Bob Nichols Insurance & Financial Services LLC

In high school, Bob Nichols noticed that insurance agencies helped people when they needed it the most.

And because most people required or needed insurance, “I felt like that if a person provided the quality service and attention that most clients desire and deserve, that I could build a nice firm from scratch,” he said.

So in 1986, he founded Bob Nichols Insurance & Financial Services LLC of Jonesboro, an independent franchise agency of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.

“The breadth of services that were available for me to offer through Nationwide … is what attracted me to the company,” Nichols said.

His firm, which also was a finalist for the first Northeast Arkansas Business of the Year award last fall, offers a wide variety of products, including auto, home, health and life insurance.

Nichols’ agency also offers a range of financial services, including estate planning, 401(k) retirement plans and personal, business and agricultural insurance.

The company, which has 11 employees, has seen steady growth since its founding and has added various services during the years.

Along the way, it has won a number of awards, including recognition as one of the top 12 Nationwide agencies by total production in the United States for 2010.

One of the reasons his firm wins so many awards is because his agency is able to take care of all needs that a family might have, he said.

“Awards … that’s never been a driving force or factor for me,” Nichols said. “It’s just a nice side result of a culmination of years of hard work.”