporated in 1979, the initial investment ($23,834) came from the sole proprietor's after-tax proceeds. This figure remained the same year after year, as neither Jan nor I invested one dollar of our own money. The gifting of Mildred’s stock ownership in the agency, split equally among us, originated with my mother's commitment to fairness and generosity. The mechanics of corporate accounting (balance sheet, R/E, etc.) are far above basic math, but this issue was never addressed, and in Mildred's memory, I let this stand as yet another gift. But I will acknowledge here that The Peppler Agency would not exist today without my mother's steadfast fairness and enormously generous contributions.

So, to be clear, for fairness to my siblings, the dollar value of Mildred's agency stock had to be determined so it could be included in the total estate asset calculation. My mother was extraordinarily fair and clear in her will, directing that all three of her children share equally in the division of her estate assets. To comply with Mildred’s wishes, my brother and sister received cash or its equivalent equal to the Fair Market Value of Mildred’s Peppler Agency Stock. Thus, I had to absorb the entire dollar offset for Mildred's stock, even though Jan received one-half. During our subsequent divorce and legal proceedings, I never raised the impact of the $350K offset. Therefore, my entire inheritance consisted of Mildred’s stock in Peppler Agency. Accordingly, I was generous in granting Jan a significant financial windfall, which had never been discussed or even raised before.

My mother's passing left the agency with an open desk and a position to fill. Of course, employee selection has a tremendous influence on the success of every business. After incorporating, employee selection was delegated to me. I remain incredibly proud that each employee I selected became a long-term, high-performing, dedicated part of our family. And over my 29 years of leadership, I've never had to "let go" or fire a single employee I brought in. I should add that I asked Jan to spend about 10 minutes chatting with each candidate before each interview. After my in-depth interview, we’d meet to discuss the pros and cons of each candidate and identify common ground in their qualifications, but most importantly, their personality traits. I kept interviewing candidates until we had a good mix to assess. It is not only noteworthy but also most appropriate that I hired Roxanne in 1994 to occupy Mildred's desk… as, within a year, Roxanne had become our top-performing inside sales producer and has remained at the top to this day. Call my selection fortuitous if you like, but to me, this validates the existence of Divine Intervention because Roxanne's work ethic, fortitude, and perseverance mirror the 43-year record Mildred built and sustained as a dedicated leader of the second generation.

The Third Generation Thrives

My business plan, which added monthly incentives and account development rewards, achieved an annual growth rate averaging or exceeding 10% and continued to improve, driving the agency to remarkable success. In addition, the new, high-visibility professional headquarters substantially increased awareness of the Peppler Insurance name among the thousands of cars passing the agency each day. In the end, as a result of successful planning, The Peppler Agency became the proud recipient of our lead company's highest year-end award, beating out our competitors in the Tri-county area, a major feat, as this represents Citizens' largest marketing area within the State. And this success continued.

The Peppler Agency had won this award one time in the mid-'80s, but because the annual award is based upon 1) increase in premium growth, 2) overall annual profitability (loss ratio), and 3) being highly respected by management, The Peppler Agency won this award during the calendar years 1997, 1998, and 1999. Of record-breaking significance, The Peppler Agency was the FIRST single agency to win Citizens' Highest Award 3 years in a row! This phenomenal achievement reveals that the agency was not only performing at an optimal level but also that three years of consistency demonstrated solid reliability, indicating the agency will continue to operate proficiently, as documented by this strong indicator. Through responsible delegation and our discipline, which was linked to employee morale, the office had reached the point where it was essentially running itself. To the best of my knowledge, this 3-year record stands valid today. And while I expected the large commercial agencies to recapture many future awards, there’s every reason to believe The Peppler Agency will reach this top spot again.

