Doug Eisenhut, second from left, is retiring and selling his insurance agency after 40 years in the business. He is pictured with his staff, from left, Teresa Leon, Eisenhut, Belmira Mota, Devon Brugman, Kendall-Leigh Beal, Melody Ferrari and Kulwinder Tejay. (Richard McGuire photo)
One of the most iconic businesses in the history of Osoyoos will continue to operate, but the Eisenhut family name will no longer be attached.
That’s because Doug Eisenhut, the longtime owner and operator of Eisenhut Insurance, has entered the wonderful world of retirement after a satisfying and gratifying 40-year career at the business his father Paul established in downtown Osoyoos 52 years ago.
“I’ve been truly blessed to be able to come into work and do a job that I truly love for 40 years,” said Doug Eisenhut, who said a final goodbye to his loyal staff before walking out the door for good last Friday afternoon. “I truly appreciate what the people of Osoyoos have done for me and my family all of these years.
“They have allowed my family to run a successful business for more than 50 years and I can’t thank them enough.”
Eisenhut has sold the family business to what he calls one of the most respected insurance agencies in the province as Westland Insurance has officially taken over operations of Eisenhut Insurance, effective Monday morning.
“They are very established in the insurance industry and have 76 offices in British Columbia and Alberta and I’m very confident they will continue to bring the same level of customer service excellence that our clients have come to expect,” he said.
Eisenhut made it very clear he would not have considered selling the family business or contemplate retirement unless the new owners committed to retaining his loyal staff.
“This deal wouldn’t have happened unless they
agreed to keep my entire staff,” he said. “All of my staff will retain the seniority and benefits they had under my watch … that was very important to me.”
After graduating from Southern Okanagan Secondary School back in 1976 – three years before Osoyoos Secondary School opened its doors – Eisenhut attended Okanagan College in Penticton to study business and was the starting point guard on the varsity basketball team.
However, he missed his family and friends and wanted to come home, so he asked his father for a job.
“He was a little upset and tried to convince me to continue with college,” he said. “I talked him into letting me work for him for six months and then I would get on with my life and go back to school. That never happened and 40 years later, here I am.”
Working in the insurance business for four decades has been a labour of love, said Eisenhut.
“There has never been two days exactly the same,” he said. “This business is all about working with your clients to help them solve their problems.
“Working with clients and adjusters to settle an insurance claim is very interesting to me and always has been. I can honestly say I’ve loved coming into this office every single day for 40 years.”
His father taught him everything he knows about the insurance business and taught him well, he said.
His father also instilled how important it was to give back to the community and Eisenhut Insurance has been sponsoring minor hockey in this town for decades, he said.
His brother Neil is a graduate of the local minor hockey program and enjoyed a 12-year professional career, including a brief stint with the Vancouver Canucks in the NHL.
Eisenhut Insurance also helped form the Osoyoos Men’s Hockey League, co-sponsored the Osoyoos Kinsmen Slo-Pitch Tournament that used to attract dozens of teams to this community every year and co-founded the Rattlesnake Golf Tournament at Osoyoos Golf Club for decades.
“Dad was all about giving back to the community and supporting the people who supported our business,” he said.
When his father suffered from ill health, he took over the daily operations of the family business at the tender age of 28, he said.
“My dad taught me at an early age that the insurance business is all about work ethic and detail … you have to concentrate on the fine details to have any success,” he said.
Hiring good employees is equally as important, he said.
“Many people think that your customers are the most important people, but my dad taught me that without good employees, you can’t run a successful business and you won’t have any customers if your business fails,” he said. “We’ve been so blessed to have so many loyal and long-term employees work for us over the past 52 years.”
Longtime employees like current office manager Belmira Mota (27 years) and Theresa Leon (17 years), and retired employees Karen Sieben (20 years), Bernice Gibbs (15 years) and Barbara Robb (25 years) became good friends, he said.
Eisenhut said he had been thinking about selling the business for some time because he’s in excellent health and still able to travel and see the world and he just felt the time was right.
“The industry is changing and becoming much more technology-based and I wanted to get out remembering the way things were in the good old days,” he said. “Customer service is still important, but now you have technology taking over with less emphasis on direct contact with your customers and to be honest, that wasn’t a direction I was too interested in.”
Eisenhut said he’s proud that all three of his children – Kyle, 31 and 29-year-old twins Ryan and Jenna – have continued the family tradition and work in the insurance industry.
Ryan works in Edmonton, while Jenna is in Calgary and Kyle works in Kelowna.
“Unlike me, who never had any real desire to leave Osoyoos, I wanted my kids to get out of here and see the world,” he said. “All three of them have very successful careers in the insurance industry and I’m very proud of them.”
Eisenhut doesn’t have many plans for retirement.
“I will figure it out as I go along,” he said. “I’m going to do some travelling, maybe play a little golf. One thing I know is I’m staying in Osoyoos. This is where my roots are and I have always loved it here. I’m staying in Osoyoos.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
Doug Eisenhut is retiring and selling his insurance agency after 40 years in the business. (Richard McGuire photo)
