Employees and business leaders cut the ribbon at L&W Insurance’s newest office in Greenville. | DBT PHOTO BY KATIE TABELING
VERTVILLE — L&W Insurance cut the ribbon from its last office in Greenville’s Holladay House, celebrating its position as the only independent insurance agency in the three counties of the First State.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be here. Our agency was born in 1932, and this is our first physical location in New Castle County. I don’t think we could have picked a better location,” the chairman said. of L&W Insurance, Bill Strickland, to a crowd of employees and members of the business community on Wednesday evening.
The Holladay House off Kennett Pike is part of a historic estate and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Holladay-Harrington House. The building was designed in 1927 by famed Delaware architect E. William Martin, who also built cottages on what is known as Longwood Gardens as well as schools and residences in Wilmington.
For years, L&W Insurance was primarily based in a Kent County office, but its commercial insurance, employee benefits and personal insurance divisions have steadily grown outside of that footprint. His service territory extended to Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
In 2020, L&W Insurance built a new office in Ocean View and quietly opened it during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company began looking for office space in Wilmington earlier this year to match its customer base.
“We really wanted to be part of the community because we are committed to this area. This office is really the final piece of the puzzle,” said Chelsea Clark, director of organizational culture and communications for L&W Insurance.
Patterson-Schwartz & Associates leased the Holladay and Harrington houses on the estates until recently. The real estate branch is still in the Harrington house on the property. L&W Insurance began leasing the 15,982 square foot space in May and plans to continue to do so for years to come, Clark added. The space was recently renovated.
L&W Insurance will have at least four employees working in its new Greenville office and has 39 employees in total.
“Our goal in New Castle County is to make ourselves available to all of our customers in need,” Clark said. “This office isn’t about having a cubicle, it’s about having a nice permanent space where our employees and customers can gather. We hope to continue our growth in the years to come.