“So, this name right here, Isaac Jones, is the name of my fourth great-grandfather," Jon Walkup said while pointing at a document from the 1840s. “Jonathan Simmons, who at the time was president, was actually Isaac Jones’ brother-in-law, which makes him my fourth great uncle.”
Jon Walkup is proud to work where he has deep connections. Every day, he carries on his family’s legacy as an enterprise risk manager at Westfield.
“Just icing on the cake for me to learn how integral members of your own family are in the history of your own workplace was really, really fun to learn about," he said. "And I still feel like it’s a story I’m learning about to this day."
Westfield was founded by farmers in 1848, meaning this year marks its 175th anniversary.
Back then, it was named the Ohio Farmers Insurance Company.
“They came together with one common purpose and that was to protect their families from fire," Walkup said.
The founder’s desk is on display inside the current headquarters in the village of Westfield Center. It was Walkup’s great-great-great-great-uncle’s.
“I have to imagine some of the first policies ever written were scribed on this desk," he said.
Walkup has been with Westfield for nearly a decade. His brother also works there and both of his parents did at one time.
“Really keeping it in the family," he said.
Historical artifacts have been preserved and assembled into small exhibits spread throughout the building.
The home office renovation and rebranding was completed in 2020, and Stuart Rosenberg was part of the team that made the design choices. Near the board room is a wall of fire marks.
“And it was a way that insurance companies would identify the properties that they insured because originally they had their own fire departments," Rosenberg said. "So, there wasn’t a community fire department when this practice originated in Europe. Actually each insurance company had its own fire department."
He felt it was important to modernize symbols of the company’s heritage with a new and true motto.
Currently, Westfield is the largest employer in Medina County with more than 1,600 employees in the state of Ohio.
“Originally we were only protecting farmers and their farms from the risk of fire and now this art feature is meant to look like fields of grain," Rosenberg said while pointing at a light fixture in the main lobby area.
Rosenberg gave Spectrum News a tour of the property and casualty insurance company that underwrites commercial, personal, surety and specialty lines.
It all got started by farmers who met at a general store in the 1840s. They aimed to avoid fraudulent policies by creating an insurance company dedicated to protecting their farmland in small villages.
“So, they came together to say what can we do better and they eventually petitioned the Ohio General Assembly to create the act that created our company," said Rosenberg.
The business has withstood the test of time by overcoming a series of hardships.
“So, there was the Civil War," Rosenberg said. "You have multiple serious economic recessions, the depression, both world wars. Obviously there's been another pandemic. The first pandemic in the 1900s, the flu pandemic, the COVID pandemic and everything in between."
Walkup has become a history buff.
He’s curious about his ancestry and has spent quite of bit of time researching his genealogy to better understand who he is and where he comes from.
Walkup often passes by and appreciates the historical moments in his workplace that pay homage to his roots.
“When I come to work I don’t necessarily feel like I’m coming to work," Walkup said. "I feel like I’m coming back home, which I don’t think a lot of people can say that."
Gov. Mike DeWine put out a video to congratulate Westfield on its milestone 175th anniversary.
According to Westfield, the only other northeast Ohio business they’re aware of that’s been around longer is Cleveland Cliffs. Westfield works with a historian from the Western Reserve Historical Society to preserve the company’s history for years to come.