Smith Bros-McAndrews Insurance Celebrates 130 Years
ADAMS, Mass. — One local insurance agency has stood the test of time to celebrate 130 years in business.
"Smith Bros.-McAndrews Insurance Agency has been operating here on Park Street in Adams, Massachusetts, literally, since 1896 and when I say operating on Park Street, I mean it," said owner and President David Bissaillon. "In fact, our current office here at 69 Park St. is our fourth office location, not only on Park Street, but on this side of Park Street. So we've literally been up and down the block for the last 130 years."
Bissaillon moved the agency into 69 Park St. in July 2024. The space formerly was the well-loved Red Carpet Restaurant.
SBM provides customers with a variety of insurance options so they can choose what best fits their needs by comparing coverages and rates.
"We're proud of where we are. What we do is we help families, individuals and businesses and organizations with their insurance," Bissaillon said. "We basically handle most of the insurances that people have to deal with when they either own a building, own a car, own a business."
The business started out at Smith Brothers in 1896. Brothers Fred and Peter Smith, who were of different political affiliations, both served as postmasters for the town.
In 1937, state Sen. James McAndrews started his own insurance agency. The two agencies decided to merge in 1962.
In 1990, Bernie Pinsonnault joined the agency and became the owner in 2007. Bissaillon is a certified insurance counselor with a total of 25 years of experience in the insurance industry. He took over when Pinsonnault retired after 29 years in the business.
Bissaillon formerly worked for Coakley Pierpan Dolan & Collins Insurance and was also head of the former Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
"I ended up purchasing the agency in January of 2019 when Bernie Pinsonnault, my former partner and the most recent owner, decided to retire," he said. "So it's kind of a neat story that you had different ownership, not necessarily continued family ownership, through all these years, and yet the agency has remained."
SBM has continued as something of family business, as he's been joined by his son, Tyler.
Technology has advanced and evolved for insurance during Bissaillon's tenure. He said one of the longest staff members, Pat Dean, has experienced that firsthand.
"Pat's been here for over 50 years, like literally since she was out of high school in the early 1970s," he said. "Pat will tell you that when they used to have to get you a quote on your auto insurance or your home insurance, they literally had to go into a book and work out the rate manually.
"And everything was done so much differently back then, but it was still with the intent of providing people with the protection that they needed for their home or for their car or for their business."
He said they can now compare insurance policies in minutes and although artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role, he doesn't think it can take over what they do.
"The present and future with AI is playing an even bigger role in insurance, and sometimes it can be a little unnerving about, you know, how much is AI really going to take over some of these businesses?" Bissaillon said. "Although what's nice about insurance is that when it matters, like if you have a claim or if you have a billing problem or question or a prop or a challenge, we're still here as human beings in real in real time, where people come in to see us, or they want to talk to us, and .
"That's something that I don't know that AI will ever be able to replace."
He said he sees the agency staying same over the next 20 years while continuing to do what a local customer needs with the best staff.
"I think the thing that permeates through this office, through all those years and all those owners and up through the staff that we have today, is we've always tried to be a responsible, reliable business, trustworthy and honest, and to do the best that we can for customers," he said. "But I think the other thing is that we give back a lot to the community, and we give back gladly."
SBM has helped out locally in many ways, including local restaurants. When he bought the building, it came with almost all the kitchen equipment, which was donated. The agency supports and sponsor Little League, and Lions Clubs, and other causes.
"I've always been involved in many community events and organizations. Again, I used to have my connections with the Chamber of Commerce. I sit on the board of the Adams Theater right now, and that's a wonderful addition to the town of Adams. I sit on the Plunkett Memorial Hospital Trust Committee," Bissaillon said. "My son, Tyler, is on the Northern Berkshire United Way. And so there's always been various organizations and events and councils that we've given not only our money, but our time and and there's a great spirit in this office about wanting to help."
When asked if they have any future goals, he said they plan to continue to be an asset to the community.
"Bigger is not always better. Like better is better. So just as long as we continue to be a value to our customers, and we've got hundreds and hundreds of them, other opportunities could present themselves," he said. "They may not, but I don't look at is, I want to be the biggest in the town or in the county, that's not how I think about it.
"I just think about if we continue to grow for the right reasons, and maybe opportunity comes our way, and we can provide a good source of employment for the people who are here. That, to me, is very satisfying in its own sense."
Bissaillon said he wants to leave his clients — families, businesses and individuals — at least better protected than maybe they were.
"I think in the end, that's probably the legacy, and the foundation that we strive towards is just to make sure that when things go wrong, because they worked with us, that they're in a better position to get back to whole," he said.
He said the staff has made the business what it is and that they all care about their customers and what they do.
"The real strength of this agency is really in our people, at the end of the day, it's insurance and it's quotes and numbers and coverage," he said. "But what has made Smith Bros.-McAndrews sustain for 130 years is literally the fact that we have people, professionals who work here, who really care about what they do."
He thanked the community for its support and for allowing SBM to serve it for more than a century.
"On behalf of all of us here at Smith Bros.-McAndrews, as we get into our 130th year, we're thankful for every single one of the customers and clients that we've had through all of these years. And we would also welcome anyone who is looking to get another option or opinion on their auto or home or business insurance."
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