The Harmony National Insurance Brokerage was founded by Lee and Wendy Patterson in 2005. It started out with a 1 room office with two desks and two phone lines in a building on Cairnway Drive near Bear Creek Park. For the first two years, the agency just had one employee in addition to founder Wendy and the extra help of Lee, who worked some evenings and weekends. The agency’s second employee also got to work at the Cairnway location and later on at the HEB location, summing a total of 3 years with the agency.
When Lee left Academy Corporation to work as a full-time agent in 2007, the agency moved to a bigger office in the same building, having a four member staff in a 2 room office. Nevertheless, hurricane Ike flooded the office and forced the agency to relocate once again to third office in the same building, this time a 7 room space. Thankfully, the agency had its commercial insurance policy with Farmers and got everything covered and paid for.
In 2009, Lee and Wendy decided to move to a small office inside the HEB in Cypress. They thought that moving to such a busy location was going to translate into traffic and sales; but it ended up being very loud and full of interruptions and distractions. Being in that location had a very neutral impact on the business: neither positive nor negative.
A collage of our 3 locations and out current staff
That’s when they decided to move a third time in 2012 to what it is now the most recent office of the Harmony National Insurance Brokerage. They were looking for an affordable place located in a busy area where they could get exposure. That is when they found a residential property that, even though it was on foreclosure, it had a lot of potential. Located on Telge road (one of the busiest in the Cypress area), this property became an investment and it fitted the agency’s needs very well. After remodeling, 3 rooms were turned into offices; the dining room into a conference room, the kitchen into a break room and the living room and fireplace were turned into the reception and waiting areas.
A collage of before and after pictures of our current location
Moving to this location has had a very positive impact on the agency: it is quieter and more comfortable, which increases productivity and business. This location’s value is also increased by Houston’s Grand Parkway (SH 99), which is set to be finished in 2015 and will add traffic to this area.
Investing in this property has also given rise to future plans that look very bright and promising. By 2017, Lee and Wendy plan to demolish the house in the property and have built a 2 story office building for realtors, doctors, accountants, and any other professionals to lease. The agency will also have their offices in the building and, most importantly, it will offer other professionals from the area the opportunity to establish themselves and their business closer to home.
A model of the business building that Wendy and Lee would like to have built by 2017.