The Dowd Agencies Acquires Ideal Insurance

Ideal Insurance at Dowd will continue to serve clients from Ludlow and Chicopee locations

The Dowd Agencies, one of Massachusetts’ oldest family-owned agencies has added another independent agency to its growing family of companies. The 120-year-old agency announced recently that it had acquired Ideal Insurance of Ludlow and Chicopee. Founded in 1989 by Joseph Chaves and Antonio Goncalves, Ideal Insurance has grown over the years into a full-service insurance agency. The agency currently serves the insurance needs of about 2,500 individuals and families and 500 businesses.

“We are excited that Ideal Insurance has joined us, and we have great respect for the business that Joe & Tony and their team built from scratch,” said John E. Dowd Jr., president, and CEO of The Dowd Agencies. “Their team values helping families and small businesses thrive with affordable and comprehensive insurance coverage, just like us. With a small-town feel providing big city service, we know everyone at Ideal will fit in very well with the Dowd Agencies family.”

HOLYOKE, Mass. – The Dowd Agencies, a leading insurance provider serving New England for over 120 years, has recently acquired Ideal Insurance, merging their operations to provide unparalleled service to their clients. Now referred to as Ideal Insurance a member of the Dowd Agencies, LLC, the 33-year-old insurance agency will continue to serve individuals, families, and businesses throughout western Massachusetts and Connecticut from its Ludlow and Chicopee offices.

“Just like at Dowd, one of the primary objectives at Ideal Insurance has been to offer old-fashioned service with a commitment to excellence,” added David W. Griffin Jr., vice president of The Dowd Agencies. “They treat each client’s needs as if they were their own; a distinction that will be carried on.”

This is the first acquisition announced by Dowd in 2022. In 2021, the agency announced that the J. Raymond Lussier Insurance had merged with it to become Lussier-Dowd Insurance.

More about The Dowd Agencies

A full-service agency, The Dowd Agencies has been helping people and businesses in western Massachusetts with their personal insurance, commercial insurance, employee benefits, and financial needs for over 120 years. The Dowd Agencies also have strategically partnered with Quincy Mutual. See Agency Checklists’ article of June 21, 2016, “Quincy Mutual Makes First Agency Investment With New Subsidiary.”

Established in Holyoke in 1898 by James J. Dowd, The Dowd Agencies claim to be the oldest insurance agency in Massachusetts with operations and management under continuous family ownership. Today the fifth generation of Dowds provides counsel and coverage advice from six locations in western Massachusetts.