The staff of P.A. Insurance Ltd. in Prince Albert. (Submitted photo/P.A. Insurance Ltd.)

By Ian Gustafson

Lifetime of insurance

Long time owner of P.A. Insurance Ltd. sells to international company

Jan 7, 2021 | 12:12 PM

P.A. Insurance Limited, owned by Ron Wesolowski for over 40 years, has been sold to HUB International Limited. The deal was announced last month.

While Wesolowski will no longer be manager of the business that was originally established in 1908, he’ll still be around to offer service to his clients.

“It was time for me to look at an exit strategy for our family and I did not have any children coming into the business, so I wanted to be able to have a choice of having a succession plan and at the same time be able to stay in the business,” Wesolowski told paNOW.

He described the sale as one of the most emotional times he has experienced.

“What made it easier was that I could in fact stay on and deal with clients we’ve had for years, a lot of them right from day one from when I started in the business,” he said.

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Apart from one full-time employee who is retiring after 40 years, Wesolowski said all staff members will remain in their positions.

“We have four other people who have been on an average with us for about 30 years,” he said. “We had a lot of dedicated staff and I owe my success to the staff that we had for all that time and that’s why it was such a huge family situation for me as far as an insurance family goes.”

Emily Proulx, who has been with them for over 30 years will take over as manager.

He said the insurance industry has changed over the years with the advancement of technology. Everything is being done faster, and they can do more online. They have been able to stay open during the pandemic as an essential service which has also increased the use of technology.

“But at the end of the day it’s still only a piece of paper that we’re selling and it’s peace of mind and it’s protection for our clients and we have a model that says that ‘we’ll be there when you need us’ and we’re serious about that,” Wesolowski said.

“I’m just really so happy that we’ve put the right people in place and in a position to succeed,” he said.

President and CEO of HUB International Keith Jordan sent paNOW a statement via email explaining they’re staying in the same location on 499 15 Street E.

They will bring in updated technology, phone systems and other technological improvements.

“We will be keeping all of the staff and will be looking for at least one salesperson and maybe more,” Jordan said. “Prince Albert is a thriving city, and we believe there is a lot of opportunity.”

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Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow