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Nikki Meschishnick knows first-hand what it’s like to be a businesswoman in a position of leadership.
A few years after initially joining Kelly Insurance Brokers Ltd. in Kindersley, she became pregnant with her second daughter. She went on mat leave, looked after her family and also developed a successful side business doing accounting in the oil and gas industry.
“I was out of the insurance industry for 10 years,” she reflects. “Then Barb, the previous owner of Kelly Insurance, asked if I’d come back and manage. By then my daughter was older, and my other daughter had left home. It was fitting. It just worked out.”
In 2018, Meschishnick was invited to buy the business. She accepted.
Now Kelly Insurance’s Owner and Broker Principal, she leads a team of seven – eight, if you include Lincoln, a husky-collie who has an honourary position as Welcomer.
“We’ve got a great staff here, and to be honest they’re not going anywhere,” says Meschishnick. “They’re all local people.”
It’s a diverse staff, some of whom are CAIB (Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker) professionals, others who are motor vehicle specialists, and several who continue to upgrade their insurance designations.
“We really do like to educate and get people to where they’re the most knowledgeable in every area of the business,” Meschishnick says.
It’s an approach that serves Kindersley well, especially when combined with the business’s commitment to the community and surrounding area.
“Honestly, there are so many great businesses right here on Main Street,” says Meschishnick. “With what we do here for insurance, we need to be easy to find, and the first place people go is usually down the main corridor – especially if they’re not from here, because we do see a lot of customers coming from out of town.”
As a local business leader, Meschishnick doesn’t take for granted her role as a mentor to aspiring businesspeople. She’s a role model, and she points out that when younger people have role models there’s a positive domino effect that happens in a community.
“When you have strong business leaders, they help support local things like charities and events in town,” she explains. “Then it snowballs into organizations being successful. That snowballs into our younger population having opportunities for extracurricular activities or other involvements.”
And as a local business leader who’s also a woman, she recognizes the importance of paving the way for potential businesswomen who may follow her.
“Times have changed,” she says. “When families started needing that second income, women started taking on a bigger role. And from there it kind of led to getting an education and appreciating the importance of being a bit more independent.”
With that in mind, Kelly Insurance Brokers recently committed $150,000 for the local Kids Academy daycare. Meschishnick points out that there has been a need for more daycare service in Kindersley, and that businesses have lost staff as a result. In turn, employees exiting the workforce mean local businesses can’t provide the ideal level of service to their customers.
“I know a lot of people in town felt the repercussions of the lack of daycare,” Meschishnick says. “I was hoping to get the ball rolling, and I hope more people in town step up to help us get that centre finished.”
Meschishnick and Kelly Insurance Brokers are also on the lookout for a new staff member to join their growing team. They’re hoping to find an individual at entry level, or even with Level One insurance accreditation.
“We’re wide open to anything here, and if you’re just coming into the industry we can educate you,” she says. “If you like it, we’ll keep educating you. It’s part of the deal here. And if you already have part of your licence, we’ll just keep going with it. We also offer a pretty competitive salary and benefits package. We want to keep you, so we’re prepared to spend a little bit more money to get the right person recruited.”
Kelly Insurance Brokers Ltd., located at 309 Main St in Kindersley, can be reached by calling (306) 463-2628. Their services can also be viewed on their website, where candidates for employment opportunities can also find their next steps.