Bell & Hudson Yesterday and Today

Frederick Taylor was, by all accounts, a sensible man.  A resident of Granby, MA, Mr. Taylor manufactured cloth at his mill on Batchelor Brook during a dark period in American history-the Civil War.   Fearing for the safety of his property, he established an insurance business to protect his holdings.  The business stayed in the family until 1913, when George Bell-another Granby resident-purchased it and founded the George F. Bell Insurance Agency.   He took Byron Hudson on as a partner in the 1930s, and in 1940 they incorporated as Bell & Hudson Insurance Agency, renewing Mr. Bell’s commitment to help the local community and bring peace of mind to its citizens.

From its humble beginnings in the Civil War, Bell & Hudson has grown into a successful, full-service insurance agency-the first in Hampshire County to receive the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents’ (MAIA) coveted Five Star Award of Distinction.  Of the more than 2000 agencies in Massachusetts, only the top two percent have been so honored.

Times have changed since Frederick Taylor opened his doors and the George F. Bell Insurance Agency wrote its first policy, and though we’ve kept up with the times, we’ve never lost sight of our founders’ vision.   If anything, we’ve improved on it, extending their commitment to levels some might call obsessive.   But Bell & Hudson has never been only about business.  We don’t just make our living in the community, we make our lives here, and we’re proud to take a leading role in supporting our friends and neighbors, and giving back to those who’ve given us their business and, more importantly , their trust.

For more than 100 years, Bell & Hudson has protected peoples’s most cherished possessions, their homes, and their lives. None of these are replaceable, and no one who files a claim ever comes out ahead.  An insurance contract is merely a promise to restore you to your financial position before the claim, nothing more.  Our vision is to make purchasing that contract, that promise, a positive experience.   This may seem impossible, but it’s actually very simple.   All you need is compassion, a desire to listen, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to fulfill that promise.   Commitment to our customers, professional expertise, prompt and caring service, community pride-these are all reasons why people choose Bell & Hudson.  But it’s our desire and ability to keep that promise that truly sets us apart.

George F. Bell	Byron Hudson	James R. Phaneuf