Kressler, Wolff, & Miller Insurance Agency
Headquartered in Easton, Kressler, Wolff and Miller Insurance Agency has been serving clients in the greater Lehigh Valley area for the past 93 years. As one of the city’s oldest and most enduring businesses, KWM’s personalized philosophy of “serving each client’s needs” is coupled with a strong commitment to supporting local community organizations, foundations and non-profit groups.
Established in 1923, KWM began as a partnership between Easton-native Ken Kressler and his bother-in-law, Herman Wolff. After opening their first office in the Wells Fargo building in Easton’s Centre Square, the pair was soon joined by Alex Miller. A graduate of Lafayette College, Miller had come to know Kressler through various community organizations.
In its early days, KWM focused primarily on providing personal insurance and operated a real estate agency. From the start, the company was also guided by the belief that it should “give back” to the community whenever possible. This led the partners to each become actively involved in a variety of boards, organizations and community groups, such as the Easton Area Chamber of Commerce and Easton City Council. Today, the lasting legacy of these early contributions are still evident in places like the Kressler Garden, which sits adjacent to the historic Parsons-Taylor House at South Fourth and Ferry Streets in downtown Easton, and is named in honor of Ken Kressler.
In the 1930s, KWM expanded its services to include a consumer finance branch, which offered small personal loans to local residents. In an era before credit cards, these loans proved highly popular with people who needed small amounts of extra cash to cover unexpected bills or help lighten the burden of the holiday season. The consumer finance branch would ultimately become one of KWM’s most popular services, and loans of up to $15,000 are still available today to qualified individuals.
In 1946, Herman Wolff’s son, Ahlert Wolff, took over as company president. A graduate of Lehigh University, Ahlert had previously served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II and had seen action off the coast of France during the D-Day Normandy invasion.
Like his father, Ahlert balanced his work at KWM with a dedication to serving his local community. Of particular interest to him was the development of high-quality health services in the Easton area. For many years, he served on the board of Easton Hospital, where he helped support the growth of its facilities. As the president of the Presbyterian Homes Board, he also helped spearhead the construction of the Kirkland Village senior living complex in Bethlehem, which is now considered to be one of the Valley’s top retirement facilities.
With Ahlert still at the helm, KWM built a new office complex on South Fourth Street in Easton in 1981. Because the downtown was not a popular business site at the time, KWM’s decision to invest in the area was a reaffirmation of the company’s dedication to remaining an intrinsic part of the Easton community. In recognition of this fact, Easton’s Downtown Improvement Group and the Two Rivers Area Chamber of Commerce both later presented KWM with awards of appreciation.
In 1986, Ahlert resigned as president of KWM and took on the role of company chairman. His eldest son, Marshall, stepped up as president, while his younger son, David, became vice-president. As the third-generation of Wolffs, Marshall and David continue to be actively involved in the community. For many years, Marshall served as Chairman of the Board for the Valley Health Foundation, while David served as Director of the Family YMCA. Both men have also made significant contributions to various civic groups, churches, non-profit agencies, and local and regional organizations that support programs for the less privileged. To ensure their continued support of community activities, the brothers established the Kressler, Wolff & Miller Fund in 1996. Set up through the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, this fund allows KWM to make grants to various charitable organizations in perpetuity.
Today, KWM’s main office is still located at 40 South Fourth Street in Easton. Satellite locations are in both Stroudsburg and Allentown. For individual policyholders, KWM offers a full range of personal protection, including homeowners, auto, health, life, senior products, and long term care insurance. Small and medium sized businesses can benefit from their liability, property, workers compensation, business auto, and group benefits plans.
As an independent insurance agency, KWM represents many different insurance companies, such as Chubb, Travelers, Farmers, Progressive, Penn National and Philadelphia. This wide breadth of choices allows KWM’s professional advisors to help their clients find the “perfect fit” at the most reasonable costs available.
For more information about Kressler, Wolff & Miller or the services they provide, please visit their website at kwminc.com or contact their main office at 40 South Fourth Street, Easton, 610.258.9181.
