“How we treat people starts with the simple things,” said McGohan, who maintains an optimistic attitude toward life. “We have a toy closet for kids who come to visit and we have a family wall where we have photos of all the employees and their families. We were voted best place to work for three years by the Dayton Business Journal and were named first place in the Business Insurance professional journal for best place to work for brokers with under 250 employees. I’m very proud of the people here.”
McGohan grew up in Miamisburg as one of eight children of Claude and Alberta McGohan, who are both deceased. McGohan credits his parents with instilling confidence in him and encouraging him to succeed.
“I had the most wonderful parents, who gave me the gift of confidence,” said McGohan, whose son, Scott, helped establish the YMCA Mentors Matter program that is designed to instill values and confidence in inner-city children.
McGohan began working at the age of 13. He learned to fix adding machines and typewriters in order to help with college expenses.
“I have seven brothers and sisters, so we all learned to work pretty early,” said McGohan, who was on the golf team at Miamisburg High School and met Jackie, his wife of 48 years, while working on the school newspaper.
After graduating from Miamisburg High School in 1962, McGohan attended Bowling Green State University on a golf scholarship.
He found another mentor at BGSU in the form of his golf coach, who encouraged him to complete his business degree and even helped a discouraged McGohan find an apartment.
“After I graduated in 1966, I went to insurance school,” said McGohan, who wed Jackie in 1964, during his sophomore year in college.
“The insurance company bought me a desk and I put it in my bedroom and I’ve been in the insurance business ever since,” he said.
McGohan moved back to Miamisburg and opened his own agency, McGohan Associates. In 1985, he met Tim Brabender and the two started McGohan and Brabender.
The company currently has three divisions, 11 partners and additional offices in Cincinnati, Middletown, Columbus and Warren.
McGohan’s daughter, Stephannie, works for the company, along with Scott, one of his twin sons. Todd, the other twin, owns the Guildmark Group.
McGohan is a trustee of the Air Force Museum Foundation, where he currently serves as treasurer and is past president of the Hundred Club of Dayton.
“I feel very fortunate,” said McGohan, who likes to quote what a fellow insurance agent name Harry O’Roark, once told him. “If you take something out of the community you should always put something back.”
Contact this columnist at (937) 432-9054 or jjbaer@aol.com.
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