March 17, 2020

St. Patrick’s Day Looks Different This Year

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us at Forward Mutual!

Notice we’re 6-ft. apart?

On a more serious note, our Forward Mutual Insurance Company office is still open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but the well-being and safety of our employees, our policyholders, and our community is our top priority. As COVID-19 continues to impact our communities and world, we are committed as members of a larger global community to do our part to help slow the spread of this illness and help to keep our communities safe and healthy. Please limit your visits to our office, but we are here to answer any questions or concerns you may have. We are a phone call away.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Stay safe. Together, we will get through this.

Looking information on keeping your workplace safe?

Click here for info from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding coronavirus and the workplace.

February 26, 2020

By The Minutes: Post Script

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

It is now 2020 and so many things have changed since our mutual began 145 years ago.

Life for our insureds was very different back then. The only means of travel was by foot or horseback. People used cash to pay for their purchases. They communicated by speaking in person or writing a letter.

Today we drive our cars from town to town within minutes. We seldom use cash; instead we pay by checks, debit/credit cards or EFT (electronic funds transfer). Our communication options include phone, email, texting and more.

Life for our mutual 145 years ago was also different. Back then, company records were handwritten and stored in a large heavy safe. Our mutual would assess the policyholders for money to cover its property losses. Wisconsin laws allowed each mutual insurance company to insure property in only five townships within one county.

Today, Forward Mutual stores its records “in the cloud,” as we refer to our electronic file management. It charges advance premiums to policyholders and purchases reinsurance to cover its property losses. And as of January 1, 2020, Forward Mutual is a non-assessable mutual, meaning it can insure property throughout the state of Wisconsin (Wisconsin Insurance Chapter 611).

Yes, there have been many changes! I can’t help
wondering if the 35 members that formed Watertown Mutual and the 31 members that formed Ixonia Mutual could have foreseen the companies they started to be the strong and active mutual it is now 145 years later?

As we celebrate the success of these two mutuals and what they are today, we must also give credit to the nine individuals who served as secretaries for Watertown Mutual and the 11 who served as secretaries for Ixonia Mutual. They kept the minutes, to be sure, but they have also served as historians and preservationists. To have 145 years of our mutuals’ minutes is amazing.

Beside the minutes, credit needs to be given to two books to which I frequently referred. “Heritage of Ixonia” by Alida and Carl Jaeger for the Town of Ixonia history and photos and “The Towns Mutual” by James “Cliff” O’Donnell for the history of the town mutual industry in Wisconsin.

I am proud of Forward Mutual’s history. I’m sure the founders and the many who served as directors and officers would be equally proud.

Whatever the future holds for Forward Mutual, the company minutes will continue to serve as its history.

The future follows.

By the Minutes: The New Forward Mutual

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

When companies merge it’s inevitable that there will be extensive adjustments and reorganizations. The same was true for Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual when they merged to become Forward Mutual.

The mutuals approved their merger on December 12, 2009. Watertown Mutual closed its office on December 18 and its staff and company records were moved to the Ixonia office. Forward Mutual Insurance Company officially started on January 1, 2010.

*Sharon Wolff*, *who originally joined Watertown Mutual in 2007 and went on to serve 12 1/2 years as Forward’s office assistant, pulled many staples as she scanned each of Watertown Mutual’s files.*

The newly combined staff worked long hours to complete the merger. They had to image all the Watertown policies and files. In the next three months, they filled a quart jar with staples they had to remove from these files. This initial work was finally completed by the end of year.

Besides the work of merging, the day to day work of the mutual continued, including the largest single loss ever experienced by either company. A house exploded and was totally destroyed. As a result, over $335,000 was paid in property damage and $49,000 in legal, cause and origin investigation, and adjusting expense.

After Forward’s first year, Board Chairman Charles Crave suggested that the mutual discuss long range planning and visioning. In April 2011, with the help of an outside facilitator, all directors and staff participated in the mutual’s first vision workshop. They discussed the future and the ever-changing needs of our insureds, the insurance industry, and Forward Mutual. The board continues to hold such workshops every several years.

