Our Story
Hi, I'm Paul Hainer.
Insuranceland has been my family business since 1982. My parents, Peter and Pat Hainer, started the company, then known as P. Hainer Insurance Brokers Inc., in the basement of our family home.
I started with Mom and Dad in 1985, and yes I did start at the bottom. Back then we needed someone to negotiate claims responsibility for our clients. It was the most difficult and challenging position in the company.
From there, I worked my way through every position and task our company had to offer. From data entry when we went computerized, to sales and customer service.
I can't ask any of my team to do anything I haven't done myself.
Working Together as a Family
From the companies founding, Peter and Pat always maintained full ownership. They each had responsibility for the operation and growth of the business. Peter was in the forefront, and with many years of insurance experience he lead a small but experienced sales team. Pat, on the other hand, was the administrator of the firm. With her team of co-op students and support staff, she ensured that the company ran smoothly.
It was a very sad day on March 7, 1993 when we lost one of our founders. After a two year illness, Pat passed away. She had been an integral part of the management of the company.
Now it was time for me to step up to some very big shoes to fill and assist Dad in the managing of the company. I knew that someday I would be called upon to assist in managing the company, but this was a lot sooner than I had expected.
In 1989, my younger brother Mark joined the business. Mark’s forte and true strength was sales. Along with Peter and the rest of our growing sales team, Mark was at the top of his game leading in most months with record sales.
Supporting Each Other
Again another sad day came on April 12, 1996 when my youngest brother Rick got a call from Mark’s girlfriend. Mark had passed away in a single vehicle accident on his way home the prior evening.
With the passing of Mark, my brother Rick made the decision, as he completed college, to join the company. In 2003, Rick completed the full family environment at Insuranceland and joined the team.
Today as Peter prepares for his retirement, my brother Rick and I manage the company as a team.
Growing our Business
You may wonder how we have been able to build an award winning team and pass the business through a generation. I feel our success has been working together as a family from a much younger age than most. Over the years, we have grown by purchasing other family owned and operated independent insurance brokerages. Our big change occurred in 1991 when we merged all of the companies into Insuranceland.
In 2006, my wife Sophie joined Insuranceland after many years of working for Canada’s largest family business, Eaton’s, as a product buyer. Sophie is an integral part of our Team.
In 2008, we moved from our retail operations in Scarborough to a new office in Mississauga. This was a true challenge for us to accomplish as we had been in the Parkway Mall for over 17 years. Now we are better set-up to serve you.