Lambton Mutual Insurance Company

In 1875, a group of enterprising Lambton County farmers formed Lambton Mutual Insurance Company. "There were very few insurers in Canada at that time, and none of them would insure these farmers, so they banded together and decided that the premiums of many would pay the losses of the few," shares President and CEO Debbie Van Eyk. "From its inception, Lambton Mutual has supplied insurance protection at reasonable cost, and the community benefits from any business surplus or profit."

Lambton Mutual Insurance Company provides residential, automobile, farm and commercial insurance. "Farm insurance remains a staple for us, but almost half of our premiums are automobile, which is interesting because we only started offering auto insurance in 1980." Lambton Mutual is governed by a Board of Directors who are elected from among the policyholders. "All policyholders are participating members who can vote on important decisions that direct the successful operation of the company. We are accountable directly to and exist for our policyholders. We tailor our solutions to what we are hearing from them." Lambton Mutual also offers value-added services like free legal and human resources advice for commercial policyholders and post-secondary scholarships for children of policyholders.

When a Lambton Mutual policyholder has an insurance claim, they receive prompt local customer service and claims assistance. "We offer claims assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and our claims are all handled internally with our own trained adjusters. We always look for ways to honor the claim rather than trying to find ways to get out of paying it." The employees at Lambton Mutual genuinely care about their customers. "When something traumatic happens, our employees are there to guide our customers through the claims process from start to finish."

The insurance industry is very competitive and attracting talented employees can be challenging, but Lambton Mutual has many employees who have been with them for over 25 years. "Our employees are our best ambassadors, so we invest in them by offering on-the-job training, paying for the cost of insurance designations, and providing a healthy and fair workplace." Lambton Mutual also has a team of trusted agents and brokers who educate people about insurance and what their policy does and does not include.

Lambton Mutual Insurance Company takes great pride in being an active contributor in the community. When the company makes a profit, the Board of Directors can choose to authorize a refund of premiums to policyholders or to support a local initiative. Lambton Mutual has made donations to Strathroy Middlesex Hospital Foundation Breast Assessment Centre, Brain Injury Association Sarnia-Lambton, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwestern Ontario, Moore Museum, Alvinston ProRodeo, Thedford Splash Pad and many more. "Our board recently decided to contribute $25,000 to the restoration of the Kineto Theatre in Forest. It is very important to all of us to be a part of our local and surrounding communities by volunteering and by continuing to donate to worthy causes. We love this community, and we are so thankful that we can give back."