Buddies in Business: the Beckett & Taylor Agency
For Matt Beckett and Jake Taylor, friendship is a full-time job. The two Columbia natives who grew up together on Happy Hollow Road have opened an insurance company, the Beckett & Taylor Agency.
“We have deep roots in Columbia, and we’re going to use the reputation we’ve built,” Beckett said.
Beckett’s father is Bruce Beckett, a prominent local attorney, and Taylor’s father is Jerry Taylor, president of MFA Oil Company.
“Our families are known for their honesty and integrity,” Beckett said. “We also want to earn people’s business by proving ourselves, and we think we have a heck of a product.”
Taylor had been working in Kansas City for Lockton Companies, a national insurance broker, before he returned last fall to Columbia. Seeking something different, he talked with Beckett about working together in the insurance business in Columbia.
“I was in the real estate business and formerly in the military,” Beckett said. “I was looking to work with a partner that I could trust, and Jake was that guy.”
In September they approached Mike Bukaty, a family friend of the Becketts and owner of Bukaty Companies in suburban Kansas City, about forming an affiliated company.
Bukaty started his insurance and benefits consulting company with two employees 17 years ago when he was 26. Now the firm has 85 employees.
“We had already been considering expanding our borders, so when Matt approached me, I thought, ‘What a great opportunity!’” Bukaty said. “It was good word after good word. It was a screaming deal and I just had to do it.”
The Bukaty Companies-Beckett & Taylor Agency announced its opening on March 13.
Taylor is a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) through the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. Beckett is currently working toward obtaining his CIC designation.
“Matt is committed,” Taylor said. “We will be working very closely to get him up to speed.”
Beckett and Taylor are the managing partners and the only two employees in the Columbia office, relying on support from Kansas City. Their office specializes in property and casualty insurance, employee benefit products and services, security bonds, retirement plan consulting, wealth management and people management.
“In the past several years, our client base has grown in the central region of the state.
It is an ideal time to establish a local presence in the Columbia area,” said Bukaty. “Matt and Jake have strong ties to the community, and their understanding of the local business climate will be of value to the clients we work with in the area.”
The Beckett & Taylor Agency
2100 e. broadway st. suite 204
441-2230