McBane Insurance Welcomes New Producer as Veteran Retires
WINTERSVILLE – McBane Insurance & Financial Services is undergoing a changing of the guard. Longtime office manager and producer Kathy Maguschak is retiring after a distinguished 43-year career, passing the torch to Christopher Nehrbas.
Founded in 1900 by James McBane, McBane Insurance has been a fixture in the Ohio Valley for over a century. The family-owned agency, now in its fifth generation, has offices in Bergholz, Carrollton, and Wintersville. Brothers David and Daniel McBane, representing the fourth generation, are president and vice president, respectively. David’s son, Alec, joined as a producer in January 2024, showing a commitment to continuing the family legacy.
Maguschak, a Mingo Junction resident, has been a pioneer for women in insurance agent roles. Reflecting on her career, she said, “I had no inkling that I would do insurance for the rest of my life. I always thought, there’s no way.”
Nehrbas, a Steubenville native, is excited to be a part of the profession and serve his community. He is eager to build upon the company’s existing reputation.
Maguschak, née Vasluska, graduated from Wintersville High School in 1976 and earned a degree in allied medicine from Ohio State University in 1980. After college, she worked at her family’s agency, Valuska Insurance. She later joined McBane when the agencies merged in 1998.
Maguschak earned her Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation in 1992 to further her knowledge and skills. Over the years, she has sold various types of insurance.
She noted the insurance industry’s constant evolution, citing a recent customer survey by Trusted Choice, which found that many customers don’t fully understand their insurance policies. Independent agents can bridge that gap, she said.
“We are here in the community, and our customers talk to a real person,” Maguschak explained. “We help our client’s walk through the process from shopping for coverage to purchasing a plan and filing a claim. It is about customer service and genuinely helping people.”
Nehrbas, the second youngest of nine children, graduated from Steubenville High School in 2011. He went on to study communication arts with a concentration in film at Franciscan University of Steubenville. After graduating in 2015, Nehrbas lived in San Diego for seven years, where he worked in real estate as a mortgage loan officer. He has since returned to Steubenville.
His move back to the area led to a conversation with Daniel McBane, who mentioned Maguschak’s upcoming retirement. For Nehrbas, it was perfect timing. “It kind of just clicked right there,” he recalled, adding, “I didn’t even take anyone’s calls… It felt providential.”
Nehrbas joins a team of 17 employees at McBane, including six producers with licenses in almost every state. He recently passed his property and casualty licensing test, building on his background in property acquisitions and personal experience with life insurance benefits.
Nehrbas reflects on his time in San Diego, where he felt a disconnect from the families he was helping. Returning to Jefferson County allows him to offer insurance services to the community he knows and loves.
“Moving back here, it was great to reconnect with a lot of the people that I grew up with, but now I get to provide them with a service that Kathy and McBane have provided me and my family my entire life,” Nehrbas said.
Maguschak is working part-time to ensure a smooth transition, expressing confidence in Nehrbas and his abilities. Her final day hasn’t been set, but she plans to spend more time with her husband, Mike, travel, volunteer, and work on home projects.
Maguschak expressed gratitude to her customers for their years of loyalty and trust, noting that it has been “the cornerstone of the success we have here at McBane insurance.”
