Twenty-five years ago, Billy Griner purchased a small insurance company on the south side of Milledgeville.

Economy Insurance was located in the Town and Country Shopping Center and Griner kept the Economy name for a while.

“He changed the name to Griner Insurance 15 years ago, then incorporated in 2002 when we changed the name to Central Insurance Group,” Griner’s son and business partner Bryan said.

Following a move to North Jefferson Street, the agency continued to grow. Bryan Griner said the company mainly dealt in high-risk automobile insurance when it first started but that through the years the business has transformed into a standard line agency.

“We are A++ rated,” Griner said. “That is the highest rating. Financial solvency determines the rating. Our customers’ needs have changed throughout the years and Griner has changed to meet them.”

After the North Jefferson Street location, the Griners moved the agency to its current location on Heritage Road where Billy and Bryan are joined by Cindy Griner, Lisa Weeks and Jennifer Hall in the office. Central Insurance Group has been at their new location for four years.

Griner said the business has met or exceeded its yearly goal in all but one year since the business started in 1984.

“We set a yearly goal of 10 percent growth,” he said. “We have either met or exceeded that goal since we have been in business, except for one year 10 years ago. We grew that year, but not quite at 10 percent.”

Griner said the motto of the business is professional service on a personal level and the company lives up to that motto by meeting in person with clients to determine needs. Griner said that by having a conversation with a client, you get to know them and their insurance needs.

“Right now, our agency has 5,000 active clients,” Griner said. “We only deal with A-rated carriers. We want to make sure we give the best coverage possible for the lowest premium. We like that personal touch and meeting face-to-face.”

Griner said the advantage of using an independent agent is that personal connection.

“Large companies are order-takers,” he said. “They’re not really worried about proper coverage, they’re just trying to hit a price point and you are a number to them. We encourage local trade and use local companies to do business, as well.”

Griner said their record is spotless, and through storms that came through the area in 2008, the company fared well.

“In 2008, we had three major catastrophes hit central Georgia,” Griner said. “We have lots of customers in Macon and we had zero complaints with claims handling, even through the Mother’s Day tornados that hit.”

Central Insurance Group will offer customer appreciation Friday for future as well as current customers according to Griner. Radio remotes, barbecued chicken, slaw and beans are on the menu as the company says thank-you.