Hartland-based insurance agency Vizance Inc. plans to add Ripon-based Diedrich Agency, effective Jan. 1. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Diedrich Agency was established in 1923 by Carl Diedrich. It has 28 employees at offices in Ripon, Berlin, Fond du Lac, Oshkosh and Green Lake. The agency focuses on business, farm and crop, home and auto, and individual health insurance, as well as employee benefits.
Vizance, which last year changed its name from RC Insurance Services Inc., was established in 1978 by Bob and Terri Cardenas. It specializes in risk management, business insurance, employee benefits, personal insurance and financial services solutions for companies, families and individuals. Vizance has 97 employees at offices in Appleton, Hartland, Kaukauna, Kenosha and Oshkosh.
As a result of the combination, the Diedrich Agency will become a Vizance company. Current Diedrich owners and principals Drew Diedrich and Tobin Storzer will become shareholders at Vizance. Vizance hopes to retain all of Diedrich’s employees in the transaction, said Sarah Ocampo, director of operations. The companies have overlapping locations in Oshkosh, which they plan to combine into one office.
“…this partnership will add a great deal of talent to our team,” Ocampo said. “We’re currently in a strong growth mode, and we’ll continue to look for other agencies with outstanding cultures to join us.”
“We are very excited to partner with Drew, Tobin and the rest of the Diedrich team,” said Jeff Cardenas, president of Vizance. “Their expertise, culture and deep client relationships converge perfectly with our business model.”
“The industry has changed a great deal since my grandfather Carl started selling insurance. It’s a much more complex and competitive business now,” Drew Diedrich said. “From the very beginning, our agency has prioritized and valued the relationships with our clients and the trust they place in us to meet their insurance needs. This new partnership with Vizance will bring significant resources to benefit our clients in an ever-changing insurance landscape.”
Last year, Vizance acquired Valley Insurance Associates in Appleton to expand into the northeast portion of the state. And in September, Vizance merged with Kenosha agency Sparks Insurance, expanding its geographic reach into the Racine/Kenosha area and adding seven additional employees. The company has also been growing organically. This fall, it was named a Master Mettle winner in the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce’s Future 50 list of fastest-growing companies in southeastern Wisconsin.
