Last year was an eventful one for David Hilst, and 2025 appears to be shaping up the same way.
After launching Vyper Transportation last March, Hilst has now closed that business and opened an American Family Insurance office at 3460 Wabash Ave., the headquarters for his previous venture.
“My premiums for my trucking business went up 57% after less than a year in business with no claims,” said Hilst. “It would have been a $100,000 increase, and that’s a lot for a small business. …we wouldn’t be able to make that business model work.”
Hilst said he only had about 30 days’ notice before the increased insurance premiums took effect, but his employees were able to find other jobs.
“The companies we were working with absorbed them, so our clients hired them all on,” Hilst said.
Hilst and his mother, Sandy Hilst, owned and operated multiple La-Z-Boy Home Furnishings & Décor stores for nearly four decades. When Hilst sold his stores to the corporate parent company he hired eight of his former employees to launch Vyper Transportation after learning that La-Z-Boy was not going to keep them on staff.
Sandy Hilst died in January 2024, and Hilst said that as part of settling her estate he had to sell a house she owned in Florida that was damaged by the recent hurricanes.
“I was dealing with an insurance claim where everything that could go wrong, did. …it was poor customer service, a poor claims process. I learned way more about insurance than I ever wanted to,” he said.
Hilst said his wife encouraged him to think about going into the insurance business himself, and he realized it made sense.
“I have a financial background, along with a retail background, so customer service is a huge priority for me,” Hilst said. After doing some research and learning that Springfield is an underinsured market, “I saw it as an opportunity.”
Hilst then began looking at the ratings of various insurance companies.
“I started doing my research into what brand I wanted to work with,” he said, ultimately choosing to align himself with American Family Insurance based on its commitment to customer service and exceeding the minimum requirements of insurance policies.
Hilst opened the doors of his new agency Jan. 2 and said he already has two other people going through the licensing process to join him as agents, in addition to support staff. To kick off his new venture, he has announced a 30 Days of Giving campaign in which he is donating $1,000 every day of the month to a Springfield-area nonprofit, based on nominations made by the community.
Hilst said that he and his mother regularly supported local charities without calling attention to their giving, but he decided that he wanted to be more public this time.
“We’ve always given quietly, but this year we’re going to give loudly to encourage other business owners to do the same,” Hilst said.
