Location, location, location — it’s an age-old business lesson and one the insurance agency of Torian, Hofmann, Dillow & Flittner learned firsthand in their move to Division Street in 2001.
The agency, which was started in 1923 by the Torian family, spent its early years in Downtown Evansville, including nearly 20 years at 800 Sunset Ave. The hard to find location was the original Igleheart home and the former Evansville Day School. It was positioned on a dead-end street with no need for a receptionist as they only saw one or two visitors a day.
“We were trying to comfortably work in what used to be a home,” says Robert Dillow, who joined the firm in 1979 and became partners with Greg Hofmann when Paul Torian retired in 1989. “It was very beautiful but wasn’t conducive for office purposes. We all enjoyed the atmosphere of being in a home. When we decided we wanted to own our own property, our goal was to build a structure that looks like a home, but functions entirely as an office.”
In 1997, Dillow and Hofmann, along with partner Tony Flittner, found a hopeful location across from Vann Avenue and next to the Evansville National Guard Armory, but acquiring the land wasn’t easy. The land was owned by the University of Evansville and a land swap clause prohibited the university from using the property for anything other than educational purposes. Gov. Frank O’Bannon signed House Bill 1587 allowing the university to sell the ground. In March 2001, the agency moved into its newly built office.
Built in Georgian architecture, which is characterized by its proportion and balance, the two-story building is furnished and decorated as a home would be with workspaces hidden out of the view of the public.
“We wanted it to appear like a home,” says Dillow. “The conference rooms, bathrooms, and foyer area — we wanted to have that warm comfortable feeling as if you’re in someone’s home. There isn’t a producer in the building that meets with a client across a business desk. It puts the customer and producer on an even comfort level. As soon as you go anywhere else in the building, we have all the modern cabling, workstations, everything else to allow us to function properly.”
Torian, Hofmann, Dillow & Flittner now sits at one of the most heavily traveled sections of the Lloyd Expressway, with easy access from Vann Avenue and Division Street. The Trusted Choice® independent insurance agency employs 26 people to offer home, auto, business, life, and health insurance products through its network of top rated insurance companies.
For more information about Torian, Hofmann, Dillow & Flittner, call 812-424-5503 or visit thdfins.com.
