.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} It all started with an idea that wouldn’t go away.

The owners of Gorilla Insurance Marketing Inc. had been friends and co-workers for more than four years, and throughout their time together, the notion of a company geared toward women in the insurance industry kept popping up.

“And we kept hearing from people in the field that it was a great idea and how they wish someone would do it,” said Danette Kennedy, president of Gorilla Insurance Marketing. “That’s when it really took on a different life of its own.”

In December, the four women quit discussing it and turned their idea into reality. And they just moved into their new Waukee office last week.

Gorilla Insurance provides full-service marketing support to independent insurance agents across the United States. The company supports agents in their sales of long-term-care insurance, life insurance and fixed index annuity products. It also assists those in that heavily regulated industry with compliance guidance.

But their main niche is marketing to women.

“Men and women want the same things; it’s just that women want more of it,” Kennedy said. “Their list is longer.”

Though other industries have begun to understand that to attract women to their products they must do things differently, the insurance industry has been slow to realize this.

“Women are very underserved,” Kennedy said. “Many women are the breadwinners in their family. They have the same worries as their male counterparts in how to plan for retirement, how to take care of aging parents, a lot of things.”

Kennedy said besides running a successful business, the women also wanted to make sure their new work schedule didn’t interfere with their home and family lives.

“We want to make sure the journey is as fun as the destination,” she said. “There are lots of spots in the office for our children and grandchildren to come in. It’s great, because we don’t have to worry that when our kids are here that we’re bothering anybody.”

Kennedy said she and the other three owners tried to create an environment where everyone involved can be successful in work and in life.

Optimism is the name of the game, Kennedy said, and having a company like this in the Des Moines area, where large insurance giants are based, makes everyone involved confident about the future.