I Cried. Not like a small tear, but like a choking, can’t-speak-for-a-full-20-seconds-that-felt-like-hours cry.
Yesterday, 7/28/2026, my business, Igloo Insurance, had our first birthday and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Northern Lancaster Chamber and Elizabethtown Chamber. I wasn’t expecting to get that emotional, but reflecting back on the journey thus far, years of intentions, plans, blood, sweat, and tears came rushing to the forefront of my mind, and it was overwhelming. In a good way, though. Like embarking on a hike you thought you were ready for and finally reaching the top of the mountain.
It’s difficult to explain a ribbon-cutting ceremony for your own business. It was quite the special occasion, and I didn’t realize it would be so special. It was a mixture of a wedding, birthday party, networking event, and open house. I’ll always remember it.
We had such a diverse group of people who were all connected in some way. My mom, brothers, nieces, nephews, my wife, kids, and father-in-law mixed with my bookkeeper, banker, landlord, insurance company representatives, industry associations, chambers, referral partners, other tenants, guests and patients of the building where my office is, and even strangers to me who came with a friend or may have been close chamber association members.
If I had been better prepared and less emotional, here is what I would have said:
This all started four years ago in my head. I was working for a top 100 agency, and one day it hit me. I realized my clients weren’t buying Agency A or Carrier B; they were buying Brian. And if I was going to do this for the next 30 years, I wanted to do it my way.
There are roughly 40,000 independent insurance agencies in the country, and I saw all the second- or third-generation businesses selling out to private equity, VC firms, and big banks. I wanted nothing to do with that. It’s turning into a David vs. Goliath industry.
I wanted to make sure my core values—Transparency, The Golden Rule, Balance, and Quality—were always at the forefront. It wasn’t until I met some folks from ERIE Insurance two February’s ago that what the ideas in my head became reality.
We talked about going corporate in Erie, PA, joining an existing agency, or starting a scratch agency from zero. I was hesitant, but my wife said, “Let’s go scratch.” My #1 supporter. (who unfortunately got caught in a whirlwind wrangling our kids, grabbing balloons from Stauffers, and fighting Roots Market traffic. She watched it all on video later).
I quit my job and put everything on the line. We opened here in Middletown, PA, on June 1st, 2025.
I wanted to share why we’re all here in Middletown.
- I had to be in Dauphin County per ERIE’s territory guidelines.
- I was driving up from where I live in Lititz (283 is my new best friend) so I wanted to be in Southern Dauphin County.
- Three Mile Island is hopefully being revamped with Constellation’s partnership with Microsoft, bringing hundreds of high-paying jobs to the area.
- Middletown has a lovely historic downtown charm that I think folks overlook.
- Penn State Harrisburg, with all of Penn State’s satellite campuses closing, is the second-largest campus and is poised to grow immensely. I’ll be graduated with my MBA from there in the coming years! (THREE MORE CLASSES!)
- We’ve got the Amtrak line and Harrisburg Airport. It’s a perfect hub between Harrisburg and Lancaster County.
In my opinion, it will be a desirable, growing “river town” like Columbia or Marietta in the years to come.
But it’s taken a village to get to where we are: helping over 60 businesses and over 120 personal households, hiring our first employee, bringing on an intern, and entering our second year in business.
I want to give a special thank-you to some folks in the crowd:
My mom, brother, father-in-law, and wife.
Rupal Patel of Bright Consulting Services, who helps me with bookkeeping, alongside her husband, Anish, who have been so supportive and provided a place to call home for Igloo. They even made special accommodations for us last minute with the thunderstorms.
Peter from C&N Bank, whose expertise in the insurance industry I rely on.
Tim Wonder of IA&B, who I just met in person today but have had many emails and phone calls with over the last year, helping me answer new agency-owner questions.
Gabriel Luber, who is such a wonderful human and has gone from working with mutual clients to being a friend.
And Liz Ackerman and Denise Grove from the Northern Lancaster and Elizabethtown Chambers for coordinating, promoting, and helping me navigate the local business community.
We have free ice cream for everyone from Jak Frost here in Middletown, who is utilizing their mobile ice cream trailer for the second time tonight. Check out our office space upstairs and grab a goodie bag. On-brand Ice Breakers and Snow Caps may or may not be included 😊
We have Legos, volleyball, and coloring for the kiddos, and you may even see an appearance from our mascot, Binder the Polar Bear.
Thanks again for being here and celebrating this milestone with us. Cheers to many years ahead.