History of Heacock
Many of our customers have been with us for several years, and many customers in the Sebring area know some of the history of how Heacock Insurance started, but we wanted to share with you the history of our company and how the community has supported us for over 95 years.
In the early 1920s, George Sebring approached his friend Austin Heacock with a proposal to move down to Sebring, Florida from Sebring, Ohio. Austin was growing tired of the cold, snowy winters and agreed to move down with his wife Zua. Austin worked in the insurance industry back in Ohio, so shortly after moving, he founded his own insurance company in 1922- Heacock Insurance. Unfortunately, Austin only lived a short time in Sebring, but he passed the business onto his son Ford W. Heacock Sr. in 1924.
Ford Sr. had the grueling task of running an insurance agency through the depression. Despite the real estate industry collapsing and several Sebring banks failing through 1929, the agency stayed in business. Ford Heacock Jr. joined his dad at the agency in 1953 and Ford Sr.’s son-in-law George Hensley joined the company as well, allowing Ford Sr. to retire in 1963. In 1972, Heacock Insurance Group celebrated their 50th Anniversary. The company and the Heacock family received many congratulatory cards all asking to be invited to the 100th anniversary as well.
Ford Heacock Sr. and Ford Heacock Jr.
Ford Jr. and George Hensley ran the company and turned it from a partnership to a corporation until 1998. Ford Heacock III, Craig Johnson and Beth Johnson (son-in-law and daughter of George) bought the company from Ford Jr. and George and so the torch was passed to the next generation.
Ford III, Craig, and Beth ran the agency together until 2012 when Ford Heacock III bought Crag and Beth’s share of the company to run on his own. He was also operating Heacock Classic since 1989 which catered to insurance for classic and collector vehicles until selling the Classic part of the company in 2016.
In January of 2017, Ford decided to sell the company and pass along the family business to his brother Jason Heacock as President, having experience being a property adjuster for over 20 years, and his daughter Stacey Heacock-Weeks as Executive Vice-President, also with an insurance background and a degree in Risk Management and Insurance. Together they are continuing to grow the company while keeping the community in mind, as that’s how it all got started.
We would not be here if it weren’t for our loyal customers. During this holiday season, we want to express our gratitude to those who have made our progress possible these 96 years. Thank you and best wishes for the holiday season and the new year.
