Hartland Insurance Agency owners Dave and Barbara Walker and Barbara’s sister Martha Leedle have a passion for serving their clients and the community.
HARTLAND — The team at Hartland Insurance Agency proudly celebrated 45 years in business this November.
Owners Dave and Barbara Walker and Barbara’s sister Martha Leedle have a passion for serving their clients. Today, that is through insurance, but the family is also well known in the community thanks to another business not usually associated with insurance — weddings.
The origins of Hartland Insurance began when Barbara and Martha’s father, Richard Bayer, opened an independent insurance agency in 1978. Soon after starting the agency, their father constructed a building at the current Hartland Insurance location on Old U.S. 23 that served as a banquet hall, hosting hundreds of weddings, showers and other special occasions over the years. The insurance agency rented office space from the hall.
“He started the agency when I was in college,” Barbara said. “In 1980, I married Dave. My dad told me that this (insurance) is a great industry and I should get involved. ‘You’ll really like it,’ he told me. Because I was a newlywed, I wasn’t sure if we should be involved.”
She asked herself if they all really needed to work together. In the end, she and Dave decided to come into the family business for a year. If it didn’t work out, they would do something else.
Forty-five years later that decision has been proven to be the right one for both the family and the communities they serve.
“It is a great industry,” Barbara said. “I love insurance. It’s great for people who like to help people. We helped my dad grow this business. He died in 1992 and here we are. We miss him terribly. He started a good thing.”
In addition to the memories made in the insurance side of the business, Barbara and Martha have many memories at the banquet hall ringing in special occasions with friends and neighbors — and stacking chairs, usually about 250 of them, following wedding receptions. One night in particular stands out to Barbara as she went into labor with her son following cleaning up after a wedding.
“Dave was out of town, which I thought would be okay since I was two weeks away from my due date. Soon after my sister dropped me off, my water broke. I called her and said ‘I don’t think we’re sleeping tonight,’” Barbara said.
The original building was lost to a fire in 2005. The family vowed to rebuild and did so, opening a new 6,000-square-foot building in the summer of 2006. The new building has plenty of room for the growing Hartland Insurance team and still offers a place to gather thanks to a meeting room incorporated into the building design used for education, team building, networking events and more.
In addition to serving the community through insurance offerings, Barbara said it’s important for the team to support the community that supports them. Dave was a member of the Fenton Board of Education for 18 years, many of which he served as president.
The business is a member of the Fenton & Linden Regional Chamber of Commerce, Hartland Area Chamber of Commerce, Flushing Area Chamber of Commerce, Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce, Lyon Area Chamber of Commerce, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber, Howell Area Chamber of Commerce, Grand Blanc Chamber of Commerce and the Flint and Genesee Group.
Hartland Insurance proudly sponsors many community fundraising events and the majority of their team members volunteer their time in many capacities, including serving on local nonprofit boards. Team members also are active in local Rotary clubs and the Moose International.
“We love being a part of the community,” Barbara said.
Between their offices in Hartland, Fowlerville and Flushing, they have 34 employees ready to serve every client’s needs. Barbara said their diverse group of employees of all ages and backgrounds work well together.
Hartland Insurance represents some of the finest property and casualty insurance companies in Michigan, helping them to handle any risks that comes their way.
“With the relationship that we have established with the companies we represent, we can insure everything from your home and auto to large manufacturing and contracting risks very competitively and comprehensively,” Dave said. “In addition to working with some of the best insurance companies in the state of Michigan, we also offer excellent customer service from the initial contact through the completion of your transaction.”
Hartland Insurance Agency is located just north of the M-59, U.S. 23 at 2532 Old U.S. 23 in Hartland. Contact them at 810-632-5161. Learn more at www.hartlandinsurance.com.
— Emily Caswell
