THUNDER BAY -- Jones Insurance is celebrating 40 years of service to the Thunder Bay community and region and continues to grow in the 2024 economic environment.
This year, the insurance brokerage is expanding its service by unveiling its Co-Working Corner in partnership with Goods & Co., as well as revealing a new look and feel for the Jones Insurance brand.
Jeff Jones, the company's president, described the new Co-Working Corner as a space for professionals, entrepreneurs and newcomers to connect and create, produce quality work, conceptualize new ideas, and form lasting relationships that will shape the future of local business.
"When Goods and Co. came to fruition, we knew we had to be a part of it," Jones said.
"2024 is a milestone year for us, and we wanted to find a way to plant our flag and elevate other local businesses and entrepreneurs. We collaborated with Maelynn Hurley and Nora Northway to design the space (because their work) parallels our ethos and mission: to champion our community through partnership, innovation and care."
From its beginning in 1984, Jones and Associates Insurance was helmed by Mike Jones and has grown into a team of 25 people tripling its staff. Jones said they are proud to be a smaller, independent brokerage that "puts in the work" to keep up with the big players.
He said the new branding and name change is a tribute to the company's decades of history, its local roots and reinforces its brand promise of "we're with you."
"We felt it was time for a modernized visual identity, one that reflects the company's past but also who we are today and how we're evolving with our clients, " he told The Chronicle-Journal.
The company has worked with the Northwestern Ontario Innovation Centre and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation to secure grants that helped them "level up their technology" to support a scaling sales and service team as well as introduce a full-time marketing position.
Like most companies, Jones Insurance navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting and making changes. He added that while they have been back in person for some time, some of the elements have stuck.
"We have both full and part-time positions working remotely and continue to lean on some of the technology that got us through the dark days of 2020-21," he said.
Jones said they experienced success with a focus on hiring for core skills, attitude, and a passion for growth rather than industry experience.
"We are committed to building our training and compensation models that are meaningful to our staff and giving them the tools and opportunity for advancement to continuously grow," he said.
The Chronicle-Journal
