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Forward Mutual Insurance Company

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May 17, 2018

By the Minutes: Mutual Offices

Home office for Ixonia Mutual Insurance Company

Home office for Ixonia Mutual Insurance Company from 1981-1995

By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT

In the early days of Ixonia Mutual Insurance Company and Watertown Mutual Insurance Company the offices were always located in the home of the serving secretary. When a new secretary was elected the mutual’s office equipment and files were moved to the new secretary’s home. I personally experienced this. In 1981 I was elected secretary of Ixonia Mutual on a Saturday and that next Wednesday the directors moved the mutual’s provisions to my home. Suddenly one of my rooms took on a desk and chair, typewriter and stand, copy machine, adding machine, two 2-drawer filing cabinets and files, and a safe.

The mutuals also used the secretary’s address and personal phone number. In the case of Ixonia Mutual, the address never changed because rural Ixonia only had one mailing route and the mailman simply delivered to the new secretary’s home. That changed when I was elected. Living part way between Ixonia and Watertown, I have a Watertown address. I felt it was important the company get its own post office box and phone number, which the mutual did. The mutual has been using these same numbers since.

A major change came for Watertown Mutual when in 1978 the newly elected secretary did not have room in his home for an office. The mutual established its first presence outside a home by renting space at 107 S. 5th Street in Watertown. This was a small office and they had to hold their board meetings off site. In 1987 the mutual purchased the former Mallach Pharmacy building at 802 W. Main Street, Watertown, and occupied it until 2010, at which time the building was sold.

Sixteen years after Watertown Mutual moved its office out of a home, Ixonia Mutual did the same. In 1994, mutual members considered renting an office space However, they instead chose to purchase a lot at the corner of State Road 16 and County Road F. They built a 1,500-square-foot building and the mutual moved in on November 1, 1995. Shown below are interesting memorabilia from that monumental time.

In 2010, Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual merged their companies to form Forward Mutual. The combined staff found themselves working closely together in the Ixonia location and in need of more space. In 2011, the mutual added another 1,500 square feet, doubling the size of its office. Forward Mutual as we know it today is still at this location.

Forward Mutual Insurance Company

Current office for Forward Mutual Insurance Company, located in Ixonia.


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By the Minutes: Introduction

1872 Watertown Mutual Founded

1875 Ixonia Mutual Founded

Comparing the Capitalizing of Two Early Mutuals

A Mutual’s First Claim

Supporting Dairy in the Late 1800s

1879 Early Challenges for a Young Mutual

Ixonia Mutual’s First $1000 Loss

1885 A Year of Neighbor Helping Neighbor

Changes of Bylaws

Our Dairy Heritage

Insuring Automobiles

Taxes, War and the English Language

Supporting the Community’s Fire Protection

Board Directors and Their Meetings

Standardization of Wisconsin Mutuals

Of Electricity, Radio and Foxes

Our Annual Meetings Over the Years

Tumultuous 1930-1940s

How a Major Disaster Affected Extended Coverage and Reinsurance

Surviving the Big Dogs in the 1960s

Introducing Agents to the Mutuals

Accounting Over the Years

Centennial Anniversaries

Mutual Offices

Mutual Managers and Staff

Establishing Confidence in Financial Strength

Entering the Era of Computers

The 1990s, Advancement and Angst

The Start of the 21st Century

Concord and Watertown Merge

Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual Merge and a New Company is Formed

Setting the Stage, Moving Forward with a New 2020 Vision

The New Forward Mutual

Post Script

Tagged With: history, Ixonia Mutual, Watertown Mutual

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Forward Mutual Insurance Company serves home and farm owners throughout southeastern Wisconsin. We offer personal attention and peace of mind.

To learn more about our company and the products we offer, check our website or call 920-261-6616.

W1202 Glenview Ave.
PO Box 326
Ixonia, WI 53036

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