In 1965 Jerry and Madeleine Mathieu bought an insurance agency from Ralph Nicely and ran it from the Nicely’s home on the south shore of Bear Lake. Shortly after, in 1966, they relocated the agency to a building in downtown Bear Lake. Today that location is home to the Lakeside Restaurant.

 

Ten years later, in 1976, they relocated to the current location at 12141 West State. At the same time, the agency was renamed the Mathieu Agency. Greg Mathieu purchased the agency from his parents in 1999 and renamed the agency Bear Lake Insurance in 2005.

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Greg Mathieu retired in April of 2023. Bear Lake Insurance merged with the Smith and Eddy Insurance Agency, closing out a 58 year long tradition of the agency being in the Mathieu family.

 

Smith and Eddy Insurance has offices throughout West Michigan. 

 

"Bear Lake is a perfect fit for our culture of small-town service with all the resources of a large agency," said Scott Smith, President of Smith and Eddy Insurance.