Mainebiz Special Editions

B U S I N E S S P RO F I L E S 82 B U S I N E S S P R O F I L E S S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N O n e y e a r a g o , P a t r o n s O x f o r d I n s u r a n c e moved to new headquarters in a Portland business park, surprising some people. However, the measure was not that unusual. As the company has demonstrated for nearly a century and a half, it readily changes with the times in order to better serve the needs of its policyholders, employees and communities. Patrons Oxford Insurance P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F R O B E R T B E N S O N P H O T O G R A P H Y Maine-grown insurer stays true to its 19th-century roots, even in the 21st e move to Portland Technology Park represented a "first" of many kinds. e new location was a first step into southern Maine for Patrons, which had been based in Auburn and whose roots trace to Androscoggin and Oxford counties. (Although the company has long offered its property and casualty insurance throughout the state, utilizing a network of over 150 independent agents.) And Patrons became the first resident of the 26-acre campus, which is the first business park owned by the City of Portland. Even the headquarters itself is pioneering. The two-story, 20,000-square-foot office building complements the natural set- ting of the park — which borders 200 acres of forested land and walking trails — while providing the open, flexible workspace Patrons' growing team needs. Natural light and natural materials — think locally sourced timber framing — fill the space, which includes a wellness facility, a "collaborative café" and rooms that can accommodate small private meetings or a conference of 65 people. e headquarters is also a high-performance building, positioned to make full use of solar energy and constructed to exceed local green-building codes by 30%. A photovoltaic array on the roof can provide up to 40% of the power for the building's electrical and mechanical systems. Designed by Portland-based Scott Simon Architects, the building was recently honored with two awards from the Maine chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Employees and other living creatures seem to appreciate Patrons' earth-friendly location. "Our team members like to use the trails, and in the winter, some of us have enjoyed snowshoe- ing from the office door," says Rachel Bannister, assistant vice president at Patrons. "We've had a few visitors too, like the moose who sometimes walks up our driveway." Neighbors helping neighbors is connection to neighbors — whatever their species — is not new at Patrons Oxford. e connection inspired the company's motto, "A Maine Company for Maine People." Clearly, neigh- borliness was the inspiration for the company's founding. Originally, it was two companies: Oxford County Patrons of Husbandry Mutual Fire Insurance Co., founded May 5, 1876, and Patrons Androscoggin Mutual Fire Insurance Co., established on the same date one year later. Both were formed by farmers active in the Maine State Grange, an agricultural and fraternal organization whose official name is the Patrons of Husbandry. In reaction to the high cost of farm insurance, the Grange members banded together and agreed to share the cost of any loss suffered by one of their subscribers. At first both companies offered only fire insurance. But by the 1940s, the companies responded to demand by writing other types of policies, including automobile and home insurance and coverage for non-Grange members. Eventually, the companies' " As a Maine-based, Maine-grown company, Patrons Oxford is close to its policyholders — and to the resources that can help when they're in need. " — Rachel Bannister Patrons Assistant Vice President Above: The new Patrons Oxford headquarters in Portland features plenty of natural light and natural materials.

• Cover