Mirror photo by Walt Frank / Complete Insurance Services office manager Vince Burr (left) chats with owner/founder John H. Eichelberger Jr.

Complete Insurance Services is marking 25 years in business in October and owner/founder John H. Eichelberger Jr. expects his business to continue to grow.

“When I hit five, ten years, I thought it was a big deal. Twenty-five is pretty good. When I made it to ten years, I was more excited than 25,” Eichelberger said. “At the beginning, you don’t know if you are going to make it.”

Eichelberger started his career as first deputy register of wills and recorder of deeds in the Blair County Courthouse from 1979-84. In the meantime, he worked as an insurance agent for Cal G. Griffith Jr. Agency from 1982-92. He then became Altoona branch manager for Juniata County-based Sausman Insurance Agency from 1992 to 2000. He then bought Sausman’s Altoona client list to open his own business.

“I always found it difficult that I couldn’t make decisions and grow the way I wanted to by working for others. It was time for me to start an agency, it was a risk, any time you start an agency, it is a risk,” Eichelberger said.

Local insurance leaders Cal Griffith and Melvin Ellis had encouraged Eichelberger along the way and served as role models and mentors for him.

Eichelberger, who has a political science degree from Penn State, enjoyed a more than 20-year political career serving as a Blair County commissioner from 1995 to 2006 and as a state senator from 2006-18.

He opened Complete Insurance Services on Oct. 1, 2000, while serving as commissioner.

He worked at his insurance business while time permitted during those years in office. He could not come in every day and the business suffered as a result for a time.

“I had employees but we didn’t grow during that period, we lost some business. Once I came out of the senate, we tripled in size,” Eichelberger said. “It (politics) was difficult but it was something I wanted to do. We managed to maintain the business and now we have more opportunities to make it grow.”

Today, after several locations, CIS is at 1213 Ninth Ave., the building Eichelberger bought from Ellis.

CIS, an independent agency, focuses on property and casualty insurance, policies that protect a person or business from financial loss due to damage to property or legal liability.

CIS does a lot of commercial work and what Eichelberger calls “more complicated work” such as providing insurance for non-emergency medical transport companies.

CIS does some farm business, works with a lot of social service organizations, offers special event coverage and insures fleets of vehicles for some customers.

“There are two things that make us different. Our constable program is unique and we also do a program for government entities and 501(c)(3) for their unemployment compensation. We have some recognizable clients statewide for unemployment compensation,” Eichelberger said.

The Altoona Area Public Library is a CIS customer under their unemployment compensation program with First Nonprofit.

“When our board sat down with John to talk about the program and how it works for nonprofit businesses, it became immediately evident that the library could save quite a bit of money. The personal service that we receive is exceptional, both on a local level with CIS and with First Nonprofit. They completely handle any unemployment claims or issues and work with us to resolve things quickly,” said Jennifer Knisely, library executive director.

CIS covers both Dr. Charles Dombrowski’s dental practice as well as his personal auto and home insurance.

“What makes CIS exceptional is attention to detail. My evolving insurance needs are evaluated frequently to ensure proper and necessary coverage to protect my family and business. In a complex world, protection from unfortunate occurrences is a must. CIS recommends and utilizes highly rated quality insurance companies which allow me to sleep well,” Dombrowski said. “John does a great job and I trust him to protect my family.”

Technology has changed the insurance business over the years. From fax machines to emails, the industry has adapted to the changing times.

“I remember most vividly when we got the fax machine, it changed the industry. We used to mail applications and it would take a couple of weeks. With fax people expected answers immediately, they wanted quotes done right away,” Eichelberger said. “Emails cut down on the U.S. mail volume, we don’t get as much as we used to get. We do a lot more work by email today.”

Eichelberger said his business has succeeded through hard work. He believes providing good service has connected CIS to the community and created a strong reputation.

He said being involved in the community is extremely important.

“I am on lots of boards and give to many organizations myself or through the agency. I grew up in a family that did a lot. My parents (John H. Sr. and Faye) were both active. We grew up being part of things and participating in fundraising. It was part of my life since I was young,” Eichelberger said.

Eichelberger, 67, said he has no plans to retire and is excited about the future of his business.

“We are continuing to grow, we are looking at opportunities to grow and be around for a long time,” Eichelberger said.

Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.