According to the Principle of Universal Balance, my business success — when acting in pairs — often elicits an opposite reaction. Unfortunately, the opposite reaction emerged in my private life, to the point that I felt my presence at home was detrimental to our relationship. In 1999, my 25-year marriage reached its end, primarily driven by the absence of children, bringing me a misguided sense of emptiness and guilt, pushing my private life into chaos. While my business and professional life were rewarding, I had been neglecting my friendships and letting my personal relationships deteriorate to the point of falling into shambles. When I analyzed my business success against the state of desperation my personal life had become, my private failures created an extremely conflicted equilibrium between my career and the chaos in it. This phenomenon is painful to concede and extremely difficult to put into words. Shortly after the agency awards, I found myself isolating and doing whatever I could to escape the conflicted disorder generated by the letdown of having earned a three-year outstanding agency award at work, then going home to the misery I’d feel as I imploded in my head. Eventually, this agony brought me to despair. Unable to cope, I fell into a deep, unrelenting depression and cocaine addiction that twisted my sense of self to the point of futility. I sought help from several therapists, psychiatrists, and multiple high-end drug treatment facilities, trying to rebound and focus on learning viable coping skills to deal with the emotional pain that dominated my mental health and physical well-being. Some background follows.

Janet and I had been married for 25 years, and during that time, we treated our agency as our child, which helped each of us satisfy the human desire (actually, need) to procreate. Unable to have children after going through miscarriage after miscarriage (circa 6), beginning in 1978, then again in 1979. In the ‘80s and ’81s, we started the Clomid ordeal, with pills, more pills, then tried injections. At the M.D.’s advice, we started the in vitro at least 3 times; it seemed awkward after the second round and then exasperating. This ordeal proved to be all-consuming, so after about 10 years, we realized that children simply were not in the stars. My mother's input was, “Well, the office can be your child,” and as it turned out, that’s pretty much how it progressed! In ’79, we bought the office building, then in 1980, a new home. These moves kept us together and busy. We had mutual objectives, projects, good compatibility, couples’ friends, excitement, vacations...etc. But I drifted away from many of my friends over the next ten years as they had kids to raise and family agendas that filled their free time. Different coping mechanisms created a strain on our marriage. And because we worked together, we each went our own way after work, down different paths, with Jan having three distinct sets of friends: tennis friends, her mother, and girlfriends outside of sports. Jan also volunteered at the Grosse Pointe Children's Home on Cook Road, sharing her exemplary and predictability-proven mothering skills. Meanwhile, my brother and I met some new friends who had enormous challenges—distinct issues from being raised in an alcoholic, dysfunctional household, and they had just relocated here from the U.P. in Michigan. Having had extensive experience with addiction and treatment centers myself, I knew I could be of benefit and usefulness in their challenging issues. Most of my interaction, though, was aimed at crisis management.

I was experiencing a high level of guilt from what I consider holding Jan back from a healthy, nurturing relationship that I could not provide in my state of mind. I decided to separate from Jan, freeing her up from the toxic, depression fueled, turmoil I had brought into our home and personal life. The depression had become noticeable to the few friends that remained, and now some at the office. After seeking help with several therapists and treatment alternatives that seemed to bring me pseudo-temporary relief in the past, I was looking to find a way to cope and hopefully improve upon my dilemma. Perhaps my biggest issue was isolating myself, spending so much time alone; so, in that regard, a leave of absence (discussed next) fueled this imbalance and, in effect, bred chronic depression. I found myself, among other deprivations, isolating, depressed, and medicating yet again, which, in turn, pushed people away even further. This obsessive guilt-fueled self-talk led to a destructive and harmful self-image. I was essentially unable to penetrate this contaminated mindset. In hindsight, I should have sourced healthy coping mechanisms, like enrolling in a university to pursue productive study, which I finally did years later, as this stimulus provided me with a challenging focus that kept my mind engaged, alive, and advancing.

With the agency practically running itself, I felt a "leave of absence" would be in the best interest of the office at large, as the symptoms of my depression and withdrawal from normalcy were still winning the battle. Accordingly, I officially resigned from my long-standing 29-year leadership in February 2002. Since my mother passed away, I appointed Janet as President, but remained on the Board as the majority shareholder. But I still continued to check in with Jan on the agency's well-being.

Understand, I did not make this decision lightly. It took significant self-examination to consider all facets of the impact my decision would have. But my confidence in the office staff, and Janet Peppler in particular, is that, together, the team of champions is more than capable of carrying on in my absence.

