Monterey, Calif.-based Capital Insurance Group has opened its first Eastern Washington office, says Arne Chatterton, president and CEO.

The insurance carrier has leased 6,500 square feet of office space on the fifth floor of the Chase Financial Center at 601 W. Main. It began operating there in October.

Capital Insurance Group chose to expand to the region because of the opportunity in the agricultural industry, Chatterton says. The company works often with row crops and winery businesses, which aren’t found as much in Western Washington, he says. 

“A lot of that business is found in Eastern Washington,” Chatterton says.

For a “less quantifiable” reason, he says he wanted to expand into Eastern Washington because the area holds sentimental value to him.

“I am Washington born and bred,” he says. “I lived there my entire life until taking this position in 2013. I still maintain a residence in Moses Lake. I love Eastern Washington. I love the people, I love the area, and I would like to see (Capital Insurance Group) have a much stronger presence.”

Along with the opportunities it sees in agriculture, Capital Insurance Group also works in other insurance sectors in the Spokane area, he says. The company’s major business lines are personal and small commercial, in addition to its agricultural lines, all of which it offers here, he says. 

Chelsea Asplund, senior communications specialist for Capital Insurance, says the company employs 22 people here and is seeking to add more. 

In all, the business employs more than 400 people across Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, and Arizona, Asplund says.

Established in 1898 in Ventura, Calif., it broke into the Western Washington market in 2007, says Chatterton.