HISTORY OF FISCHER, ROUNDS & ASSOCIATES INC.
Fischer, Rounds & Associates, Inc. has a strong history of serving South Dakota that dates back to 1880 when it was the Ash & Cutting Insurance and Real Estate Agency of Pierre.
In the 1920s, Guy Ericson, who represented Northwestern Life Insurance Co. and the Federal Land Bank, purchased the Ash & Cutting Agency. He hired L.B. Thorpe, and together the partners grew the agency.
In the 1940s, the agency became known as Ericson & Thorpe. The tiny agency wrote farm loans for the John Hancock
Life Insurance Co.
In 1970, Karl Fischer was asked by Mr. Thorpe to merge his insurance agency with the Ericson & Thorpe agency. There was a verbal promise that Karl would be able to buy controlling interest of the agency when L.B. Thorpe retired. On April 11, 1974, they purchased the current office at 125 E. Dakota in Pierre.
In 1981, Thorpe retired and sold his stock, making Fischer the majority stockholder. In April 1982, Ericson & Thorpe purchased the Pierre Insurance Agency and an owner, Mike Rounds, joined the company.
In September 1986, the name changed from Ericson & Thorpe Insurance Agency Inc. to Fischer, Rounds & Associates, Inc.
Throughout the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, Fischer Rounds purchased several agencies, including the Landmark Agency in Pierre, SD and the First American Insurance Agency in Mitchell, SD. We are now providing insurance products throughout the upper Midwest with offices in Pierre, Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Mitchell and Watertown.