Cathedral Insurance Brokers has been working hard to meet the insurance needs of its clients for decades.
Their mission statement summarizes what the business is all about: “Building trusted relationships that protect our clients and provide peace of mind. Our people earn business and caring about each client’s specific needs.”
Cathedral Insurance Brokers has been located in the Beefeater Plaza for more than 30 years. It’s a high-traffic area, and near the busy junction of King Street, 13th Avenue and Souris Avenue North in Estevan.
Their 10 employees are always ready to meet the needs of their customers.
George Sereggela and Doug Trapp purchased the business in 2008, and have taken it through an ambitious expansion, which has significantly increased their available space. They are also part owners of a sister company, Mainline Insurance.
“Doug had a relationship with the prior owners who were retiring, and approached them about acquiring it,” George wrote. “Doug and I were friends, and he contacted me in Calgary, as he knew I had not found a suitable opportunity since moving there.”
Both had a business background before purchasing the insurance agency. George practiced law from 1988 to 2006, but grew up around his family’s restaurant business at the Tower Café. Doug had a background in farming, and had successfully run the local Fast Gas service station, and was the owner of the Wicklow Centre in Estevan. He also had insurance experience through his time as a Sun Life agent.
Both have taken insurance training courses offered through the Insurance Brokers’ Association of Saskatchewan.
The expansion was completed in May 2015, following an eight-month construction process. Cathedral acquired the space that was previously occupied by Movies R Us, which closed in 2014.
“We were able to hire additional staff,” said George. ‘We had space constraints that prevented us from proper staffing.”
Each employee now has their own work station or desk. They aren’t forced to share space any longer. And they have additional room to hire more employees.
The office also became more appealing.
“Insurance can be a little bit intimidating,” George said. “We had a vision of what we wanted the office to look like. We wanted it to be warm and inviting, and hopefully we accomplished that.”
Cathedral Insurance has an abundance of insurance services, including home, auto, farm and business insurance to offer their customers. They are also a Saskatchewan General Insurance motor license issuer.
Just like other sectors, the insurance industry is changing, and Cathedral is tasked with adapting to those changes. The trend towards more digital product offerings, and the cost of building that infrastructure and marketing, is creating a trend towards consolidation.
But George is pleased to be back in Estevan and working for a local insurance firm. When he worked elsewhere, he didn’t get to know his clients.
“Here your clients are your neighbours, your friends and your acquaintances, and it just means more to be in business in a community that’s home, where you know the people you’re dealing with,” said George.
Cathedral Insurance Brokers believes in supporting the community. They are a bronze level sponsor for the upcoming Saskatchewan Games in Estevan, and were a premier sponsor for the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup hockey tournament earlier this spring.
They have supported the new Estevan Regional Nursing Home committee, the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, Creighton Lodge, the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum, local 4-H Clubs, the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins, the Power Dodge Curling Centre and the Carievale Curling Rink.
George believes it’s important for people to shop locally because local businesses support local organizations, and they care about the people in Estevan.
“You’ll see us on the streets, you’ll see us in the stores and you’ll see us at the community functions,” he said. “It’s because we live here. We care about the community and we care about the people in the community.”
