MERGING A SMALL FAMILY BUSINESS INTO EASTERN ONTARIO'S LARGEST BROKERAGE BY ERIN HOUGH, MARKETING & OFFICE ASSISTANT, IBAO I McDougall Insurance was founded in Belleville in 1946 by Lorne McDougall. After graduating from Queen's University with a Commerce degree and working in Hull, Quebec for several years, Lorne moved to Belleville in 1940 to work as a bookkeeper at Haig Bateman Insurance. When the owners announced they were closing a few years later, he asked if he could purchase the business, which started the legacy of McDougall Insurance. THE ONE THING OUR STAFF HAS IN COMMON IS THEY PUT THE CUSTOMER FIRST, ALWAYS. APRIL 2019 t seems every few weeks there's a headline that McDougall Insurance acquiredhttp://WWW.IBAO.ORG. There's no denying this family-run business picks up brokerages left and right. Smaller businesses can sometimes struggle with organic growth- something McDougall seems to have down to a science. Here, CEO Ross McDougall shares his insight on what works best in brokerage acquisition. 38 WWW.IBAO.ORG