Western Financial Group Expands to North Battleford, Saskatchewan

Western Financial Group (Western) announced today that it will expand its family of insurance brokerages to North Battleford, Saskatchewan with the acquisition of Prestige Insurance Brokers Inc. (Prestige) effective September 3, 2013. The North Battleford location will become Western’s newest in a network of 162 branches and affiliates in Western Canada, and its 24th wholly-owned location in Saskatchewan.

“Keith Bossaer and his staff built Prestige with a reputation for a high level of client satisfaction, and we are proud to bring that legacy into the Western network,” said Jeff Burke, President of Western Financial Group. “For us, North Battleford is a growing and vibrant community that exemplifies the prairie spirit. We are proud to be able to offer this thriving community our experienced, respectful service.”

Keith Bossaer, general manager and owner of Prestige, will remain in his leadership role to guide the Prestige team through the Western transition. All employees will remain with the office.

“The Prestige team is excited to be joining the Western family,” said Bossaer. “This acquisition means that our nine person team will be able to leverage Western’s knowledge, extensive network and its range of products, services and technologies to deliver an even higher level of service to families and businesses in the Battlefords.”

Prestige has roots back to the 1960s in northwestern Saskatchewan when it was originally known as Lewchuk Insurance. Bossaer has been shareholder of the company since 1992. In 2000, the company operated under the name Prestige Insurance and relocated to its current location at 1192 100 Street, North Battleford, and will continue to operate from that location following the acquisition.

About Western Financial Group

Western Financial Group is a diversified insurance services company that serves more than 790,000 customers across Western Canada. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in High River, Alberta, Western provides personal and business insurance services through more than 160 locations and affiliates and online. With a skilled team of approximately 1,800 employees, Western is committed to building the strongest insurance brokerage network in Western Canada.

Western Financial Group is a subsidiary of Desjardins Group, the leading cooperative financial group in Canada.

Contact:

Eric Michalko
Manager of Sponsorships, Digital and Public Relations
Western Financial Group
1010 24th Street SE
High River, AB T1V 2A7
Tel: 403-652-2663 or 1-866-843-9378
Fax: 403-602-9997
Eric.Michalko@westernfg.ca