First Mid Insurance Group acquires two agencies

First Mid Insurance Group , a subsidiary of First Mid Bancshares and the largest community bank-owned insurance broker in Illinois, has recently acquired Truck Insurance Specialists, Inc. and Hometown Insurance, Inc. The shared office will be operating as First Mid Insurance Group, located at 305 W. Northtown Road, Normal, IL, 61761.

Acquiring Truck Insurance Specialists, Inc. and Hometown Insurance, Inc. gives First Mid Insurance Group a defined transportation industry vertical as well as a new platform agency presence in Bloomington, IL. The acquisition also provides opportunities for the agency to expand services with prospective customers and First Mid’s own specialty finance division based in Indianapolis, IN, that offers credit facilities to trucking companies.

Patrick Patkunas, owner and president of Truck Insurance Specialists, Inc., will join First Mid Insurance Group’s senior management team as president of the transportation division. Vice president and owner Jerry Bottorff, an experienced transportation industry expert, will remain on the team as a senior producer, as will all the producers and employees of both agencies.

Another addition to the team will include Alan Martell and his customer base. Alan is an expert in agricultural risk management who will help lead and grow the First Mid Insurance Group ag insurance division based in Bloomington. Before joining First Mid Insurance Group, Martell has worked with Growmark, Liberty Mutual, and Nationwide Ag in managing large and complex agricultural accounts on a national scale.

“Although these deals are based in Bloomington, they bring new relationships to both the agency and the bank since both Patrick and Alan have customers throughout the Midwest and the rest of the country. This addition will provide us with greater industry niche expertise in vital areas like trucking and agriculture and will help support First Mid’s strategic agricultural focus and recent expansion into Missouri with the Providence Bank acquisition. We are delighted to have Alan, Patrick and Jerry and their teams join the First Mid family.” – Clay Dean, CEO of First Mid Insurance Group.