Church Mutual Opens Milwaukee Office With Support From Former Packers

Church Mutual Insurance Company now has a big-city office to go with its northern Wisconsin headquarters.

The insurance firm opened a 10,000-square-foot office Tuesday on the sixth floor of the 833 East building. It includes a conference room named for a former Green Bay Packers player. There are 30 employees in the space today, with plans to grow to 60.

“When we decided on Milwaukee we were very purposeful,” said president and CEO Rich Poirier in a ceremony. He said the decision stems back to when he joined the company in 2011. An analysis showed that more than 50% of its policyholders are either Latino, African American or Asian. “It was an ‘ah-ha moment.’ As a mutual company we are owned by our policyholders. So we began our journey that day to open this office in Milwaukee.”

When the office was announced in June 2021 Poirier also said an urban office in a big city would help attract new workers that might not want to work at the company’s headquarters north of Wausau in Merrill (population 9,081). The company said it conducted a national search for the location.

“Milwaukee sometimes gets a bad rap, and I believe unfairly,” said Poirier. “I said I want to be part of the solution, not the problem.”

That drew praise from Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who said he looks forward to the company’s growth. “You are already making a huge impact in Milwaukee,” he said.

But the real draw, based on the number of selfies taken, wasn’t the new office, nor the mayor and CEO. Former Packers players George Koonce and LeRoy Butler were both in attendance, the latter in his new NFL Hall of Fame jacket.

A conference room at the west end of the office space is named the Dr. George Koonce Innovation Center, a reflection of Koonce’s post-playing career growth, including a Ph.D. in sports administration from Marquette University.

“People don’t know he’s still in the community because it’s not me-me-me,” said Butler of his friend. Koonce is now the vice president of advancement at Marian University in Fond du Lac.

The former linebacker is also on the board of CM Regent, an affiliate of Church Mutual that supports educational institutions. He’s also on the board of The Nature Conservancy and Ascension‘s Wisconsin market board.

Koonce thanked his mother for prompting him to think about what he would be when he grew up. He told her he wanted to play football and be a businessman that helps people.

“I checked one of them, the football part, and the other piece, I’m going to continue to work, continue to listen, continue to ask for your support to get it done,” said Koonce.

Koonce thanked John W. Daniels, Jr. and Medical College of Wisconsin vice president Greg Wesley, both of whom were in attendance, for their long-time support.

State Insurance Commissioner Nathan Houdek was also in attendance at the event.

Why is “innovation” in the room’s name? The company touts its proprietary technology products, including environmental sensors, armed intruder police notification systems, alarm solutions and wildfire solutions.

Church Mutual was founded in 1897 in Merrill. In addition to its headquarters in the state’s north-central region, it also maintains offices in Madison, Mechanicsburg, PA and Denver, CO.

It has 1,130 employees nationwide, including 765 in Merrill, according to its website.

The insurance company offers specialized insurance for religious organizations, nonprofit organizations, public and private schools, senior living facilities, camps and conference centers. Its website boasts of insuring more religious institutions than any other company.

The 18-story 833 East building, located at 833 E. Michigan St. near the US Bank Center and Lake Michigan, was completed in 2016 by Irgens. Law firm Godfrey & Kahn is the building’s anchor tenant. The building’s 358,000 square feet of commercial space is more than 90% leased.

Ben Anderson of Colliers International represented the firm in brokering the lease.

Unlike Milwaukee insurance firm Northwestern Mutual, Church Mutual is a stock insurer. The company is owned by shareholders, not policyholders. But it has a single shareholder, the Church Mutual Holding Company, which has a mutual organization structure. Policyholders get to vote on holding company actions, including those of other subsidiaries.

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