Alonzo Fowler Kempton and Charles Kerr, over a campfire and a jar of whiskey, had an idea to team up with local farmers and insure their highly combustible threshing machines at lower premiums. the largest farm insurer in Canada. That spirit of community and looking out for one another re- mains, even more than 125 years later. The company, for its 125th anniversary last fall, celebrated by giving back to local charitable organizations — and leaving the donation decisions up to its employees. Employees were each given $125 to donate to a charity of their choosing, amounting to $500,000 in donations to thousands of charities in communities where the company operates. Wawanesa Insurance also offered up 16 donations in the amount of $12,500, asking employees to nominate a charitable organization in their area and vote for the top contenders. “Employees embraced the opportunities to determine who would receive the donations,” Haigh adds, “and these initia- tives resulted in an organic outpouring of employee pride and gratitude on social media.”
201 PORTAGE - 2ND FLOOR WITH VIEW TOWARDS PORTAGE AND MAIN Opportunity for a modern
space featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with incredible exposure to Portage & Main and newly renovated lobby.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 44
Wawanesa’s first office on 4th Street in Wawanesa, Man. Today, the building has been preserved as a museum. A wooden thresher, circa 1900, was a risky piece of machinery to insure, with straw-fired boilers that shot off sparks and caused fires. In the company’s early years, Wawanesa Insurance purchased a fire engine to help protect the Village of Wawanesa. Pictured on opposite page (clockwise)
‹
Wawanesa Insurance’s home office in Wawanesa, Man. Pictured below Supplied photos
SUMMER 2022 43
Powered by FlippingBook