“If we take care of the community, the community will take care of us.”
These 14 words were first said by Duliban Insurance founder James Duliban back in the 1970s, and they are still the company’s raison d’etre nearly 50 years after he purchased a Welland insurance business in 1976.
“That is a really important quote that our grandfather has instilled on Adam and I,” said Jason Duliban, who along with his twin brother, represents the third generation of the family to lead the company.
The words are displayed on the wall at Duliban’s office on Hwy. 20 and are a reminder to employers – and clients – of what the company’s philosophy is all about.
“It's words that are understood and recognized by our entire team at large, and as an insurance broker we're well positioned to provide immense support to our community and our neighbours.”
And it goes beyond heeding those words. The company puts them into action.
“Giving back to our community means everything to us,” Duliban said. “We have an initiative set for that for every policy that we have in force, we give $1 back to the community, and we allow for our team in that area to be able to determine where those dollars go.”
Since he and his brother took over the business from their father, Tom, back in 2013, $750,000 has been donated to community organizations across Niagara.
But it’s not just passive giving through the sales of policies. The company has been directly involved in the community.
It’s common to see the Duliban name associated with sponsorship of community events and sports groups. The company contributed $125,000 toward the $36 million needed to build the Meridian Community Centre, and one of its two ice surfaces is now named the Duliban Insurance Arena.
Every year, the company picks a charity through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
“This year it’s the Kristen French Advocacy Centre,” Duliban said. “This year, we had about 15 qualified charities that have applied, and we narrowed it down to a top five charities, three of which had earned contributions of $1,000 to those charities, and we selected Kristen French this year and Shoe Box Niagara for next year.”
The centre, named for murder victim Kristen French, is a safe place to help Niagara children and youth who have experienced alleged physical abuse, sexual abuse, become the targets of Internet luring, or were unwillingly witness to violence.
Employees, too, are also encouraged to give back, through paid days off that allow for them to help a charity of their choosing.
“They have freedom and autonomy to determine what charity that they want to be involved with,” Duliban said. And they spend their time as effectively as possible, and then they broadcast their experience across the team.”
There are also opportunities for staff to learn about charity groups across Niagara via “lunch and learn” events.
“We’re able to increase our awareness across the team, which we feel is equally important, as financial contributions.”
A commitment to the community is something the company looks for when it comes to hiring new employees, he said. They’ve added 25 new staff in the past year and as a part of the evaluation, it’s as much to do with personality as it is to do with what’s on their resume.
“We're really focusing on bringing people into the company that shares those same values that we do,” Duliban said.
More information about Duliban Insurance, including the charitable initiatives undertaken by the company, can be found at www.dulibaninsurance.com.
