In July 1995, Mike and Valerie Flanigan moved to Quincy from Stockton, along with their six-month-old son John, to work for what was then Murray and Edwards Insurance Company. Since then they have worked together in the firm. Over the next three decades, the couple had two more sons, gradually bought and expanded the insurance business and became deeply rooted in the local community. Now they celebrate their retirement.
Starting a career together
Valerie began her insurance career in September 1984 in Phoenix, Arizona at Greg Miller and Associates, a firm run by Mike’s sister and her fiancé. It was one of two job opportunities she was considering at the time. Although the insurance job paid slightly less, she saw growth potential and began pursuing her license.
Before long, Mike arrived in Phoenix with a newly minted business degree. He had worked in construction during college, and his brother-in-law soon hired him to help remodel the office. He met Valerie working on a door; she was on the other side of it, he said.
After the renovation work, Mike joined the organization, working alongside his brother-in-law to build a new ambulance insurance business. He stayed eight years, working in loss control, inspecting ambulance facilities to confirm their insurance, before new opportunities brought the couple to Stockton, California.
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Quincy and Flanigan Leavitt
Mike got to know Murray and Edwards in Quincy through his new role as a Stockton-based insurance wholesaler. The firm was one of his clients. On a visit to the Quincy office, where he was assisting with a project, Mike recalled how much he “wished he lived in a small town like this.” Soon, he and Valerie were hired.
Murray and Edwards had a long history in Plumas County, having been founded by the Murray family of Greenville in 1882. By 1995, when the Flanigans arrived, the company had offices in Quincy, Westwood and Susanville. Mike eventually became a partner, and in 2003 the couple bought out the previous owners with the backing of the Leavitt Group, based in Cedar City, Utah—another family-owned business. In 2005 they lovingly remodeled their historic space, the 1903 Plumas County Bank building at the corner of Haribson and Main streets.
They grew the business, writing up to $13 million a year in premiums and employing 18 staff members. We like to think of ourselves as a “big agency in a small town,” said Mike.
We like to think of ourselves as a “big agency in a small town.”
Mike Flanigan
It’s a rewarding business in many ways, the Flanigans said. The relationships you build with clients and team members, the fast pace and variety all serve to keep things interesting. “You never know who’s going to walk in the door,” said Valerie, whose work in commercial accounts has included equine mortality coverage, land coverage and a variety of skateboarding-related businesses, among others. And we “had staff who are the nicest people ever.” From a business perspective, Mike added, insurance is a good option. It’s almost mandatory, you’re helping people and you can go anywhere.
The biggest change in their 30 years in business came relatively recently as home owners insurance providers began pulling out of California. Suddenly, team members could no longer offer customers a variety of options to choose from, Valerie said. The job revolved around delivering the bad news, telling customers their premiums had “tripled, or worse.”
“It was not normal [client] relationship,” Mike admitted. “We were used to helping people.”
Transition to retirement
Mike and Valerie ran Flanigan Leavitt for exactly 20 years before selling the business in 2023 to LP Insurance Services, based in Reno Nevada. The new owners have signed a five-year lease at the Flanigan Leavitt offices and have retained all staff members. The Flanigans themselves agreed to stay on board as independent contractors until the end of 2024 to help manage the transition – a process that has already been completed as of December 28.
Recently, the couple took their first two-week vacation to Baja, “the best vacation ever,” Valerie said. In the future they hope to travel more during the colder months. They can’t wait to get to work on their home, where they plan to incorporate two Flanigan Leavitt stained glass windows into a new greenhouse they’re building.
The couple may one day turn to part-time work for fun: Mike enjoys woodworking and remodeling, Valerie enjoys growing food. They also plan to remain active in community groups: Valerie has served on the hospital’s board of directors for 18 years and is a member of the Plumas County Sorority and Republican Women. Mike belongs to the Quincy Chamber of Commerce and Rotary and is the treasurer of the Firesafe Council and co-chair of the Firewise Community.
Looking back on their years in business together, Mike said, “We were blessed. We had a lot of fun.”
