Town & Country

C M Y K MUTUAL ADMIRATION REDRIVER'SBEENINTHEBLACKFOR140YEARS WINNIPEGFREEPRESS,SATURDAY,MARCH22,2014 3 ALTONA Red River keeps rolling: Employees take a Big Bike Ride for charity. The company's newest building. Photos courtesy of Red River Mutual. By David Square For the Free Press A N ALTONA INSURANCE COMPANY WITH A COLOURFUL HISTORY WILL CELEBRATE 140 YEARS OF SERVICE NEXT YEAR. Red River Mutual was formed in 1875, when homesteaders in the Pembina Valley could not afford outrageous premiums charged by com- mercial insurance companies for fire protection. They formed the Mennonite Insurance Organ- ization, a volunteer-run company operated by churches until 1941, when a charter was granted to the Red River Valley Mutual Insurance Co. Policies issued in 1941 generated $12,000 of premium revenue, more than enough to cover the company's first claim of $15 in early 1942. That same year, headquarters was moved to Altona from Plum Coulee, where it had been housed at the farm of secretary-treasurer H.D. Penner. And growth has been steady ever since. In 1953, Red River Mutual entered into a re- insurance contract with Lloyd's of London so it could underwrite larger risks. It was a timely move — several months later southern Manitoba was devastated by 90-mile-per-hour winds, lead- ing to 600 claims and a total payout of $40,000. In 1965, The Canadian Mennonite Mutual Insurance Co. and Red River Mutual merged, a move that expanded premium revenue to $214,000 and enabled the company to under- write commercial risks. In 1993, when record rainfall hit the province, resulting in nearly 1,400 sewer backup claims and over $11 million in payouts, the company survived the storm. Four years later, it merged with the Manitoba Mennonite Mutual Insurance Co. of Steinbach and at the end of the millen- nium, it purchased a share of the Farm Mutual Reinsurance Plan Inc., which enabled the com- pany to provide reinsurance coverage and un- limited property catastrophe coverage. At the same time, it obtained a licence to sell general insurance in Saskatchewan. In 2008, a new CEO was appointed by the board of directors when Harv Heinrichs retired after more than 35 years of service to the company. "Brian Esau, a former executive member of the Steinbach Credit Union, was installed as president and CEO with a mandate to rejuvenate a long-standing company," says Chad Friesen, Red River's vice-president of Sales and Marketing. Under Esau's guidance, the company weath- ered the worldwide recession of 2008-09 by be- ginning to diversify its portfolio to compete in the rapidly changing insurance marketplace. With banks and other insurers trying to move into the residential market by selling policies on the Internet, the company put more focus on commercial and farm policies. "We decided to enlarge our commercial and farm underwriting, as it is a more consultative product. Very few farms or businesses, for ex- ample, operate the same way. They require insurance tailored to their particular needs," Friesen says, adding Red River believes that in- surance is too important to be sold as an over- the-counter product. "If a time comes in your life when you need to use a policy, you should be well aware of the process required to collect on your coverage." To this end, Red River has more than 200 brokers throughout Manitoba and Saskatch- ewan who are willing to consult in person with potential customers, offering the best coverage for their particular needs. The company recently completed a new 10,000-square-foot building on Pembina High- way in Winnipeg to handle the growing commer- cial underwriting side of the business. In 2013, Red River wrote $77 million dollars in premiums. It has sustained an impressive growth rate over the last eight years and now has more than 80 employees, up 50% since 2008. The company has also increased its public profile by becoming involved in community activities, including an initiative by the local high school to support the food bank, as well as sponsoring the Red River Mutual Trail at The Forks in Winnipeg. Employees are encouraged to participate in fundraising activities such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Big Bike Ride and the com- pany contributes to the Altona Community Foundation, the Altona Minor Baseball League, the Boundary Trails Foundation, The Bethesda Foundation, the Manitoba Institute of Child Health and the Manitoba Firefighters' Burn Fund. Last year, it was the first recipient of the Altona & District Chamber of Commerce Busi- ness Excellence Award for a company with more than 11 employees. Plans for the company's 140th anniversary have yet to be revealed, but it's a good bet it will be a safe celebration.❚ HOME STRETCH FIELD OF DREAMS TAKING SHAPE IN ALTONA It's not pitch perfect just yet, but Altona's new full-size baseball diamond is on track to see some action this summer. "We're thinking that maybe we'll be able to play a game in late July on it, in conjunction with the Sunflower Festival's 50th anniversary," Altona Field of Dreams committee member Ken Wiebe says. "We won't be ready for the start of the season. Just trying to get the field playable is our first step." The project — named for the inspiring 1989 Kevin Costner movie FieldofDreams — is being under- taken in three stages, the first of which was completed last fall. "The essential thing was to get the playing surface ready, with the grass and the red clay in and the dugouts and those essentials," Wiebe says. The infield grass didn't sprout until October, and a backstop and fencing have to yet to be installed, but the committee hoped to have the field ready for play in 2014 and that dream is within reach. Baseball is big in Altona, which will host the National PeeWee AAA cham- pionships Aug. 15-17 on smaller base- ball diamonds across 10th Avenue from the new complex. There are four diamonds at the older complex. Two are suitable for mosquito and peewee games, one is for bantam games and one is full-size. But the town needs two major-league diamonds to ac- commodate tournaments involving 10 or more teams. The new complex, built on land provided by the Town of Altona, will be called Access Field in appreciation of a large donation from the Access Credit Union. Altona has been part of the Mani- toba Baseball Association for more than 30 years and has successful high school, midget and Manitoba Junior Baseball League teams. The regular season starts in mid- May and wraps up in July. Red River believes that insurance is too important to be sold as an over- the-counter product. ► Quality window, door and sunroom products ► MB based manufacturing facility ► On-time delivery and great service TRAINING QUOTING PROGRAM SALES MATERIALS FREE FOR YOU! 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