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Neepawa’s Gill & Schmall
host grand opening of new office
Gill & Schmall Agencies has
been a fixture in the scenic Town of
Neepawa for many decades. Its current
name was adopted in 1977 when Jim
Schmall bought into the business
with then-owner Homer Gill. Jim still
comes into the office a couple of days a
week to check on the current owners,
son Don Schmall and Brad Walker.
He must have been a good teacher as
the business has grown steadily over
the past few years, to the point that
they outgrew their office and decided
to build a new, more spacious building
just down the road at 371 Mountain
Avenue in downtown Neepawa.
A few years ago, Neepawa
welcomed the HyLife processing
plant. The plant has done a booming
business; to the point that it had to
go beyond Neepawa for workers to
fill the new shifts it added. Many of
these workers are from outside of
Canada, many from the Philippines.
With the influx of new citizens, came
the need for services such as insurance.
IBAM’s Olivia Doerksen was in attendance.
The staff at Gill & Schmall has been
happy to meet this need. In addition
to Autopac, Personal, Commercial
and Farm insurance, Gill & Schmall,
like many rural brokerages, also offers
residents real estate, investment and
travel services.
According to Don Schmall, “As
the business grew, we simply ran
out of space. We just hired two new
employees. They needed a workspace
plus we required a training area in
which to school our new hires now and
in the future. The new building gives
us 6,400 sq. ft. of space, which will also
accommodate future growth.”
On the afternoon of January 31, the
brokerage held an Open House to show
off its new space to business partners
and clientele alike. Don Schmall says,
“The event was very well attended.
Company reps and underwriters shared
in our celebration, as did many of our
customers – some of whom were second
and third generation clients. It was a
great day!”
34 | SPRING 2014 | Manitoba INSURANCE BROKER ⬅ Index