You may have met Rich Hecker on the golf course last September. He is the dynamic personality who directed the Charity Golf Tournament, which was sponsored last year by EHL Insurance and Fred Hill Materials at the Gold Mountain golf course, in Bremerton. The event attracted ninety-six golfers and raised nearly $10,000 for the Kitsap Community Foundation, of which Hecker is a board member. He hopes to make this year’s tournament bigger and better, with a goal of doubling last year’s contribution to the Foundation.

In addition to the golf tournament, EHL Insurance is in the process of setting up a charitable endowment with the Kitsap Community Foundation. Working with the Foundation, EHL Insurance will identify and help deserving charitable organizations in Kitsap County. Their endowment will continue in perpetuity and will contribute to improve the quality of life in Kitsap County for generations to come.

EHL Insurance is the result of a recent merger of the long-standing Poulsbo insurance firms of Longnecker-JRO Insurance and Edgren Insurance, which had been well-known members of the Poulsbo business community since the 1930s. The two merged in August, 2001. The firm offers insurance from a variety of insurance companies including Washington based: Safeco, Mutual of Enumclaw, and CBIC. EHL opened a new branch in Sequim in April, 2002.

The firm is a diverse insurance provider, offering a full range of commercial, personal, and group medical insurance products tailored to meet the specific needs of its clients. Its management’s efforts are geared toward the needs of clients, giving back to the communities they serve, relationships with their insurance companies, and, of course, their own staff.

One of EHL Insurance’s main thrusts, apart from its insurance business, is supporting local athletic programs and teams. Hecker and his fellow staff members are proud of their record in financing youth teams and volunteering to conduct their sports events. They have played an active role in supporting Little League Baseball, Soccer, and High School teams.

Hecker talked about EHL’s participation in the Safeco-sponsored “Play Ball” program, which helps upgrade sports fields across the country. For the past three years Safeco has contributed $1.25 million toward erecting 82 large electronic scoreboards at ballparks across the nation. These are radio-controlled, and are similar to the ones used at the big professional ballparks. They make it easy for teams to let their fans know instantly how the game is going. Twenty of these scoreboards have been awarded throughout the country in the current year. EHL Insurance applied for and was awarded a $15,000 scoreboard from Safeco to be installed at the newly renovated baseball field at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds this year. This is a significant achievement for EHL, for there were over 200 applicants for this award nationwide.

Sports are not the only community activities EHL Insurance is involved in. The firm also has keen interests in cultural activities in the county. For example, they provided financial support to the North Kitsap High School youth band last year, helping them to achieve their outstanding success at Carnegie Hall. Hecker was enthusiastic about supporting plans for a Kitsap youth band festival next year.

Key personnel at EHL include Brian Edgren, Rich Hecker, and Todd Lemmon, Jeff Ogard, Principals in the firm, and Jason Mayer, Marketing Manager. The company maintains membership in the Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce and some of the principles are also members of Poulsbo Rotary.