After a tumultuous two years, it’s safe to say we’ve all needed some sort of start over – a move that Kiwi insurance brokerage Frank Risk Management has made by way of new premises in the company’s beloved city of Hamilton.
Speaking with Insurance Business, Frank co-founder and director Rene Swindley (pictured) shared: “The new office is a 100-year-old building known as the Newton King Building. Newton King was a stock and station agent in the early 1900s.
“From what is now the Frank office, Newton King Limited auctioned livestock and ran a successful seed and grain import/export business. It’s great that the building has a story and a successful history of business in Hamilton’s CBD.”
Frank – which also has bases in Wellington, Auckland, and Matamata – relocated to 630 Victoria Street earlier this month, tripling its office size in Hamilton in terms of floor area compared to the firm’s previous site.
“We wanted to make a point of being on the main street of the city we love so much,” highlighted Swindley, whose camp worked with construction company Foster Construction and architects Edwards White to make the workplace a suitable new home for the business.
The broking boss noted: “We earthquake-strengthened the 600 square metre building from less than 20% new building standard (NBS) to over 80% NBS. It took a lot of concrete and steel to achieve this – we now have a first-hand understanding of what some of our clients go through to strengthen their buildings and improve their insurability.
“We wanted to create an office that our team is proud of, and a space that’s as comfortable as their own homes – I’m pleased to say we have achieved that. We spend so much of our waking hours in the office, so it needs to be a relaxed and enjoyable space.”
At present, Frank employs more than 20 people in Hamilton, with the local staff count poised to go beyond 40.
According to Swindley, the organisation not only welcomed a new senior broker recently but also installed the organisation’s first-ever head of growth. In fact, prior to the office change, some Frank colleagues were either hot-desking or working remotely due to a lack of space.
“In that respect,” stated the company director, “we are definitely hiring and are positioned for growth. The business turns 14 years old this year.
“We remain staunchly New Zealand-owned and are incredibly grateful for the support given to us by other New Zealand businesses who have placed their trust in us to advise and advocate for them on insurance matters – this support is where the growth comes from.”
Swindley added: “There’s a lot of great businesses out there, and many of our clients have some incredible products and innovations that I would go as far as saying are recession-proof. But by and large, I feel that tougher times are still on the way this year for most businesses. Supporting local Kiwi companies has got to be a good thing in these times.”
For the business leader, while things are still “a little choppy,” it’s nothing they haven’t seen before.
“We started the business as the GFC (global financial crisis) was hitting,” Swindley told Insurance Business, “and we found that when times get a bit tougher, businesses pay a bit more attention to things like insurance, in particular the value they are getting from it – and that’s where we have always been able to make a difference. Now is the time for insurance brokerages to really prove the value they provide.
“As far as insurance placement goes, it’s probably harder than it’s ever been in terms of admin, compliance, communication, and capacity restraints. But, again, it’s about sheltering our clients from this and making their life easier.”
Swindley went on to point out that Frank had planned for the current environment and decided to push through with the relocation as a means of being positive.
“We still made the decision to press ahead with the new building,” he said. “Sometimes you just need to keep looking forward and keep the optimism… The relocation has been a great opportunity to officially hit the reset button post-COVID restrictions, and welcome everyone back.”
