We are thrilled to share some exiting news: Van Allen Insurance is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. Our family-owned business was founded in 1989 by Ken and Barbie Van Allen, and we are proud to have been serving the community for over three decades.
As a family run business we understand the importance of personal connections and building long term relationships with our clients. We are grateful for your trust and loyalty over the years, and we attribute our success to your continued support.
When Ken and Barbie started Van Allen Insurance in a small office in an apartment building at 242 Inkerman Street East in Listowel (behind Giant Tiger) they had a vision to provide exceptional service and top quality insurance products to their clients. Today, we remain committed to that vision, and we strive to exceed your expectations with every interaction.
Our growth and success is largely due to the magic of our team. It’s the people we surround ourselves with that make us great. Our staff and the companies we partner with are why we are still here and thriving 35 years later.
It all started when Ken and Barbie purchased an Elma Mutual agency from a very well known local agent, Jerome O’Grady. Elma Mutual was a smaller Farm Mutual located in Atwood, Ontario. Ken and Barbie put their heart and soul into that agency, it was a big investment for them, and they absolutely loved the constant interaction with people, building relationships and making new friends along the way. Shane was young, but saw value in the insurance industry so after completing high school he enrolled in the insurance program at Fanshawe College. He “officially” joined the agency in 1993.
In 1996 when Bob Rae was lobbying for government run insurance, Ken and Barbie felt the need to be proactive to the potential of this and moved the agency into the tall grey 2 story residence they called home at 444 Wallace Avenue North in Listowel.
In 2001 the decision was made to expand their offerings to more than one insurance carrier and Van Allen Insurance Agency, became Van Allen Insurance Inc. Now as a brokerage they would partner with more insurance companies and be able to provide more options for their insureds.
In December of 2002 as the brokerage continued to grow, the Van Allen Family saw great value in the old, New Apostolic Church at 622 Elma Street West in Listowel. Ken and Barbie made the purchase, removed some pews, added some temporary office walls and felt very blessed in their new location.
In 2003 Ken and Barbie received a resume from a Wilfrid Laurier University student looking for summer work. Sarah Wilson was the daughter of long term clients and although she was pursuing an accounting career much like her Mom, she was intrigued by the insurance world.
In May of 2007, Van Allen Insurance Inc. purchased Cargill Insurance in Guelph and NOVA Insurance Group was formed. Mike Nolan moved his family from Seaforth, Ontario to Guelph to manage this new location which already represented very similar markets to the Listowel location.
October of 2007 Shane and Sarah married.
In 2008 shortly after Ken’s open heart surgery Barbie slowly started stepping down from the daily responsibilities of running the brokerage.
May 1, 2008 NOVA Insurance Group relocated from 590 York Road in Guelph to 1398 Gordon Street in Guelph.
May 1, 2011 Shane and Sarah Van Allen purchased Van Allen Insurance. The beginning of the 2nd generation of the insurance brokerage.
May 12, 2012 was a dark day for the Van Allen Family as they lost their co founder, mentor and father, best friend and husband. Ken passed away at 77 years of age. Ken and Barbie were an unstoppable team, who each had different strengths, and when combined were an absolute power couple.
November 20, 2012 Sarah and Shane’s son, Wade Kenneth Van Allen was born.
May 1, 2016 NOVA Insurance Group moved to 188 Waterloo Street in Guelph.
October 2017 Shane, Sarah and Mike Nolan decided it was better branding to include NOVA Insurance Group under the VAII name, so NOVA was rebranded to Van Allen Insurance Inc. in Guelph.
January 1, 2018 Shane and Sarah found a great opportunity to purchase Van Dyk Insurance Brokers in Brantford. The office in Brantford was closing so the Listowel office was adequately staffed to take on those clients without physically opening an office in Brantford.
January 2021 Shane and Sarah felt it was time to update the “temporary” office walls Ken installed at 622 Elma Street back in 2002 and completely gutted the old church while staff worked remotely from home.
2023 brought a new partnership with Ben Zavitz/Wealth Labs and we are excited to be able to now offer the amazing financial services Ben offers.
35 years later we have gone from a small 1 room agency office of 2 staff, to a brokerage with offices in Guelph and Listowel and currently employ 19 amazing individuals. Our Listowel location is set to receive a major face lift with a 1500 square foot addition planned for summer 2024. The new addition will include a new reception area, board room and offices to keep up with the continued growth.
As we celebrate this incredible milestone we are forever grateful for every single soul who has been a part of this journey. There have been so many. Your faith and support and your belief in our dream have meant the world to us.
We can’t wait to see what the next 35 years will bring!! Will we see a 3rd generation take over?