April 28, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Insurance Service of Asheville
480 Executive Park, Building 3
Asheville , NC 28801
(828)253-1668
www.isa-avl.com
For more information, contact:
Jim Stickney, IV, President
(828) 253-1668
LONG-STANDING, FAMILY-OWNED INSURANCE SERVICE OF ASHEVILLE CELEBRATES 5OTH YEAR IN BUSINESS IN 2008
( Asheville, NC) The family-owned, independent insurance agency Insurance Service of Asheville (ISA) celebrates its 50 th business anniversary throughout 2008. Founded in June 1958 by James Stickney III, ISA has been a part of Asheville’s history and its growth, providing a wide array of insurance services to individuals, businesses and institutions in Western North Carolina and beyond. A living example of a small family business that has kept pace during a half-century marked by the expansion and conglomeration of multi-state and international corporations, ISA has thrived as a local company committed to the service of its local customers.
ISA is now owned and managed by Jim Stickney’s three children: James W. Stickney, IV (President,) Samuel M. Stickney (Senior Vice President,) and Mary Alice Stickney Arthur (Vice President of Administration.) Their father Jim Stickney passed away in 2005 survived by his wife Dottie, their children and grandchildren. The Stickney family continues to conduct its business with the values derived directly from their founder and father’s vision and leadership.
Insuring a wide range of clients from individual homeowners to large manufacturers and entire municipalities such as the City of Asheville, ISA has 20 employees in three divisions at its downtown Asheville headquarters: Commerical Insurance; Life, Health and Employee Benefits; and Personal Lines Insurance. The Stickney family members’ management involvement is not the only facet of the company’s endurance: most of ISA’s staff have been with the company for 20 years or more.
Early Company History: Jim Stickney entered the first grade in Asheville, after his family returned from Cuba where he was born in June 1926. Like many families of that generation, his was crushed by the Great Depression of the 1930s. Smart and driven, he graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in just three years. He married Dorothy (Dottie) Mathews Stickney in 1953 and then five years later, with not a nickel or hope of inheritance, founded Insurance Service of Asheville. From a room in the basement of Asheville’s Battery Park Hotel he typed out policies for carriers who believed in him and made their insurance coverages available for him to sell. One by one, he attracted customers, promising them he’d be there for them when needed. Steadily, by keeping that promise, his reputation and customer base grew. He was beholden to every policyholder he served. His loyalty to and appreciation for his customers has always been an inspiration to his family and employees.
Now: Insurance Service of Asheville (ISA) is one of the oldest and largest insurance agencies in Asheville, and one of the few remaining independents. Since 1958 ISA has provided insurance and benefits for people, businesses, organizations and institutions through a comprehensive offering of insurance lines and life, health and employee benefit plans. The ISA staff puts its years of experience, knowledge, education, and community relationships to work for its clients: from individual homeowners to multi-location manufacturers to entire municipalities. For more information about Insurance Service of Asheville, contact its offices at (828)253-1668 to request a brochure or to speak to an agent.