ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Al Shank Jr. died in early 2024, leaving behind a legacy to the Liberal community, including his work in many civic groups and non-profit organizations, including his longtime work with International Pancake Day.
Shank was also the longtime owner of Al Shank Insurance (ASI), an agency he acquired from his dad, Al Shank Sr., upon his death.
With Shank’s children pursuing other careers, his daughter as a physician’s assistant and his son a successful graphic designer, the business would no longer be in the family’s hands, and prior to his death, Shank began working to make sure his agency was in good hands.
“He had actually been in talks with our CEO, Shawn, for quite a while,” Iron Insurance Account Executive Katie Taylor said.
This put the wheels in motion for Iron to acquire ASI, and while Shank had planned for the transition to come before his death, his health took a turn. Thus events did not take place as planned.
“We had to come in quickly to take care of things and service the needs of the clients,” Taylor said.
Knowing Iron’s leadership, Taylor said Shank knew the company would be a good home for his agency and a good fit for his clients and his team.
With a mission to provide local service in the communities it resides in, Taylor said Iron Insurance is a collection of about 15 small Kansas agencies that have something special about them.
“They partnered together to create client services to provide access to certain things the smaller agencies aren’t able to do and to provide more market access,” she said. “The more ability to provide competitive pricing and quoting and the more markets you have to offer your clients, the better their options are going to be.”
Through these strategic partnerships, Taylor said Iron Insurance has built what could be considered a large agency, but a closer look shows the company is made up of small offices run by members of the community.
“Almost every office Iron acquires is typically brought on as an owner partnership,” she said. “The situation with Shank Insurance is different because Al’s health required it to be different. Most locations are run by a partner with ownership in the agency.”
Instead, Taylor said Iron Insurance’s desire is to have ownership and community involvement in every office from a local resident.
“They don’t want this to be a situation where some big entity comes in and buys someone, and all their management needs are outsourced out of town,” she said. “We try to keep everything in the community, and if someone is working on your business that isn’t in the community, there’s a great chance they’re close by.”
Iron Insurance has offices in Garden City, Hugoton, Cimarron and Scott City in addition to its newest location at 544 S. Kansas Ave. in Liberal, as well as in some of the area’s smaller communities.
Taylor said the company is not a giant agency, but because of strategic partnerships, it does have the capabilities of those agencies, along with local service and support.
“The people taking care of you are your friends and neighbors,” she said.
“It was a time for a refresh, and it’s important to us that we are able to service the community we represent,” she said.
ASI’s former home was at 24 W. Second Street, and Taylor said that location was not as welcoming and accessible as the new South Kansas location of Iron Insurance.
“We knew we needed a space that would be accessible to the community we serve,” she said. “We want our clients to feel welcome when they come in and not to have difficulties in coming in.”
The building on South Kansas was remodeled for Iron Insurance’s use, and Taylor said much of the upgrade was done with handicapped community members in mind.
“We wanted to make sure we were able to serve everyone,” she said.
Likewise, Taylor said the location fit the needs of the company.
“It’s on Main Street in the heart of the community, and we’ve got a great partnership with French Construction,” she said.
French Construction is located just to the north of Iron Insurance, and Taylor said officials from that company have been great to agency workers.
“We’ve had a wonderful working relationship with them before we knew we needed a building, and it seemed like a logical choice,” she said. “We are very particular on making sure we do business with, especially our clients, but certainly within our community, and when we have the opportunity to rent from another local business, we thought that’d be perfect. They needed somebody to come in and do some lease improvements on this business, so it worked out well for them. It worked out well for us, and it’s been fantastic.”
Taylor said French Construction did a phenomenal job remodeling the building.
“French did everything for us as far as getting the place ready to move in, and we had a local office supply company we partnered with to bring in the furniture,” she said. “Once that was done, we really just had to put a little decor out.”
Tuesday, the Liberal Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting, and Taylor said with Iron Insurance’s Liberal office now officially open, she is excited to be in a wonderful space that is welcoming to the community.
“That’s what we wanted,” she said. “Our business is here to serve the members of our community, and to have a space that welcomes them in and fits our needs and is comfortable for our clients is really important. I’m so thrilled.”
Taylor too is excited to see where Iron Insurance can go from here.
“We have a lot of potential in this town, and I would love to see what we can do with it,” she said.
The ribbon cutting came amidst the start of the holiday season, and Taylor said she is glad she now gets to be part of the future of Iron Insurance.
“I’m thankful for my family and my community, and I am very thankful when I was approached to come on and fill this role, I took the risk,” she said. “The company, the culture, the clients, it has been a very positive experience. I am really happy I did that.”
