Pence Insurance Agency, Inc.
Serving Our Clients For Over 50 Years

James "Jim" H. Pence founded Pence Insurance Agency in 1945 as a division of the James H. Pence Mortgage Company. After being established for 11 years, Mr. Pence decided to hire a new manager. The search ended when he found a young insurance agent working at The First Kentucky Fire Insurance Company by the name of William “Bill” J. Detherage. Bill was hired in 1956. After 18 years of growth and development the mortgage company and the insurance agency were separated as a result of Mr. Pence’s retirement. At the time of sale the insurance agency was incorporated as the Pence Insurance Agency, Inc.

Bill Detherage, as the Chief Operating Officer of the insurance agency, bought the major interest in the insurance agency in 1974 and included the officers of the mortgage company as minority partners. For the next several years both companies worked hand-in-hand. In 1982 the officers of the Pence Mortgage sold the mortgage company to the Baldwin-United Mortgage Company of Cincinnati, Ohio and Bill Detherage acquired full ownership and continued to operate the Pence Insurance.

In 1978 Bill was joined in business by his eldest son W. Robert “Bob” Detherage. The two have worked together since. In 1993 Bob began acquiring Pence Insurance and the sale was completed in 2001. After the acquisition Bob decided there was an economy of scale in the insurance industry and began to consider an affiliation with a larger group.

The Lavelle Insurance Agency, Inc. and United Insurance Agency, Inc., both well-known agencies, formed an identity known as Logan Lavelle Insurance Agency, LLC. In 2001 the Pence Insurance entered into a management agreement with Logan Lavelle. Under this agreement the Pence Insurance employees were hired by the Logan Lavelle organization.

Bob has maintained the ownership, identity, license and insurance company appointments of Pence Insurance, but has consolidated the operations into the Logan Lavelle office.

Since the beginning, Bill followed by Bob, have contributed to the betterment of the insurance industry by serving their peers in various capacities.

Some of Bill’s contributions have included:
*Member of the Kentucky Insurance Council
*President of the Professional Insurance Agents of Kentucky
*Member and Chairman of the Kentucky Insurance Guarantee Fund
*At 80 years old, Bill stills comes in to the office Monday-Friday

And some of Bob’s contributions have included:
*President of the Louisville Board of Independent Insurance Agents
*State & Federal Lobbyist for the Professional Insurance Agents of Kentucky
*Member of the Kentucky Insurance Guarantee Fund