About Us

Our History

The Engel Agency, Inc. was established by Robert and Beverly Engel in 1977 in the Maquoketa community. The couple ran the agency side-by-side until their son, Bruce Engel, joined the family business in the mid 90’s. With a growing book of business, Bruce and Robert decided to bring on Jennifer Machande in 2003 to help service clients.

Following his father’s retirement in 2005, Bruce Engel purchased the Bill Caven Agency in Bellevue, IA, along with opening a third location in Preston, IA. Bruce continued to run a strong operation until his retirement in 2010.
In 2010, the management of The Engel Agency was transition to Jennifer Machande. As a long-time employee and member of the Jackson County community, Jennifer maintains the firm’s strong relationships while building new ones.

In 2020, Jennifer made the decision to partner with First MainStreet Insurance in order to bring additional resources to the Engel client community.
First MainStreet Insurance L.C. (FMSI), headquartered in Cedar Rapids, IA, is an organization that was established in 2017 when like minded individuals recognized the value for sustaining the small town insurance agency and its local legacy. The FMSI model focuses on smaller agencies, a lot of them family-run organizations, to perpetuate their business while giving them access to robust resources and carrier markets to better service their clients.

With the support of FMSI, The Engel Agency gained additional carrier and market resources to further their best-in-class service. The firm’s day-to-day operations continue to be managed by local owner, Jennifer Machande, maintaining the firm’s local presence and activity in the community while providing the attention clients expect from a local agent.

Our Mission 

To assist companies with protecting and maximizing assets, resources, and opportunities.

Our Values

We are EXCEPTIONAL.

We are COLLABORATORS.

We are RESOURCEFUL.