Taking care of people the theme for Ellis Insurance

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Tuesday, November 6, 2007

When operating an insurance business in a town such as Elbow Lake, Dean Ellis knows that taking care of people — while running a company built on trust — is the only way to succeed.

That’s the main philosophy of Ellis who recently celebrated 25 years in the insurance business.

He’s owned Ellis Insurance in Elbow Lake with his wife, Vicki, for 10 years, purchasing the business in 1997 from Lloyd and Davon Sherwood. He previously worked at Farmers State Bank in Evansville where he specialized in casualty insurance and property insurance that covers homes, businesses and farms.

He and Vicki live at Erdahl between Evansville and Elbow Lake, so assuming ownership of the business in Elbow Lake allowed for a somewhat easy transition for Dean, going from working in Evansville to the insurance business near downtown Elbow Lake.

“We knew the previous owners — Lloyd and Davon — having been with them at various insurance meetings,” Dean said. “When we found their business was for sale, we thought this would be a good opportunity for us. We’ve been happy to serve people here in Elbow Lake and the surrounding area.”

Ellis said he does more work with health and life insurance than he did while working at the bank in Evansville.

“Crop insurance also takes a lot of our time here in Elbow Lake,” he said. “No matter what type of insurance you’re selling, it’s hard to be unique in this business. People have lots of choices, and most often it comes down to price. You better take care of your customers, and show that you really care about them as people.”

Ellis, his wife, Vicki, and agent Lorrie Benjamin have access to various insurance coverages for their clients. A few of them include Auto Owners and Western National for auto coverage, Farmers Mutual for crop insurance and smaller mutual companies.

Dean and Vicki have enjoyed living and working in the Evansville-Erdahl-Elbow Lake area for these many years. They have three children, Grant, Lynn and Naomi.

“We’re happy to serve people here, in this area of west central Minnesota,” Dean said. “Customer service — and caring about the people you serve — is what we’re all about.”