Page 29 - BusinessWest July 11, 2022

Back in the 1980s, when Hanmer graduated from UMass Amherst, his father was the majority owner
of a firm known then as Field, Eddy, and Bulkley, but Hanmer didn’t go to work for him right away. When he later joined the family business, he started in sales but moved to the financial side when the treasurer suffered a heart attack and had to leave the company for some time. After his father retired in 1995, Hanmer stepped into the role of CEO.
It wasn’t long before he started to capitalize on a trend within the industry — many small, mom-and- pop operations struggling
to adjust to changes and technology began look- ing in earnest for exit strategies — to grow by acquisition.
Over the next two decades, the firm acquired a number of agencies, including the Curtis and Hodskins agencies in Monson, Aliengena in Palmer, LDS in Three Rivers, Meadows in East Longmeadow, Remillard in South Hadley, Buck- ley Bridge in Windsor Locks, and both BPI and Lawson, Marino & Bertera in Springfield.
The 160-year-old firm, later branded FieldEd- dy, was still growing its footprint when it became part of the HUB International family in 2014, where Hanmer remained in a leadership role for
“
around doing nothing every day and had a lack of purpose in my life. I said, ‘OK, I have to go do something. This is crazy; I’m too young. None of my friends are retired. I’m a golfer, but not a passionate golfer.’ So retirement didn’t sit well with me .”
three and a half years, then retired. For a while, anyway.
A Different Perspective
Looking back to his un-retirement decision early last year, Hanmer figures it was probably inevitable, pandemic or not.
“I’m very happy I made the call to do it. I’ve had people, friends in the business, say, ‘why did you get back into this business?’ But it’s a good business, it really is, and they know it.
“But after a while, it can get old,” he went on. “So for me, taking three years off and coming back was a like a recharge. I was in the business 30-something years, and after 30 years, anything can get a little tiring. You take a few years off and realize — in my case, at least — retirement wasn’t
Quite honestly, I was hanging
Sam Hanmer tried retirement, but it didn’t suit him, so he returned to the insurance business with a new venture
jumping back into the insurance business. After bidding on another agency and falling short, he purchased the two locations of LeBel, Lavigne
& Deady Insurance (in Chicopee and Spring- field) in May 2021, rebranding them as the Rush Insurance Group. Then, in November, he bought Towne Insurance Agency in Agawam, chang- ing the name to Towne Insurance Group; it may eventually be part of the Rush name as well.
“I got back in the business,” he said. “I needed something to do, and it’s what I knew.”
worth The word capable
Our employees LOVE working here for:
• Comprehensive benefits package • Flexible, hybrid work schedule
• AXiA Wellness Program
• Profit sharing participation
• Education fund
• Inflation relief stipend • Birthday off
Come join our team!
In Proud Partnership with
“AXiA” translates from Greek to mean “worth, capable, merit, value and worthiness”.
merit
value
worthiness
You can reach us at 413-788-9000 [email protected] www.axiagroup.net
“Insurance isn’’t Greek to us.”
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JULY 11, 2022 29