Kirby Roth Insurance is under new ownership. Kirby recently passed his Seward-area business on to his children. Pictured are, from left, Kerwin Roth, Kirby Roth, Kiann Stutzman and Katelin Policky.
When Kirby Roth started his insurance agency in 1995, he didn’t think his children would work with him one day.
“They all promised me ‘no,’” Kirby said. “No one of them was interested.”
But on July 1, Kirby sold his insurance business to his children, Kiann Stutzman, Kerwin Roth and Katelin Policky. Kirby’s wife is Karen.
Katelin, the youngest, worked in banking for six years before joining the family business. She said watching her siblings and dad work together is what brought her in.
“I feel really blessed that we all get along,” Katelin said.
Kirby grew up on a dairy farm, but said working in insurance looked interesting.
“Originally, I just liked working with people,” Kirby said.
He purchased a second agency in the mid-2000s and rolled it into one business—Kirby Roth Insurance.
Kerwin, the middle child, said he originally wanted to be a farmer. He grew up helping his uncles at the dairy.
“That’s all I knew,” Kerwin said.
When he began working in insurance, he began focusing on farm and crop insurance.
“We still work with farmers a lot,” Kerwin said.
While Kerwin works on the farm and commercial crop side, Kiann specializes in health insurance, and Katelin works in home and auto insurance. However, Kiann said they are all licensed for all lines of insurance and can help in each area.
The agency also has two customer service representatives, Linda Hammer and Heather Eckles.
Kiann said she loves working in health insurance because she enjoys meeting with her clients face-to-face, something Kerwin also said.
“Relationships with people make your job fun,” Kerwin said.
Kirby will continue working in an advisory role with long-term care and life insurance, and he’ll still work in financial services.
With his time off, Kirby said he likes to take care of the landscape at his church, East Fairview in Milford.
In fact, not only do Kirby’s children and their children attend East Fairview, his grandparents, parents and siblings, as well as Karen’s parents and siblings, go to church there, too.
“It’s just been generation after generation after generation,” Kirby said.
Kerwin said he credits his family’s ability to get along to the relationship they have at the church.
“We understand that the business we’ve been given here, we give the credit to God,” Kerwin said.
He said God has helped the business flourish, and Kirby added that pushes them to work with integrity and to do the best for their clients.
“That’s been instilled in us,” Kerwin said.
Kiann, Kerwin and Katelin each have three children of their own. The nine grandchildren all attend Seward Public Schools.
This summer, Kirby’s family also vacationed together—something they haven’t done in almost 14 years. They went to South Dakota.
“We all were together,” Kirby said.
“When we get together all as a family, there’s bound to be a kickball game. Every time,” Kerwin said.
Kirby said working with family makes the job more fun.
“We just have a great time here,” Kirby said.
“I wouldn’t want to work with anybody else,” Kiann said.
While the family gets along well, Kirby said nothing was given to his children. Before working at Kirby Roth Insurance, he required them to have a college degree and have at least two years of experience working somewhere else.
Kiann worked in property management and as an office manager for an interior design company in Arizona. Kerwin managed a retail store, and Katelin worked in banking.
“You pick up some good things,” Kerwin said of working in other fields.
Kirby added that those jobs taught them work ethic and how to deal with other people.
Kirby said parents want their children to be successful. He said he encouraged them to change the name of the agency.
But that’s not happening.
“They tell me now they did that so I’d know where to show up once in a while,” Kirby said, laughing.
Kerwin said they actually kept the name the same because it signifies keeping the business going.
“We understand that we wouldn’t’ve had this opportunity if he hadn’t went out on a limb, sold out of farming and started an insurance agency,” Kerwin said. “We’re proud that he’s our dad and we’re proud of the business he built before we came on board and what we continue to build.”
