![\"Home](\"http:\/\/forwardmutual.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/26_OfficeWiedenhoeftHome.jpg\")
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By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT<\/p>\n
In the early days of\u00a0Ixonia Mutual Insurance Company<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Watertown Mutual Insurance Company<\/a>\u00a0the 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The mutuals also used the secretary\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n By the Minutes: Introduction<\/a><\/p>\n 1872 Watertown Mutual Founded<\/a><\/p>\n 1875 Ixonia Mutual Founded<\/a><\/p>\n Comparing the Capitalizing of Two Early Mutuals<\/a><\/p>\n A Mutual\u2019s First Claim<\/a><\/p>\n Supporting Dairy in the Late 1800s<\/a><\/p>\n 1879 Early Challenges for a Young Mutual<\/a><\/p>\n Ixonia Mutual\u2019s First $1000 Loss<\/a><\/p>\n 1885 A Year of Neighbor Helping Neighbor<\/a><\/p>\n Changes of Bylaws<\/a><\/p>\n Our Dairy Heritage<\/a><\/p>\n Insuring Automobiles<\/a><\/p>\n Taxes, War and the English Language<\/a><\/p>\n Supporting the Community\u2019s Fire Protection<\/a><\/p>\n Board Directors and Their Meetings<\/a><\/p>\n Standardization of Wisconsin Mutuals<\/a><\/p>\n Of Electricity, Radio and Foxes<\/a><\/p>\n Our Annual Meetings Over the Years<\/a><\/p>\n Tumultuous 1930-1940s<\/a><\/p>\n How a Major Disaster Affected Extended Coverage and Reinsurance<\/a><\/p>\n Surviving the Big Dogs in the 1960s<\/a><\/p>\n Introducing Agents to the Mutuals<\/a><\/p>\n Accounting Over the Years<\/a><\/p>\n Centennial Anniversaries<\/a><\/p>\n Mutual Offices<\/a><\/p>\n Mutual Managers and Staff<\/a><\/p>\n Establishing Confidence in Financial Strength<\/a><\/p>\n Entering the Era of Computers<\/a><\/p>\n The 1990s, Advancement and Angst<\/a><\/p>\n The Start of the 21st Century<\/a><\/p>\n Concord and Watertown Merge<\/a><\/p>\n Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual Merge and a New Company is Formed<\/a><\/p>\n Setting the Stage, Moving Forward with a New 2020 Vision<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Forward](\"http:\/\/forwardmutual.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/officeSummer.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCurrent office for Forward Mutual Insurance Company, located in Ixonia.<\/em><\/h5>\n
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