In certain fields, professionals periodically update their look to maintain a youthful image and demonstrate that they're in step with the times. Physical appearance and perceived hipness may not be de rigeur in the insurance industry, but even a 135-year-old can benefit from an occasional makeover. For instance, although Hagedorn & Co. is stronger than ever and still growing, the agency's managers decided a few years ago to freshen up a bit with an attention-grabbing new Web site designed to highlight our best features. The results? Fabulous!

Hagedorn & Co. was founded in 1869 by banker Henry Bohlen Hagedorn and former sea captain John Miles Gillespie. The two entrepreneurs identified and capitalized upon a niche created by the booming cotton industry of post-Civil War America. They began writing marine insurance that covered crops as they were harvested, processed and carried by ships to ports in the industrial centers of New England and Europe. Later they expanded their underwriting to include the transport of coffee, tea, cocoa, food, household goods and general merchandise.

Today, we employ 55 people and offer a variety of financial products and services, including personal- and commercial-lines insurance, life and health products, financial planning, and global risk financing and consulting services. We write about 5,000 accounts, including several universities and hospitals, that generate almost $80 million in annual volume.