About Fortner Insurance Agency
BBB Torch Awards are given to companies that demonstrate exceptional commitment to ethical business practices.
Welcome to Fortner Insurance Agency, Inc., your full service agency serving Central Illinois and beyond. We are proven professionals who are committed to providing our customers with The Insurance you Need Today, to Protect your World Tomorrow!
Building trust still exists today at Fortner Insurance Agency. For over 50 years Founder, Robert "Bob" Fortner sold insurance as an independent agent with exceptional, efficient, and longevity of service to customers.
Established in 1973, Fortner Insurance Agency began serving Central Illinois and beyond as a full-service Independent Insurance Agency. The Agency currently serves the insurance needs of almost 3,000 individuals, families, and over 600 businesses. The same philosophy and passion that began years ago of taking care of the customer, and building long-term relationships still exists today at Fortner Insurance.
Advances in technology and knowledge, under the leadership of JR Runkel and Dawn Fortner-Alwan, have made us more efficient. In an effort to be environmentally friendly, all our personal line accounts are paperless. To further enhance your trust with our agency you can be assured you will interact with a decision maker on all your policy decisions and are contacting one of the best insurance agencies in the industry.
Fortner Insurance: Over 50 Years of Trust and Community Service in Peoria
Services You Can Expect From an Independent Agency:
- Licensed professionals with strong customer and community ties
- A complete analysis of your insurance needs
- Design a responsible protection program for you
- Access to major insurance companies to find the best solutions for your individual needs
- Present you with a competitively priced proposal
- Move quickly to get a fair, prompt settlement of your claim
- Periodically review the adequacy of your insurance program
- Search for ways to save you money
- Provide excellent customer service to our customers
The Fortner Insurance Agency Team
JR Runkel
President
Cell: (309) 370-6549
jrrunkel@fortnerins.com
JR has been in the insurance industry since 1996 where he started as a Marketing Manager for Westfield Companies. A proud graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio where he was a 2-year starting quarterback and President of the Student Senate his senior year. He is a native of Carmel, IN and is licensed in Property & Casualty and Life & Health insurance.
Prior to selling insurance, JR worked in the Public Relations department for the Indianapolis Colts. He was part of the 2009 Class of 40 leaders under 40 in Peoria for his commitment to the community and leadership.
He is the father of twin boys, Mason and Drew and they enjoy attending and watching any and all sporting events together.
Dawn Fortner-Alwan
Vice President
Cell: (309) 696-7054
dalwan@fortnerins.com
Dawn is a graduate of Iowa State University. She grew up in the insurance industry watching her father, Bob Fortner, start Fortner Insurance Agency. She is licensed in Property & Casualty, Life, Health, Medicare, Farm and Aviation insurance.
As an avid equestrian, Dawn is an Advisory Board Member of Central Illinois Riding Therapy, a not-for-profit organization that utilizes horseback riding as a means of therapy for children & adults who have physical handicaps.
In 2009, she was named one of 25 Women in Leadership for her Community Contributions and Commitment to Easter Seals. Dawn enjoys riding her horses and hunting with her son, Jordan.
Christina Bohannan
Agency Manager
API, AINS, AIS, ACSRP
christinab@fortnerins.com
A native of Peoria, Christina has been with Fortner Insurance since August 2001. She is licensed in Property & Casualty and Life & Health insurance lines.
In her spare time, she likes to read and spend time with family and friends. Christina also loves watching her girls play softball, volleyball & run track.
Christina is married to husband Nick with three children - daughter Payton and twin daughters Sophia and Olivia. Christina & her family reside in Washington, Illinois.
Dan Gschwendtner
Agent
Gschwendtner Insurance Agency, LLC
dan@gschins.com
401 N. Plum Street
Pontiac , IL , 61764
Office: 815-844-2500
Dan has been selling insurance since 1994 and an independent agent since 1997. He specializes in all lines of insurance including Home, Auto, Life, Health, Farm, Crop, and Business.
Dan was born and raised on the family farm in Pontiac, IL. He graduated from Pontiac Township High School and Illinois State University. Married to Sara, they have two children, Grace and Max. In his spare time, Dan enjoys coaching youth sports, water sports, boating, and an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan.
