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You are here: Home / Agency Perpetuations, Valuations & Sales / Agency Mergers & Acquisitions / Dowd Insurance Acquires Westfield’s Wilcox Insurance Agency

Dowd Insurance Acquires Westfield’s Wilcox Insurance Agency

September 27, 2021 by AC Editor

This marks the second agency acquisition for the Dowd Agencies so far this year.


The Dowd Agencies has welcomed Wilcox Insurance Agency into the fold. This marks the second independent insurance acquisition for the 120-year old Holyoke-based agency so far this year.

“We are excited that Wilcox Insurance has joined our team” said John E. Dowd Jr., president and CEO of The Dowd Agencies. “They have a terrific reputation and a very similar past to ours as a family-owned agency for almost 100 years. Their approach of putting customers first and providing high level insurance advice and counsel is consistent with The Dowd Agencies approach.”

According to the terms of the transaction, the Wilcox Insurance Agency will merge with the Dowd Agencies, using the name Wilcox-Dowd Insurance going forward. Both of the company’s office locations will continue to operate upon completion of the transaction.

“It is special to see two family centered-agencies merge together, keeping their important values intact,” added David W. Griffin Jr., vice president of The Dowd Agencies. “We want to give people and businesses the opportunity to have that small town feel with big agency experience when it comes to their insurance and finances, and the two Dowd-Wilcox locations will allow us to do that in more communities than ever before.”

A local, independent agency for almost 100 years

Founded as Westfield Mutual Insurance Agency in 1923, the Wilcox Insurance Agency has been a fourth generation family-owned and operated independent agency for just under a century. The agency was originally founded by Raymond Wilcox, who was then joined by his son Malcolm in 1937. In 1962, Raymond’s grandson Scott joined the family business, followed by Raymond’s great-grandson Robert in 1990. Robert, who currently runs the agency, will continue to lead it under the The Dowd Agencies umbrella.

With this latest acquisition, the Dowd Insurance Agencies expands its geographic footprint with two additional locations, bring the total number of its Pioneer Valley locations to eight offices.

More about The Dowd Agencies

A full-service agency, The Dowd Agencies has been helping people and businesses in western Massachusetts with their personal insurance, commercial insurance, employee benefits, and financial needs for over 120 years. The Dowd Agencies also have strategically partnered with Quincy Mutual. See Agency Checklists’ article of June 21, 2016, “Quincy Mutual Makes First Agency Investment With New Subsidiary.”

Established in Holyoke in 1898 by James J. Dowd, The Dowd Agencies claim to be the oldest insurance agency in Massachusetts with operations and management under continuous family ownership. Today the fifth generation of Dowds provides counsel and coverage advice from six locations in western Massachusetts.

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