Celebrating its 50th anniversary this month, Ammerman Insurance Agency is reflecting on five decades of service, growth and community involvement in Leesburg.

The agency was founded in January 1976 by Roger Ammerman, who opened a small office on Griffin Road. In 1982, the business relocated about a mile away to a building on U.S. Highway 27, just north of Main Street at 213 North 14th Street. It was there that a young Marsha Young-Snyder, now the agency’s owner, first joined the team.

In 1985, while still an 11th-grade student at Leesburg High School, Marsha responded to a help-wanted ad in the school newspaper and began working part time as a file clerk. Over the next several years, from 1986 through 1994, Roger mentored her in the skills needed to run the agency, investing in her education and professional training as she completed numerous insurance courses, earned multiple certifications and eventually became office manager.

Throughout the 1990s, the agency continued to evolve. In 1995, Marsha began hiring high school students to work at the office. One notable hire came in 1996, when Nathan Barlow joined the agency and worked there for nearly a decade before pursuing a career with the Leesburg Fire Department, where he later became a Battalion Chief.

In 1997, Ammerman Insurance Agency moved to its current location at 1316 Sumter Street in Leesburg. Five years later, in 2002, Roger Ammerman retired and sold the agency to Young-Snyder under the terms of a buy-sell agreement established in the mid-1990s. Roger passed away on June 13, 2003, following a two-week battle with pneumonia.

Since assuming ownership, Marsha has remained actively involved in overseeing the agency’s day-to-day operations. In 2004, she was named Lake County Businesswoman of the Year.

Beginning in 2013, Marsha expanded the services she offers clients by obtaining her Realtor Sales Associate License, handling real estate transactions through Carlino Real Estate Group in Leesburg. In 2023, her husband, Kenneth Snyder, joined the agency full time.

Today, the agency’s team includes Senior Agent and Office Manager Vincent Vitali, who has been with the agency since 2015, along with Alexis Palermo, Marsha and Kenneth Snyder.

Beyond its business operations, Ammerman Insurance Agency has maintained a long history of community involvement, supporting and volunteering with organizations such as the Leesburg Humane Society, Villages Honor Flight, Christian Care Center, and the Boys & Girls Club.

This milestone reflects not only longevity, but a deep-rooted connection to Leesburg and the surrounding community.