Elliot White Springs and Stan Johnson
(Left) Elliott White Springs, founder of Kanawha Insurance Company
(Right) Stanley D. Johnson, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Kanawha Insurance Company was founded for the best of reasons.

In 1958, Colonel Elliott White Springs, Chairman of what is now Springs Industries, Inc., founded Kanawha Insurance Company to help loyal employees provide more financial security for their families. Springs believed that family responsibilities came first. A natural salesman as well as a spirited leader, he encouraged all of his company's employees to participate. Most did. A war hero, author, and astute businessman, Colonel Springs set the tone and established the tradition of human dignity upon which Kanawha would build. Today, Kanawha Insurance Company is still owned by the descendants of Colonel Springs. Their commitment to grow this business has been evidenced by continual investment in the company.

The legacy of strong leadership continues

Lt. Elliott Springs
(Above) Lt. Elliott Springs stands by a British Camel during World War I. He emerged from that war as the fifth-ranked American flying ace and earned the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Kanawha (ka-na’-wha) Insurance Company is licensed as an insurer in 46 states1 and as a reinsurer in New York. Kanawha has had at least an “A- (Excellent)” rating by A.M. Best Company2 for 20 consecutive years and has been rated "A (Strong)" by Standard & Poor's3.

Long Term Care and Worksite products are currently distributed in more than 40 states and represent the prime strategic markets for Individual insurance, accounting for 90% of new sales. This marketing thrust is supported by extensive proprietary producer training and sales support mechanisms that take full advantage of new technology.

Individual product sales growth is enhanced by reinsurance activities that include as clients some of the largest insurance companies in the country.

Kanawha HealthCare Solutions, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, is one of the largest Third Party Administrators in the Southeast. Kanawha Marketing Group, Inc. was formed January 1, 2003 to distribute Kanawha products and other carriers' product lines not manufactured by Kanawha.

Since 1985, Kanawha’s net worth has grown by 12% per year to over $166 million while assets under management now exceed $660 million.4 This growth has been a direct result of Kanawha’s reputation for service to policyholders, customers and agents, a dedication that continues.

As a member of Insurance Marketplace Standards Association (IMSA), an industry association that sets standards for market conduct, Kanawha pledges a continuation of the highest ethical standards.

1 Not licensed in AK, NH and ME.

2 This report represents an independent opinion of this rating service as to an insurance company's financial strength and ability to meet its obligations to policyholders. A.M. Best Company uses 16 rating categories ranging from A++ to S. The ratings "A and A- (Excellent)" are assigned to companies which have demonstrated excellent overall performance when compared to the standards established by A.M. Best. Information on the most current rating is available at www.ambest.com. Kanawha Insurance Company is not affiliated with A.M. Best. Effective date of current rating is April 9, 2003.

3 This rating is a current opinion of the financial security characteristics of an insurance company with respect to its ability to pay claims under its insurance policies and contracts in accordance with their terms. An insurer rated "A" has strong financial security characteristics. Standard & Poor's uses four rating categories ranging from AAA to BBB. Information on the most current rating is available at www.standardandpoors.com/ratings or at Standard & Poor's at 212 438 2400. Kanawha Insurance Company is not affiliated with Standard & Poor's.

4 This information has been excerpted from audited GAAP financials.

It all began years ago...

How KANAWHA Got Its Name

The Company was founded in 1958 by Colonel Elliott White Springs of Lancaster and Fort Mill, South Carolina. Colonel Springs was the founder of what is now Springs Industries, Inc. In addition, Colonel Springs is remembered because of his imaginative magazine advertisements, many of which became famous.

Colonel Springs enjoyed naming his cotton mills after members of his family, past and present. He followed that practice in naming Kanawha.

The Company was named for an ancestor of Colonel Springs, Thomas "Kanawha" Spratt, who was born in 1731 in the mid-Atlantic while his parents were on their way from Northern Ireland to the Carolinas. Spratt died in 1807 in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Kanawha Spratt is a legendary figure in that area. From what can be gathered from old family records, he led an exciting life even for the frontier days. His friendship with the Catawba Indians was of great benefit to the settlers in those early days and it was this close association which led to his nickname, "Kanawha."

Thomas Spratt traveled with a band of Catawba Warriors to the western part of Virginia (now West Virginia). They traveled up the Catawba River to its headwaters and then crossed the mountains and then down the New River for about two hundred miles to where it joins with the Gauley River and forms the Kanawha River. They were met at this junction by a group of backwoodsmen assembled under the command of Colonel Henry Lewis who represented the Governor of Virginia. This took place in 1774 during Lord Dunmore's War.

This group of Indians and backwoodsmen went down the Kanawha River to its mouth where they met the Northwestern Indians, under the command of Chief Logan, at what is now Point Pleasant. This is where it is said one of the largest, most extensive and stubbornly contested battles ever fought between the Settlers and Indians took place. It is from his participation in this battle that Thomas Spratt received his nickname, "Kanawha".