BLAIR, NEBRASKA (2025 August 27, Wednesday)
Don Harrold, Writer / Editor
editor@blairtoday.com – Facebook
Nick Hall sits in what used to be his father’s insurance office on Blair’s main street, but don’t call it a family handoff. While the building may be the same, the business inside represents a fundamental shift in how insurance is sold in Blair.
Hall, now in his 40s and an 18-year veteran of the insurance industry, operates as an independent agent serving multiple companies—a stark contrast to his father’s captive agency model with American Family Insurance. The difference, Hall explains, has shaped everything about how he serves Blair and the surrounding communities.
“My dad owned this building, but he worked for American Family, which is a captive agency. I’m an independent agent,” Hall said during a recent interview. “American Family doesn’t work like ‘Here son, take it over.’ So this is Hall in name, but in terms of business, it’s a whole different business. I sell for a bunch of different companies. My dad only sold for one.”
That distinction proved crucial when Hall graduated from college in 2003 with a business degree and economics minor. The job market was tough, so he started working for his father. But the path to succession wasn’t straightforward.
“I worked for my dad for about a year, then I started a scratch agency in Omaha with American Family,” Hall recalled. “But Am Fam just wasn’t competitive—they took like two 40% rate increases.”
The challenge was compounded by family dynamics. “With my dad being in the business, usually you write your friends and family, but I didn’t have that luxury because my dad had them all,” Hall said. “So I started going after contractors and businesses. Am Fam just didn’t want that type of business, so I decided I had to find something else.”
Building from Scratch
Hall’s approach to building his client base involved door-to-door sales and early adoption of internet leads—a far cry from the relationship-based insurance sales many associate with small-town agents.
“On the commercial side there’s not a lot of relationship—it’s more bottom line driven,” he explained. “I found that to be the best way to grow because if you could save them money, they’d switch. I would door knock or go in and present my card.”
The internet leads of the mid-2000s weren’t always quality prospects. “Sometimes they were just kicking the tires, or it was a fake business, or somebody needed it for a school project,” Hall said. “But that’s kind of how I had to grow.”
The strategy worked. Since establishing his independent agency in 2007, Hall has expanded to offices in Blair, Fremont, and Omaha. But his real growth in Blair didn’t begin until after his father’s retirement.
“I didn’t want to compete with my dad,” Hall said. “If somebody called me, I’d obviously quote it, but if they were with my dad, I kind of left him alone out of respect.”
Community Connections
Now, Hall’s business model relies heavily on community involvement and word-of-mouth referrals. He coaches soccer, serves on the Blair FC board, and recently completed a term on the Blair YMCA board before its transition to Greater Omaha YMCA management.
“It’s a big snowball once you keep growing,” he said. “I’ve been doing this since 2007, so it just keeps building.”
Blair’s insurance market appears crowded for a town its size, with agents seemingly coming and going regularly. Hall attributes his staying power to the relationship-building that comes with deep community roots.
The business has evolved significantly since his father’s era, particularly around storm coverage—a relevant concern in a town that seems to attract severe weather. “They kind of look at it geographically—they see the hail maps and stuff like that,” Hall said. “They will take it, but they might price it higher.”
As for Blair’s reputation as a storm magnet, Hall takes a measured view: “I think it’s just kind of what happens. There’s nothing special underground driving storms here. I think it’s cyclical—sometimes out west gets beat up, then it’s the eastern side’s turn.”
Specializing in Commercial
While Hall’s agency serves everyone from single auto policy holders to families needing comprehensive coverage, his personal interest lies in commercial insurance. “I personally enjoy commercial insurance because you get to see different sides of businesses,” he said. “If it’s a coffee shop, it’s interesting to see how much people spend on coffee. Or a roofing company—you get to see their sales.”
The commercial focus has also helped him navigate Blair’s changing demographics. The community’s growing Hispanic population—from essentially zero 20 years ago to nearly 8% in recent census data—presents both opportunities and challenges for local businesses.
“I haven’t seen huge growth in Spanish-speaking customers. We have more in Fremont,” Hall said. His Fremont office employee has connections for translation services when needed. “I think any business that can interface with Spanish speakers is making a good move.”
Industry Changes
Looking back, Hall believes his father timed his retirement well. “I just tell him how lucky he was to get out at the right time—right before all the storms,” Hall said. “There’s been lots of changes in the insurance industry since he got out. They’re changing deductibles and coverages on roofs, and it’s confusing for even us as agents.”
The complexity extends to unique local situations, like the Von Loh development across from Hall’s office. “You’d need a builder’s risk policy,” he explained. “It’s not cheap—it’s more or less like insuring a vacant building.”
Despite the industry’s evolving challenges, Hall maintains a straightforward approach to client service. “I think we do great service. We’re always here, we have multiple people in multiple offices. You can always get a hold of us—I give out my cell phone,” he said. “It’s a more personable relationship. I’m not trying to sell you anything you don’t want or need. I’m super honest with people about what they actually need.”
That philosophy, combined with his independent agent status, allows Hall to offer something his father’s captive agency model couldn’t—choice. In a town where insurance agents come and go, that flexibility may be what keeps the Hall name on Blair’s main street for another generation.
