ORWIGSBURG — An insurance agency that has had a presence in downtown Schuylkill Haven since 1879 has moved to Orwigsburg.
Doug Gosch, president of Pflueger Insurance Agency Inc., said the move is for the betterment of the community and the business.
“I think there is going to be some people disappointed that we moved and are going to miss a main street business that has been there for 137 years,” Gosch said.
However, the new location at 1209 Centre Turnpike, Suite 1, is one way the company is changing with the times.
The business was at 11 E. Main St., Schuylkill Haven, since the start of the insurance agency. He has since sold the former site to Hess Catering. Gosch said a company he owns, Gosch Holdings LLC, owns the building at the new site, with the insurance company as a tenant. The move was made official Monday.
The new location has a modern building, handicapped access and a “greater visual presence” in the community. He said the borough had been good to the business that was started by his great-great-grandfather, Milton Pflueger, a native of Schuylkill Haven, in 1879.
He does not know why his relative started the business all those years ago. He showed his first original insurance appointment for Farmers Fire Insurance Co., York.
“When you represent any insurance company they have to appoint you, and this is the original appointment from Farmers Fire Insurance Company of York, Pennsylvania, to my great-great-grandfather, Milton Pflueger. And we still represent Farmers Fire Insurance Company to this date.”
The business has been bought by relatives right through its current ownership by Gosch and Brent Jones, who is the vice president.
“Nothing was ever given. Every generation purchased the agency from the prior generation,” Gosch said.
He said his great-great-grandfather was in a central location on East Main Street back in the day, something he did by locating along Route 61. The new building is near site where the agency had a second office since March 2012.
The business, which has more than 2,500 clients, sells different types of insurance including automobile, life and commercial insurance. They include clients in the county and some outside the county. He said he has a client in New York for 10 years that supplies garments and clothing to Wal-Mart.
Gosch thinks the secret to the success of the insurance company was “good succession plans” and “dedication to the county and excellence in service.” He said the ingredients for the current success the company is experiencing is keeping pace with the times, as evidenced by the new location, and embracing technology.
“We are completely paperless,” he said, adding people can sign documents electronically.
They can also sign paper documents there that they will then scan and destroy. The agency is licensed in three states, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The company’s website, www.pfluegerinsurance.com, has live chat where customers can talk to agents, get a quote, manage their policy and even file claims.
Gosch said he thinks people like the fact they take time to explain what they may need for their individual circumstances.
“Insurance is a very complicated product. It’s not once size fits all. We do our best to educate our clients,” he said.
He said they are an independent agency and represent 20 companies so they can find insurance that suits the needs of customers. Six people work at the agency, his son, Alex, 21, is among them. Gosch says he likes what he does.
“You learn a little bit about everybody else’s business,” he said.
Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. All other times, appointments are needed.