Jack Webb, a WWII veteran and graduate of Virginia Tech, started in the insurance industry at the Flat Top Insurance Agency in Bluefield, West Virginia.  Jack eventually left West Virginia with his young family to move back to his hometown of Suffolk, Virginia.  Nansemond Insurance was founded a short time later in July of 1957.  Jack’s first customer was his father’s trucking company – and Nansemond’s specialization in transportation was born.

Jack’s previous experience handling large accounts in the coal mining industry in West Virginia served as the basis for the Nansemond Agency.  The agency gravitated to working with larger commercial businesses and grew quickly.  In the early years, Jack recruited and trained a capable staff, still one of the agency’s greatest assets.

Jack was joined by his son, Bill, in the early 1970’s and son, Joe, in the mid 1970’s.  Jack’s son-in-law, Jay Dorschel, joined the agency in 1980.  Bill, Joe and Jay proved to be very capable, and expertise developed in the areas of warehousing, trucking, petroleum, and captive insurance programs.  Nansemond grew to be one of the most respected independent insurance agencies in the region.

The family business model has worked well for Nansemond.  Perpetuation continued with the addition of Joby Webb in 2003 and Jarratt Webb in 2009.  Both bring prior business experience from other industries.

Nansemond developed, and continues to grow, a strong reputation for handling complex risks by working closely with their customers. The insurance industry has changed a lot in the last fifty years, but Nansemond’s core values established over fifty years ago have not.