Agency Profile: Wonder Women

Hobson Insurance

Hobson, Montana
Founded: 1995
Employees: 14

When Hobson Insurance founder Dale Longfellow noticed local sporting goods stores had trouble getting insurance, he saw an opportunity. The entry point? A buying group that enabled independent stores to buy merchandise together in order to compete with big-box names. The agency joined forces with the buying group, becoming its preferred insurance provider.

“A lot of stores have problems because they sell guns, and a lot of insurance companies didn’t want to deal with it,” says Misty Longfellow-Kriskovich, second-generation co-owner. “So we came up with solutions. We have underwriting authority to do things that other agents can’t because it is our focus.”

Today, Hobson has a national reach and serves a variety of categories, including archery dealers, hardware stores and more.

KRISTY LONGFELLOW-HODIK, OWNER

When we have the endorsement of the whole buying group, they put a lot of faith in us. A lot of these businesses are smaller and family owned and operated just like us. Other agencies are targeting huge commercial accounts, so they want to put the little guys in a service center. We give them that service and care.

We feel like if our employees are happy, our customers are happy. There is not one person on this team that is any more important than anyone else. We care about our employees, and they in turn care about the customers.

SHERRY HILL, LICENSED AGENT

I’ve always worked in the customer service industry. Once I came here, I saw how much of a role customer service really plays in the growth of our agency. By going that extra mile, we’re going to retain our business, they’re going to tell other people what we’ve done and we can bring new business in. Our customers pay a membership fee to be in these buying groups, and we’re considered the preferred agent. They are expecting a higher level of service. If we can provide it, they are going to stay with us even in times of rate increases.

I’m really proud of who I work for and how we have grown. The more we grow, the more opportunity I have to be here.

MISTY LONGFELLOW-KRISKOVICH, OWNER

I’m really proud of the fact that our agency is owned by two women. I remember my dad being on client calls and saying “Let me do my homework on that.” Guess who did the homework? Me. It was hard to come into the insurance industry as a young woman, but I had a lot of good mentors. I figured out the way to play on a level playing field was to get your education.

Many agencies say, “Service is what makes us different,” but we take it above and beyond in getting to know our customers personally. My dad always said, “Do what’s best for the customer, and everything will fall into place.”

Photo by Thomas Lee Photography