A Guiding Compass

Whether in work or play, it’s good to have a guide.

Kapnick Insurance Group in Adrian, Michigan, has that covered with its Kapnick Compass, principles that define “who we are, our common language, and how we treat each other,” said CEO Jim Kapnick.

Started by Elmer Kapnick in 1946, Kapnick today remains family owned and focused on superior client service, a strong workplace culture and giving back to the community. Celebrating its 75th year in business, Kapnick now has 175 employees and annual revenue just shy of $40 million.

Through an online process as part of IJ’s Best Agencies to Work For survey, Kapnick’s employees nominated their agency, ranked its performance highly in various categories, and offered testimonials on why their workplace is the best, earning Kapnick the title of IJ’s 2021 Gold Best Agency to Work For in the Midwest.

“Being recognized by our team is very humbling and makes me incredibly proud of the day-to-day efforts by many that create our culture,” Jim Kapnick said. “It sounds like a cliche but it really is about the people. Our family culture builds strong morale and drives our ability to attract the best talent. Being a privately held family business, we are motivated by our clients, not by outside shareholders which allows long-lasting, real relationships to be nurtured.”

He added that it takes work to create a great place to work. “It isn’t just fun events and food. It is about the experience people feel when working including how we treat each other, our common purpose, and creating a challenging, yet comforting work environment.”

That hard work has not gone unnoticed by Kapnick’s employees. One survey respondent praised the “outstanding culture created by Mike and Jim Kapnick. Their commitment to our clients, our carrier partners and their employees is best in class.”

Another commented: “The family culture and spirit of cooperation within a team that shares common goals cannot be overstated. I like and respect my coworkers and look forward to going to work each day. My work environment is comfortable and includes the tools I need to service my clients. We are constantly looking for opportunities to improve our value proposition for employees and clients.”

One enthusiastic employee wrote: “Kapnick is family! We are all striving for one common goal and that is to have happy, healthy clients who rely on us for consultation and professionalism. Kapnick has this!”

Others praised the agency’s management of the challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. “I believe that Kapnick handled the pandemic in a professional and honest manner. Mike Kapnick, the COO, has kept all employees up to date via videos showing where the pandemic is at and where we were a year ago. He has communicated throughout the year many times and even when giving bad news of the numbers he kept his cool and tried to keep the employees from panicking,” one employee said, adding: “I am super proud to work for Kapnick.”

Another wrote that they “felt secure” in their job despite the pandemic. “The upper management is always thinking months ahead to account for any anticipated hardships. They always have their employees’ best interests in mind, making sure their mental and physical well-being is taken care of in and out of the office. The entire company works as a whole. If help is needed in a certain department, everyone pitches in to fill in any gaps.”

During this unusual time, like many other agencies Kapnick “shifted from an office workplace model to a work from anywhere model,” Jim Kapnick said. “We made significant investments in our technology infrastructure to allow great flexibility on a work location.”

He added the agency continues to embrace flexible work arrangements to accommodate its employees’ needs. “That being said, we really value personal interaction and are working on making our offices a ‘magnet’ instead of a ‘mandate.’ We want people to feel value in coming to the office and collaborating and building lasting relationships with others on the team,” Kapnick said.