Payne Financial Group and Western States Insurance Employees Join Hands To Help Local Nonprofits

Annual Community Week activities unite newly combined companies.

After the Sept. 17 announcement of the combination of Payne Financial Group and Western States Insurance to form one, new independent company, employees from both insurance agencies will join forces this month to give back to the communities in which they serve.

Throughout Community Week, Payne Financial and Western States employees in nine communities across Montana, Idaho and Washington will donate their time and efforts at local nonprofits. The complete hands-on projects will run the gamut from fixing fences at Opportunity Ranch, Opportunity Resources’ working ranch outside of Missoula that offers work and training opportunities for disabled individuals, to cleaning the Learning Lab’s centers for eradicating illiteracy in Boise.

"We started this employee-led tradition to be meaningful, contributing partners in the communities we live and work," said Brian Donahue, president and CEO of Payne Financial Group. "Western States Insurance has shared a similar commitment to give back to local communities, and by combining efforts we can deepen our impact with causes that are vital to the well-being of the communities we serve."

"We are very excited to join Payne Financial Group in its Community Week efforts," said Kyle Lingscheit, CEO of Western States Insurance. "Our employees have long been dedicated to local organizations making a difference, and as we go forward with combining our two companies, this is an invaluable opportunity for our employees to get to know each other while positively enriching our communities."

Community Week has been a Payne Financial Group annual tradition since 2004, in the spirit of its mission statement, "Clients, Colleagues, Communities" — what Payne Financial Group employees refer to as their "3 Cs." Each year, employees at each Payne Financial Group office choose from one to five organizations to volunteer with throughout the week. The tradition has often led to efforts that have lasted beyond just the weeklong organized effort. At Payne Financial Group’s downtown Spokane office, for example, employees who volunteer at the Second Harvest Food Bank during Community Week have also started an "office garden." Produce grown on the deck of their office complex is now donated to Second Harvest’s Plant a Row program that helps stock the food bank with locally grown produce.

Western States Insurance has shared a similar annual tradition of giving back through branchwide volunteer days in each of its 31 offices, in addition to the numerous hours employees commit to community organizations.

"As we shape our new company, we will continue to look for new ways and organizations to serve in the coming months and years," Donahue said. "The combined company will not only deepen our services and resources to our clients, but will also allow us to broaden our volunteer efforts in each of the communities we serve throughout the Mountain West and Northwest."

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About Payne Financial Group and Western States Insurance

On Sept. 17, 2012, Payne Financial Group and Western States Insurance announced that the two longtime regional leaders of the insurance industry are forming one, new independent company to serve the greater Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions. The combining companies serve 30 communities through 40 offices in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Idaho. For more information on the announcement, visit http://www.pfg-insurance.com/StrongerAsOne.