Capri Insurance Celebrates 40 Years

Local firm reaches four-decade milestone thanks to a philosophy of service, excellence and teamwork.

Back in the mid seventies, things looked pretty grim at international insurance broker J.T. O’Bryan & Co. The six members of the Kelowna office were advised the business was headed for bankruptcy. Faced not only with the loss of their own jobs but having to let down the customers they had already begun to count as friends, the small group had to make a hard choice. Determined to turn a negative into a positive, they doubled down, dug deep and invested everything they had into the future and on March 19, 1975, Capri Insurance was born.

Year after year, that initial leap of faith paid off as Capri Insurance grew right alongside the blossoming communities of the Okanagan, contributing just as much to the growth of the overall community as to the insurance business they ran. By responding to the needs of their clients Capri expanded their product offerings to include Group Benefits, Mortgage Brokering and Wealth Management services. For the Partners at Capri, success was always measured by more than just a healthy bottom line; people had to come first.

For many, the world of insurance might seem boring or even dull, but not to the team at Capri Insurance. Founded as the little firm for your home, personal and business insurance, Capri also made a name for itself by specializing in the strange and unusual. Believe it or not, Capri actually found ways to provide coverage for items as diverse as drones and the Fintry Queen and even an actual, working trebuchet (that’s the technical name for an old-timey catapult, just like in Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones). The unique or bizarre never bothered Capri – it simply got their creative juices flowing!

To grow and reach the age of forty a company has to do far more than just provide good service at a fair price. From the beginning, the founders of Capri recognized the way to provide the high-level customer experience they envisioned was to take very good care of their people. By creating a great place to work Capri has multi-generational partners, staff and clients that make up the ever-growing Capri Insurance family. Four decades later the stacks of office photo albums stand as testament to this commitment. Years of birthdays, work anniversaries, office parties, awards, retreats, outings, community events and more – genuine, shared moments of joy and celebration between individuals that look far more like a family than merely employees. In fact, of the original four founders, two still work in Capri offices each day – Gordon Baughen and Ev Rea.

Back in 1975 Capri Insurance started out as the little guy. Six regular folks committed to being there for the people and the businesses that needed them. Today, Capri Insurance has become the largest independent insurance broker in the Okanagan with 300 employees spread across 14 offices in the Thompson Okanagan and Northern BC with affiliates in the Lower Mainland and Ontario. We thank our valued clients for making us the largest insurance broker in the Interior of British Columbia by recognizing our dedication to service, integrity and maximum insurance value. Through it all the culture of care and concern has remained, right down to Capri’s one-of-a-kind, locally operated claims department – created so clients receive the best service available no matter what the situation.

Birthdays are special times. They remind us not only of where we started, but also how far we’ve come. Capri Insurance is proud of the business they founded back in 1975, and even prouder of how far it’s come today. So this Thursday, March 19, 2015 you just might want to poke your head inside a nearby Capri Insurance office and offer a quick “happy birthday” to whomever you see. The smiles you get in return should be reward enough but you may even find yourself treated to a tasty slice of cake.

FOR MORE DETAILS, COMMENTS OR OTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Erika Jarvis, Capri Insurance