The story
American Family Insurance was founded on October 3, 1927, when insurance salesman Herman Wittwer opened the doors of Farmers Mutual Insurance Company (not to be confused with the Farmers Insurance Group) in Madison, Wisconsin. At the time, the company's product was auto insurance and its target market was farmers. Wittwer believed that farmers represented lower insurance risks than urban drivers, as they drove less frequently and typically did not drive during winter months.
Over the course of a few years, Farmers Mutual expanded its market and product line to meet the changing needs of its customers. In 1963, Farmers Mutual changed its name to American Family Mutual Insurance Company to reflect its broader customer base. In March, 1995, American Family settled a redlining lawsuit, resulting in a $16 million payout to victims. The settlement was negotiated by the US Department of Justice and marked the first use of the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 to counter discrimination in insurance; at the time it was the most costly insurance-company settlement ever for discrimination charges. In 2017, AmFam launched an ongoing campaign called DreamFearlessly. AmFam's company ambassadors use this as a hashtag on social media to help promote this campaign. The campaign encouraged consumers to express how they "dream fearlessly" for initiatives such as social justice, getting women into tech, and economic empowerment. Kathy Ireland and her team were brought on at an early point in the campaign to help with ambassador work. Blake Van Leer, a close supporter of the Society of Women Engineers, helped manage this campaign from its launch.
From Wikipedia’s article on American Family Insurance, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4