Mike Tennant
PresidentMike@InsureChampaign.net
Mike has been servicing and selling the insurance needs of his clients since 1983. His areas of expertise are apartment buildings, contractors, workers compensation liquor liability, auto, and general liability. He has been and will continue to be a strong advocate representing his insureds at the time of a claim and has received high praise for his efforts. When he is not at work, Mike enjoys cooking, fishing, and golfing. He is married to Judy and has three sons, Ryne, Graham, and Jace. Mike is also a proud grandfather to his 3; soon to be 4 grandchildren.
Nick Hiltbrand
Vice President of IC Insurance BenefitsNick@InsureChampaign.net
Nick has been a Licensed Insurance Agent since 2013 and joined InsureChampaign in 2019 to oversee the IC Insurance Benefits Division. Nick is from the Bloomington-Normal area, where he graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Nick focuses on providing group health insurance and employee benefit solutions to clients throughout all of central Illinois. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, and watching sports.
Rachel Smithenry
Personal Lines ManagerRachel@InsureChampaign.net
Rachel has been a Licensed Insurance Agent since 1999 and oversees the Personal Lines Insurance Division. By working as an independent agent, she is able to write Home and Auto Policies that usually exceed the client’s expectations. She is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University and lives outside of Champaign. Rachel and her husband stay busy with their children’s activities.
Denise Breen
Director of Franchise Food ProgramDenise@InsureChampaign.net
Denise is the Director of the Restaurant Franchise Program. With over 30 years experience Denise brings great knowledge and Insurance Company relationships to the agency. As the Director of a national program Denise is very familiar with different state laws and the unique ways each state transacts business. Denise resides in Tolono with her husband and daughter. She enjoys reading and participating in 5k walks in her spare time.
Graham Tennant
Commercial Insurance AgentGraham@InsureChampaign.net
Graham, originally from Champaign, graduated from the University of Illinois in 2009 with a bachelors degree in Finance. Shortly afterwards he began working in Chicago, IL for one of the largest insurance brokers in the world, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Graham joined InsureChampaign in 2012 and focuses on the student apartment program, main street businesses and local contractors. Graham resides in Champaign with his wife Hillary and their children.
Chris Hall
Commercial Insurance AgentChris@InsureChampaign.net
Chris Hall joined InsureChampaign as a Commercial Agent in 2015. Chris started in the insurance industry in 2003 and was affiliated with an agency in the Effingham area before joining our agency. Chris has specialized in the past with clients insurance needs for property owners, contracting, trucking, manufacturing, and auto dealerships. Chris will continue to expand his customer base in Champaign Urbana as well as sell Home and Auto Insurance. Chris currently resides in Mattoon and has two children Landry and Cannin. In his spare time he enjoys being with his children; as well as fishing and golfing.
Tucker Strang
Commercial Insurance AgentTucker@InsureChampaign.net
Born and raised in Champaign, IL, Tucker attended Arkansas Tech on a baseball scholarship his first two years before transferring to the University of Illinois and completing his undergraduate degree in Economics in 2009.Tucker has been with InsureChampaign since 2010 and focuses on the Student Apartment Program as well as the Jimmy Johns Franchisee National Program. In his free time, Tucker enjoys spending time with his family, playing music with the band, and enjoying the outdoors.
Leisa Weatherford
Commercial Lines ManagerLeisa@InsureChampaign.net
Leisa is Manager of the Commercial Insurance Department, for all commercial lines other than the Franchised Restaurant program. She is Mikes assistant, working closely with him to develop new business and to make sure the agency provides the best possible customer service to all the clients in the Commercial division at InsureChampaign. She has been a licensed insurance agent for over 30 years and has worked with Mike for many of those years. For fun she likes to vacation with her husband, Bob, and to go shopping with her daughter, Kristin, especially when its for her grandkids Jack and Katie! Her husband is a volunteer assistant baseball coach at Champaign Central so in the Spring youre likely to find her at a baseball field watching a game since she has become a dedicated baseball fan. She also likes to read and loves spending time with family and friends.
Amy Smith
Account ManagerAmy@InsureChampaign.net
Amy graduated from Southern Illinois University and manages our Accounting Department while also assisting with the Fast Food Franchise audits. She manages the day to day operations of the agency, while working with Mike Tenant on administrative tasks.
Kimberly Walsh
Personal Lines Customer Service RepresentativeKim@InsureChampaign.net
Kim started as a receptionist in 2014, but has been promoted to the Personal Lines Department. During her promotion, she completed the Hartford School of Personal Lines to educate her on the aspects of insurance. She assists clients with Auto, Home, Boats, and other Recreation Vehicle Insurance. Kim resides in St Joseph where she is very active with her niece and nephew’s sports and activities.
Jeni Shreves
Commercial Lines CSRJeni@InsureChampaign.net
Jeni is a licensed CSR with InsureChampaign. She is working closely with the agency’s Commercial Lines Agents to learn all the aspects of the insurance industry. Jeni also contributes to the Franchise Department. She resides in Rantoul with her husband and dogs.
Julie Parker
Executive AssistantJulie@InsureChampaign.net
Julie Parker is the Executive Assistant for the National Restaurant Franchise Program. With over 15 years of experience, she acquires and renews the insurance for franchisees. She also works with franchisees on proper compliance to corporate guidelines and advises as to particular coverage and how they work. Since joining InsureChampaign, Julie has been instrumental in the growth of the program. Julie resides in Rantoul and has 2 children, Megan and Ryan along with a daughter in law, Paige. She is also a grandmother to her 2 beautiful grandsons. She likes to cheer on her nephews in basketball and baseball, participate in 5k’s, spend time with family and friends, and cheer on the RTHS Eagles Basketball.
Billie Hayes
Administrative AssistantBillie@InsureChampaign.net
Billie Hayes joined InsureChampaign in 2017. She is the Administrative Assistant to the Fast Food Franchise Program and also assists the Commercial Customer Service Team. Billie earned her Masters from Eastern Illinois University and currently lives outside of Champaign with her husband and children. She stays very active with her family.
Amy Dicks
Restaurant Franchise Program Assistant DirectorAmy2@InsureChampaign.net
Amy Dicks came to InsureChampaign in 2017 as the Restaurant Franchise Program Assistant Director. She began her insurance career in 2013 as a Commercial Insurance Processor and moved into an Account Representative Position in 2014. Amy has over 20 years in various aspects of customer service and enjoys working in a service based industry. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her friends and family.
Mandi Grimes
Commercial Lines CSAMandi@InsureChampaign.net
Mandi Grimes joined InsureChampaign in 2017 as a Licensed Commercial Lines CSA. She works closely with Commercial Lines Agents and the Student Apartment Program as well as maintaining compliance for the Franchisee program. Mandi started in the insurance industry in 2007 and has over 20 years of various customer services experience to the agency. She resides in Bismarck with her husband Adam and has three children- Shayne, Madison, and Jacob along with a granddaughter Ava. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and attending concerts with friends.
Jill Pankau
Employee Benefits Client Account RepresentativeJill@InsureChampaign.net
Jill has been a Licensed Insurance Agent since 2003. Jill joined InsureChampaign in September of 2019 to work in the Employee Benefits Division. Jill has been working in employee benefits for over 17 years and had prior experience on the medical carrier side. Jill is from Champaign and lives with her husband Steve; they have 3 children and 8 grandchildren. She enjoys cooking, gardening, trying to keep up with all the grandchildren’s sports, and traveling to the beach with her husband.