The Beginning of Holden Insurance

In 1868 Ebenezer J. Ormsbee started practicing law and insurance in Brandon, VT. When Ormsbee was elected to Governor of the state of Vermont he sold the practice to Frank W. Williams and it became Williams Insurance Agency. This transaction established the History of Holden Insurance. In 1980 Steve and Elaine Kellogg purchased the Brandon, VT insurance agency and in 1985 Williams Insurance merged with the Holden Agency out of Randolph. Between 1985 – 1990 the Holden Agency acquired two additional local insurance offices in Rochester and South Royalton. In 1988 Paul Gladding moved his family to Brandon and joined the agency as a producer. Three more hometown agencies were acquired between 1996 – 1999 in the towns of Middlebury, Pittsford and Rutland. In 1999 the owners of Holden Agency decided to part ways and the acquired agencies were divided up between the departing owners.

Introducing Holden Financial Services, Inc.

Steve Kellogg kept the locations on the West side of the state and teamed up with Paul Gladding to form Holden Financial Services, Inc, which was a consolidation of Williams Insurance in Brandon, VT (acquisition of Harry McKinley agency formally of Pittsford, VT was combined with the Williams Agency), Hubbard Agency in Middlebury, VT, and the Rutland, VT insurance agency formally owned by Jim Howard. As the business began to grow the two owners decided it was time to bring in someone to help manage the day to day operations of the agency. In 2003 Darlene Palmer joined the organization and would later become the third owner acting as Chief Operating Officer.

 

Holden Insurance Branding

The history of Holden Insurance continued in 2007 when we acquired Johnson Insurance (which included Bristol Insurance and Gary Baker Insurance) and merged it with our Middlebury, VT insurance agency. 2009 brought about the beginning of technology innovation that allowed us to consolidate our three small locations into two large offices located in Middlebury and Rutland, Vermont under the trade name of Holden Insurance.

“Supporting Vermonters long noted for their independence just seems natural.”

“Holden Insurance is committed to providing comprehensive insurance counseling and customized insurance programs to businesses, individuals and families. We will sustain a leadership role as a premier insurance agency by continuing to evolve our service to meet the needs of today’s consumer; by attracting and retaining invaluable people who support the vision of our company; and by enhancing the strategic relationships with our carrier partners.”