In my opening paragraph, I discuss my people skills and delegation proficiency, which are likely my most pervasive business traits. During my leadership, I emphasized that every agency member must think and act as part of our team, relying on team outreach to ultimately polish skills that may need some work. Each year, as members continue to grow, the process is carried out with self-directed discipline. During my hiring interviews, I prioritized a blend of temperament, intellect, and fortitude when assessing each candidate's ability to be a team player and a self-starter, to assist one another and fill in where and when needed. These factors were top-tier considerations that definitively outweighed prior experience, which can be detrimental at times for many reasons. And the results proved that the unique traits of each member of the agency’s success team spread across the team. Specifically, unique, individual, personal traits that blend/advance/propel and that dictate responsibility, proficiency, integrity, and dedicated respect for the team and client benefits. These attributes are of paramount importance and predominate The Peppler Agency's platform. Accordingly, Peppler Agency prospers through reliable, continuous, self-motivated acceptance of newly delegated client work, updates, policies & procedures. They ensure the Peppler Agency continues to flourish with outstanding performance, leading the competition as they have for decades, with a creative outlook, outreach, and vision for emerging trends. This is an ongoing representation that I embrace as one of my strongest, most significant achievements.

Dependable Service

Within the Peppler Group, perhaps our greatest strength is working side by side with clients to ensure they receive fair and efficient payment of claims and that all coverage extensions and enhancement clauses are examined to increase benefits and to be included in the loss computation. Leveraging our select group of in-house property/casualty resources, Peppler Insurance Group strives to offer the broadest range of resources. We will engage outside consultants who are topic-specific experts in areas such as coverage interpretation and unusual loss scenarios to deliver positive results and solutions. In today’s complex global business landscape, it’s not uncommon to encounter technology that requires thorough examination by industry experts in fields beyond our scope. In addition, over the years, we have established relationships with a broad range of experts outside the insurance industry, including lawyers, accountants, Medical Doctors, and accredited Investigators. Within the context of insurance particulars, we've discussed experience, credentials, and established relationships. We invite you to make your call to discuss how our business can help yours.

Access to a Broad Range of Insurance Knowledge in One Place

Everyone needs insurance protection. Yet coverage needs can vary significantly regarding personal and business-specific circumstances. As a result, no single insurance contract can provide a comprehensive range of coverage and endorsement options to suit every individual's exposure. This represents the history and evolution of traditional P&C markets in the U.S., now using teams of experts to develop today's insurance mechanisms, which trace back to the original undertaking of shipowners and investors gathered in a London coffeehouse owned by Edward Lloyd. Here, each investor indicated how much of the total value of the risk (ship & cargo) they were willing to "insure" by writing their name and the percentage under the description (vessel, captain, type of cargo, destination) — thus, the creation of the term "underwriters." (Ref., Lloyds.com & other sources.) So, speaking of continuity, tradition, and family businesses spanning generations as unique long shots, the London underwriting syndicate at Lloyd's witnessed the early days of what would become the world's first known insurance underwriting society, now in its 6th generation.

Auspiciously, Peppler Insurance Agency has the background and experience you can count on to look out for your best interests. Finding a consultant with a strong background in all facets of running a successful business means working with a well-rounded, veteran businessman with years of proven success. And with an extensive network of Best's A-rated carriers and their qualified agents, we can provide unique insurance plans and financial services when warranted. Contacting one of our experienced advisers will give you answers to many insurance questions and provide an advanced perspective on your personal and business protection. Let Peppler Insurance Group conduct research to determine how your existing agent and carrier meet your specific objectives. In today's market, you want an insurance adviser who efficiently wades through all the paperwork, clarifies existing or beneficial coverage options, designs a finely tuned, superior plan, and ultimately looks out for your best interests as though it were our own. In doing so, we will find and recommend the insurance solutions you need and, most importantly, rely upon. Just as I have related and expounded upon both father's and Grandfather's extremely acute business acumen, the foundation they've built relied on the building blocks of ethics, integrity, and TRUST as an absolute. I was raised and blended using the same genes, DNA, or, as some call it, “cut from the same cloth” of loyalty, commitment, bloodline, and dedication. I pledge to utilize all the covenants I have brought to light throughout this fact-based profile.

Call to find out what we can offer you!

Whether your interest today involves home, auto, or business insurance, call the experts at Peppler Insurance Group for the protection advice and questions answered that will enhance, satisfy, and provide a good night's sleep; after all, this is the peace of mind, confidence, and assurance you deserve. We will work tirelessly to get you the complete satisfaction that brings you security and priceless insight. We make sure that you, your business, and your family are protected!

Ronald D. Peppler, CPCU, ARM