Kyle Varnold
Agent
Kyle came to Fortner in 2014 after five years with State Farm. He is licensed in all lines of insurance but specializing in Life and Health. If you need a weather forecast, our resident "Weatherman" will be more than happy to offer one as Kyle received his B.S. degree in Meteorology from NIU.
"HERE TO SERVE" is Kyle’s philosophy, as he believes that is the fundamental bedrock of this agency and what we do here at Fortner, building trust and taking care of the customers is our priority.
In his free time, Kyle assists with coaching the Metamora Township High School Speech Team and is very active in his parish at St. Mark’s in Peoria. Kyle resides in Washington with his wife, Kendra, their son, Kellan, and their daughter, Kirigan.
Travis Goff
Agent
Travis began his insurance career in 2006. He joined Fortner Insurance in 2016 and now specializes in all lines of insurance including Commercial, Personal, Life and Health. He enjoys working directly with customers and striving to become their trusted advisor for all insurance-related decisions.
He has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming.
Travis moved to the Peoria area in 2000 and married his wife Alyssa.
In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, cooking, watching the Seahawks, playing with his fur babies and traveling with his wife.
Marcy Ely
Personal Lines Account Manager
Marcy has been in the insurance business since 2000. She has worked in the central Illinois area assisting people with all their needs with superior customer service. She is licensed in Property & Casualty insurance.
Marcy is from Chillicothe and still lives there with her husband Mark and son Mason.
She enjoys playing golf, going to sport events, shopping and traveling.
Tammy Lobdell
Commercial Lines Account Manager
Tammy is a native of Peoria and licensed in Property & Casualty Insurance since 2018 and has also worked in the Food Industry and Engineering Field with over 25 years of customer services experience.
She is married to her husband Robert and has three children and one grandchild. Tammy’s youngest son is serving in the US Army and the other two children are both Managers at local businesses.
Tammy’s down time is spent with her Husband, Children, Grandchild and extended family. Also Tammy and Robert like going fishing and weekend road trips and are both avid Green Bay Packer Fans!
Ashley Englebrecht
Commercial Lines Account Manager
Ashley is a native of Peoria has been in the insurance industry since 2019. She is licensed in Property & Casualty insurance.
Ashley likes to spend her spare time with family and friends. She is big into camping so she loves being outside.
She is married to her husband Dan with three step boys and her daughter.
Melissa Heinz
Personal Lines Account Manager
Melissa grew up near Bartonville, IL. She began her insurance career in 1989 working in crop insurance when she was 20 years old. She did this for 15 years before staying home to be with her children.
She is licensed in Property & Casualty and Life insurance.
Melissa has three children – Sons Noah & Evan and daughter Liza. She enjoys being outside, traveling and spending time with her kids and fur-baby of the family, Willow.
Sabre Kaplan
Account Manager
Sabre has been licensed in Property & Casualty insurance lines since 2011.
In her free time, Sabre enjoys reading and spending time with her family.
Sabre is married to husband Dan with two children, son Isaac and daughter Maya.
Kaylynn Raaum
Executive Administrator
A native of Bartonville IL, Kaylynn has over 25 years’ experience in executive management and 15 years in the insurance field.
Kaylynn enjoys ranching and farming with her husband Jory. Spring is her favorite time of years when calving season arrives and she getting to see all the new calves.
She has 2 sons Tyler and Houston and 1 grandchild. She enjoys reading, gardening and spending time with her family.
Robert Fortner
Founder
May 15, 1937 to Jan 2, 2020
Robert "Bob" Fortner sold insurance as an independent agent for over fifty years. He founded Fortner Insurance Agency, Inc. in 1973 and was dedicated to writing policies, taking care of his customers needs, putting them first and building long-term relationships with his vast years of insurance experience.
Bob specialized in all lines of insurance ranging from personal autos to corporate group health insurance plans and all coverage’s in between.
The philosophy, Mr. Fortner, started so long ago of building trust and taking care of the customers is still evident at the agency today.
Bob will be missed but never forgotten.
Excellence Across the Board