The Watertown Mutual office building was sold in late 2010. Meanwhile, Forward Mutual’s office was crowded with employees and it was necessary to hold the board meetings off site. In April 2011, the board of directors approved the expansion of the office building. This addition was complete by the next year and Forward celebrated with an open house on May 18, 2012. It was fortunate Forward built the addition when it did because shortly after the state department of transportation announced the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of State Highway 16 and American Street. In 2012, the state purchased one-third acre of Forward’s lot for the roundabout.

On April 1, 2014, Lois Wiedenhoeft became president and CEO of the mutual. She replaced Howard Wiedenhoeft, who retired after serving over 33 years.

True to its name, Forward Mutual has always been innovative in its business thinking. It maintained an online presence long before other mutuals had even considered a website. In 2015 Forward updated its website and began connecting to the community via social media. These new ways of marketing helped establish relationships with the mutual’s viewing community and allowed consumers to learn about Forward from whatever device they were using. Forward also added the convenience of paying online.

By the Minutes: Setting the Stage, Moving Forward with a New 2020 Vision

January not only delivered us a new year and new decade, it also brought important changes for Forward Mutual Insurance Company. On January 1, 2020, Forward converted from a town mutual to a non-assessable domestic mutual insurance company .

Forward’s service commitment is to provide products that protect policyholders from unexpected losses at the best value possible and have the ability to adapt to their diverse and changing needs. Our goal is to always provide responsive and knowledgeable service that ensures our policyholders peace of mind through financial protection and personal attention.

Forward Mutual Insurance Company was organized and incorporated in 1875 by local community property owners in Ixonia, Wisconsin and is now licensed to write property and casualty insurance throughout the State of Wisconsin. It currently writes primarily home and farm owners insurance policies.

Forward Mutual Insurance Company continues to operate by the founding tradition of “neighbor helping neighbor.” As a mutual insurance company, Forward Mutual is owned by its policyholders. The sole focus is in serving policyholders needs.

There are several requirements Forward Mutual will adhere to under its new 611 status. Because they bring more protection to our policyholders, Forward views them as beneficial to your mutual. In doing so, Forward will now participate in the Wisconsin Insurance Security Fund, a non-profit legal entity that protects Wisconsin resident policyholders.

The new year brings great optimism here at Forward Mutual as we continue doing business for the long term benefit of our agents and policyholders.

If you have any questions on Forward Mutual’s new status, feel free to email us or call 920-261-6616.

By the Minutes: Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual Merge and a New Company is Formed

When Concord Mutual and Watertown Mutual merged in 2005, it was for financial reasons, necessary because of Concord Mutual’s declining situation. Four years later, when Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual merged, it was for sound business reasons. Let’s take a look at how this second merger came about.

When Concord Mutual and Watertown Mutual merged in 2005, Steve Nelson was manager of Watertown Mutual. He had been managing for sixteen years and even though he was struggling with cancer, he worked carefully to bring the two companies together. In 2006, his illness forced him to resign.

The next two years were a time of great transition for Watertown Mutual. The first manager the mutual hired to replace Steve only stayed two months. The second only stayed nine months. Each time the position was vacant, a director filled in for the manager’s duties. Finally, in August 2008, Gordon Schmidt was hired to serve as manager.

Shortly thereafter, while attending a a state association sponsored meeting of mutual managers, Gordy met with Howard Wiedenhoeft, manager for Ixonia Mutual. He brought up the idea of a merger from a business and economic standpoint. Both mutuals were financially strong. Their policy counts and premium volume were similar. A merger would lead to business efficiencies by reducing expenses, with the idea that there would only be one office, one audit, one computer system and one manager.

Managing officers from Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual assumed positions for the new Forward Mutual’s board of directors, from left, Donald Bohn, Treasurer; Charles Crave, Chairman; Stephen Zillmer, Vice-Chairman; and Donald Reese, Secretary.

The idea of such a merger was not impulsive or in any way taken lightly. In early August 2009, management for both mutuals met again to discuss the feasibility. Later that month, they followed with another meeting, this time including the executive committees and auditors for both companies.

