Plains Insurance has been providing clients in the Greater Edmonton region with knowledgeable, friendly and personalized service for more than 50 years. Plains Insurance is a full-service broker with access to a wide range of insurance products to meet every need: auto, home, commercial, recreational property/vehicle, life and disability, and speciality products including travel, host liquor, Errors and Omissions, and much more.
The brokers at Plains insurance are professionals with the ability to shop the marketplace on behalf of their clients. They will listen to you, work with you and come up with a solution that is unique and tailored to your particular situation. Many people have found that it is a definite advantage to work with an industry professional to search out, compare and place insurance on their behalf rather than spending hours on their own to obtain quotations, compare the information and then try to decide which is the best policy.
“The firm was purchased by our father, Ken, in 1984,” says Mike Leibel, President. “At that time, it was an existing real estate and insurance office that had been around since the late 1960s. I joined the firm in 1995. My brothers and now business partners, Jared and Adin, joined just a few years later. Ken retired in 2008.”
Over the decades, Plains Insurance has seen many changes in the industry including the migration to digital services. The family succession plan has also served to keep the business relevant and growing. However, the main reason the business has flourished over the course of so many years is because of their commitment to customer service.
“Here at Plains Insurance you always talk to a person, and it is usually with one of the owners,” says Mike. “We are overwhelmed by the loyalty of our clients and it is evident by the referrals they send us. We take great pride in our service so the best compliment they can give us is to refer a family member or friend. This is what our business is built on.”
Mike, Jared, and Adin expect all of their brokers and staff to provide the same high level of customer service for which Plains Insurance is known. Mike explains, “As with most independent businesses our greatest challenge is finding long-term, key staff to provide the level of attention and care that both our clients and we expect. We have always been successful in finding great co-workers but as our business grows there is always a need for more quality people to join our team.”
Insurance is not the easiest industry to be involved in. Many clients have difficulty justifying the expense when they derive no immediate tangible benefit. Yet insurance it is a necessity of life and, when disaster strikes, it brings people great comfort to know they are protected. In the event of a loss (claim), it’s usually due to a misfortune or tragedy such as an accident, robbery, fire or even death. In these situations, it takes a very special combination of respect and empathy to serve clients efficiently; often helping them through some of the darkest days of their lives.
“When a claim is handled quickly, professionally, and respectfully it makes me feel proud of my role in the process” says Mike. “Ultimately, people buy insurance to protect their assets and their family. To have a client acknowledge the support and assistance we as their broker provided during the claims process is validation of the service we provided. It also confirms the special relationships we have with our clients and reminds us of why we enjoy working in the insurance business.”
Plains Insurance supports numerous local charities and initiatives including but not limited to: St. Albert Sturgeon Hospice Association (SASHA), Canadian Progress Club St. Albert, Uncles and Aunts at Large, KidSport, Canadian Diabetes Association, Kids with Cancer, the St. Albert and Edmonton Food Banks, The Mustard Seed, and the JAIC Christmas Hamper project.
Mike is gratified to have worked alongside his family for nearly three decades. “Insurance is in the DNA of our family. My grandfather was involved in insurance, then my dad and now my brothers and me. We’ve all worked hard and the business has been good to us.”
“When you call Plains Insurance you will not be disappointed,” he concludes. “We are proud of the way we treat our clients. Our philosophy has always been the same: to treat our clients with respect and to provide them with the great service they deserve. We have never wanted to be the biggest but have always strived to do the best for our clients. We have learned that when we take care of our clients, the rest will take care of itself.”
Learn more at www.plainsinsurance.ca, and on Facebook.
