In 1975, our founder, Floyd Jay Schwade, opened for business on Milwaukee’s west side as a one-man-shop on 49th and Burleigh. Over the following decades, Schwade Insurance grew under his guidance to become a full-service agency offering personal, commercial, life, and health insurance products through several major national and regional insurance carrier partners. During his 47 years running Schwade Insurance Agency, Floyd developed a business philosophy guided by honesty, trust, and doing the right thing for our customers. Floyd greatly treasured his relationships with his clients, and they knew they could depend on him for an honest answer. He would often say Insurance is a relationship business, and his commitment to developing those connections helped him create a very successful agency. Many of his clients became great friends and have been with Schwade Insurance for decades because they trusted Floyd.
Floyd was very proud when his son, Ben, joined the agency in 2006. Today, as we are about to celebrate our 50th anniversary in business, Ben follows the example his father set with the same philosophy and work ethic. Floyd and Ben worked together for 16 years, and Ben learned something from him almost daily. Floyd was a lifelong learner, always striving to improve himself and his knowledge as an insurance agent. He said he learned something new every day in the insurance business. The Schwade Insurance Agency of today continues its goal of consistently improving as an agency by following the same values and ideals laid out by our founder. Now, under Ben’s guidance, Schwade Insurance Agency has the strength of a great staff qualified to handle our client’s most pressing insurance needs.
We continue to follow Floyd’s lead regarding charitable works that were important to him. For 15+ years, Floyd supported the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by raising money as Team Schwade in the Scenic Shore 150-mile bike ride every year. We pledge to continue our support of the Scenic Shore 150 and the Leukemia Scenic 150. In addition, we support PanCan, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and the Pancan Purple Stride, an event in which Floyd, as a pancreatic cancer survivor, was able to run twice, showing his strength, determination, and commitment to life.