On September 29, the mutuals met again and this time they included their boards of directors. It was at this meeting that directors from both mutuals agreed to proceed with a merger plan. Because neither mutual was taking over the other, they decided to adopt a new name for the organization. They adopted new articles and bylaws. And the determined six directors from each mutual would make up the board of the new mutual. In essence, they were forming a completely new mutual. The one remaining factor would be the Ixonia Mutual charter. Because Ixonia Mutual was a limited mutual and it maintained an insurance company financial rating, it was decided the new company would continue using the Ixonia Mutual charter under its new name.

On December 12, 2009, a special joint merger meeting of Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual policyholders was held. Policyholders for both mutuals approved the merger, bringing Ted Degner’s thoughts from more than 30 years ago to fruition.

Forward Mutual Insurance Company started on January 1, 2010, and became a company dedicated to serving home and farm owners throughout southeastern Wisconsin.

Management for the newly formed Forward Mutual Insurance Company included, from left, Howard Wiedenhoeft, president and CEO; Stephen Zillmer, vice-chairman; David Flood, director; David Blank, director; Donald Bohn, treasurer; Mark Mallow, director; Roger Degner, director; Dale Wolf, director; Charles Crave, chairman of the board; Randy Wegner, director; Dale Zastrow, director; and Gordy Schmidt, vice president of marketing & product development. Holding the banner: Donald Reese, secretary; and Robert Salov, director.

By the Minutes: Concord and Watertown Merge

Board of Directors for Concord Mutual Insurance, December 17, 2005, l-r, David Flood, Pat Brandt, Howard Webb, Greg Fredrick, Ron Milbrath, Lloyd Zastrow, and Jack Kramer.

The strength Forward Mutual maintains today was built on company mergers of the past. In fact, company mergers have been part of the town mutual industry since town mutuals began.

In days gone by, mergers were often the result of a company’s financial stress and/or decline in the number of its policyholders. Nowadays, mergers most commonly occur for economic and business reasons.

Both Ixonia Mutual Insurance Company and Watertown Mutual Insurance Company show records of merger discussions dating as far back as the late 1960s. These were formal letters sent to neighboring mutuals expressing an interest in merging, however nothing resulted from these correspondences.

Interestingly, by the mid-1970s, Ixonia Mutual Secretary Ted Degner expressed his foretelling opinion that someday northeastern Jefferson County’s three town mutuals— Concord, Ixonia and Watertown—would someday merge into one.

In 2005, Concord Mutual contacted Watertown Mutual about a possible merger. Concord Mutual’s financial condition had deteriorated, it had not computerized its bookkeeping, and it carried only 240 policies and $156,000 of premium.

On August 15, 2005, Watertown Mutual’s board of directors approved “a plan for merger of Concord Mutual and Watertown Mutual, effective January 1, 2006, with Watertown Mutual being the surviving company”.

On December 17, 2005, Concord Mutual and Watertown Mutual held a special joint meeting and each of their policyholders approved the proposed merger.

Following that meeting, Concord Mutual Secretary Pat Brandt wrote to her fellow Concord directors. Her letter well-expressed the responsibility town mutuals have for their insureds. She wrote: “I’m so much at ease, knowing when the next windstorm starts blowing, or the fire truck goes by, or I see smoke in the distance, it will no longer be a major concern for our company. We no longer have to worry where the next penny will come from to cover the loss. There is no longer a concern of putting a huge possible penalty of an assessment on our policyholders. We can all rest assured everything is in better hands.”

Your Forward Mutual feels these same concerns yet today. Our continued goal is to keep your mutual financially strong and in good hands.

St. Patrick’s Day Looks Different This Year

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us at Forward Mutual!

Looking information on keeping your workplace safe?

By The Minutes: Post Script

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

Read more!

By the Minutes: The New Forward Mutual

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

Read more!

By the Minutes: Setting the Stage, Moving Forward with a New 2020 Vision

Read more!

By the Minutes: Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual Merge and a New Company is Formed

Read more!

By the Minutes: Concord and Watertown Merge

Read more!

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us at Forward Mutual!

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