About Us

The story of Carl Nelson Insurance first started when Carl Nelson opened a motorcycle shop. After being in the motorcycle business for a while he realized his customers were going to need insurance which led him to become an agent with Farmer's Insurance. In 1977 Carl Nelson began selling Farmer's Insurance next door to the motorcycle shop located on 11th Avenue.

In 1980 Carl decided to leave Farmer's Insurance Company to open Carl Nelson Insurance Agency so he could provide his customers with multiple insurance companies and provide the best possible coverage's. Carl's philosophy has always been to be honest, provide his customers with the best coverage possible, treat all

customers with respect and provide a friendly atmosphere.

In 1983 he purchased the building located at 1216 North Douty, which became the home of Carl Nelson Insurance Agency for 26 years. During those 26 years his son 's Jon, Mark and Todd became involved with the company and helped the agency to grow and in doing so the staff outgrew the building. They realized it was time to start looking for a new location to fit their current needs and that would allow them to expand in the future.

Mark noticed that the Old Iseman's building was for sale and brought the idea to his brother Jon and father Carl. They got some estimates to see if they could convert the building from an open warehouse building to a professional office building at an affordable cost. After the bids were in they knew it would make a great location for the agency.

In April 2008 they purchased the building and started making plans for the remodel, they hired Garcia Construction to be the contractor. In June 2008 they started construction and it was completed in April 2009. It was a big job. They used 1,400 feet of walls and 42,000 square feet of sheet rock to finish the new 9,000 square foot office building. There is also an additional 2,000 square feet of space for rent.

Jack Iseman was the original builder of the Iseman's building in March of 1961, it was built by Butler Steel. Iseman 's was a retail appliance and hardware store. The business was later owned by Herb Iseman and Bud Swanson until they retired from the retail business. They rented the building to a mattress dealer for several years and was the tenant when CNI purchased the building in 2008.

Carl Nelson Insurance Agency, the 5th largest independent agency in the Central Valley, offers all lines of insurance for Commercial and Personal clients with a great staff and many years of experience in the business. Carl Nelson Insurance also has 2 other locations for personal lines in Hanford and Visalia. Currently CNI has 26 employees.

Why choose Carl Nelson Insurance?

Our key to providing insurance to best match your protection needs at great prices is our agents.  Any insurance agency can have companies to choose from and offer different prices, but it takes trained agents to create the right package for you.  Our agents are friendly and know who you are when you call in.  No more 1-800 numbers with answering machines.  Your dedicated agent knows you—and knows what coverages are important to you now and in the future.  They will listen to your needs and find solutions.

We are proud of the great relationships we have with top insurance companies who have all earned A ratings with AM Best. We maintain agreements with these leading companies so that you don’t have to shop around—we will do that for you. Let us find you the best coverage at the best price, quickly and professionally.  With the latest technology we can compare your coverages for home and auto in just a few minutes over the phone or even by email.  You don’t even have to be located in the Central Valley to be our client—we can insure you no matter where you are in California. We can bind and issue coverage via fax, email or even with electronic signatures.  We make it convenient for you the first time and every time.

We know claims happen but at Carl Nelson Insurance we ease the process by providing 24/7 claims service directly with your insurance company.  We have a full time claims representative to answer your questions and facilitate your claim quickly and professionally.

At Carl Nelson Insurance we’ve never had to change our business principles because we’ve been doing it right since the beginning.  We stay knowledgeable about the coverages we recommend, we are always honest and we practice the highest level of integrity at all times. We know that the insured comes first in every business transaction.  That is why so many of our clients and their families have been with us for over 25 years—we earn their loyalty by doing the best job for them every single day.