Agency History

Our brief history...

When anyone new asks us about Norris Insurance they are always amazed to find out that our main office is still located in the small town of Amboy that has a population of 300 to 400 people. But Amboy is where Norris Insurance started, by John Norris in 1959. Our second branch office in Bunker Hill began in 1971 and since then we have grown to 15 offices in north-central Indiana, but Amboy remains in the center of it all.

Although John started Norris Insurance in 1959, it was actually preceded by Paul B. Norris who sold insurance policies while working at the State Bank of Amboy. At Paul’s death, John began servicing those policies. Auto, home, farm and life policies were the core part of the early business in this farming community, but as Norris Insurance expanded its reach outward the types of policies quickly expanded to include business coverage and health and related products to the point where there is a multitude of services now available.

Over the years our number of offices grew as some agents decided to retire and sell their business to Norris Insurance, some agents decided to join us and in some cases we simply opened up a new branch in a new location. But we always felt that each town should have a local agent so we strived to keep an office in each town rather than closing any. So, from east to west you will find us from Hartford City to Flora and from North to South you will find us from Peru to Fairmount.

As you know, an agency is not about an office or a building, but about people. Our agents and customer service representatives have grown in number right along with our number of offices. We are all insurance professionals and although we come from a variety of backgrounds, there is one constant. Each of us wants what is best for our customers. We want to provide you with a quality insurance product that will deliver at claim time. We want to provide you with the customer service that you deserve.

About the “We’ll Come Running!”

You may have wondered, “Where did they get that slogan, We'll Come Running?”

Well, if you know John Norris even just a little, you probably realize that he has been running for quite some time. Actually, in 1976 when son Chris decided to go out for high school cross country, John at age 38 decided to start running also. John had run cross country in college, but had not run consistently since then. So, while John started running then, he simply never stopped.

At some point the agency realized that “We’ll Come Running” not only explained what John and some of the other agents did for fun and exercise, but that it was an extension of how Norris Insurance operated. Now, you don’t have to be a runner to work for Norris Insurance, but it is that spirit of dedication and consistency that a runner has that we want to model at Norris Insurance.