Edward Lawson has found the secret to success: take care of the client, the employee and the agent and they will take care of you. And if anyone knows how to succeed it is Lawson.

President of the 21st Century Holding Company, Lawson is the driving force behind his company's astounding growth-approximately one hundred percent over the last three years. Lawson, however, did not succeed on his own. He started his business enterprise with his wife Michele, president of 21st Century's agency group. "From day one, our plan was to own an insurance company," says Lawson. "This is really a collaboration between the two of us. It's our life and we love it."

The Lawsons opened their first insurance agency, Florida Discount Insurance and Auto Tags, Inc., an automobile insurance retail sales office in Broward county, in 1983. It was not long before they outgrew their 600 sq. ft. office. They grew so fast, in fact, that the operation soon included 15 agencies throughout Dade, Broward and Polk counties.

In 1987, the Lawsons added the finance company now named Federated Premium Finance, Inc. in order to provide an in-house premium financing facility to support their retail sales organization and enhance revenues and net income, and in 1992 they added Federated National Insurance Company, a company acquired in order to enhance operating margins and take underwriting risks.

After that, there was no stopping this dynamic duo. They added Assurance Managing General Agents, Inc., created to attract additional markets to support the retail operation, in 1994; Superior Adjusting, for in-house claims capability, in 1995; Federated Agency, which expanded retail sales activities, in 1996; and Florida State Discount Auto Title and Loans, Inc., which provides short term loans to customers with free and clear titles to their vehicles, in 1998. Today 21st Century has 130 employees and represents 300 outside agents.

One of the by-products of the company's rapid growth was that the Lawsons soon had insurance entities spread across a large area. In order to remedy the situation, 21st Century recently moved into a new 14,000 sq. foot building in Plantation, Florida. According to Lawson, when once a phone call or a drive across town was needed in order to talk to someone who worked in another part of the company, now the only thing that will be involved is a walk down the hall or to the next floor. The move "represents a tremendous savings to the company," he adds.

Twenty-first Century serves as the holding company for the Lawsons' insurance entities and is "all the pieces of the insurance business integrated into one," says Lawson.

The company's corporate mission statement is at the heart of Lawson's philosophy and displays his stunning understanding of what it takes to succeed: "To provide unparalleled service to both the insured and agents, maintain superior financial strength for the policyholder, and operate the company today with the vision of tomorrow."

The future is important to the Lawsons, and they intend to continue the growth of their company. Federated National has begun to write automobile insurance for commercial coverage and mobile homes when they once wrote only non-standard private passenger policies. They have also branched out into electronic income tax returns, and they will begin writing homeowners' policies next year.

Today 21st Century is poised on the brink of an Initial Public Offering. On October 1, 21st Century will be the first insurance company in Florida to start from the ground floor and then go public. The company will offer shares in one-third of the organization, generating revenue which will enhance it's financial strength.

Lawson has not forgotten one of the most important elements in his success strategy and will give his employees six percent of the company in the form of stock options. If the employee shares in the profit, says Lawson, they eill be working toward something more significant than a paycheck.

"It is important to make your employees part of the solution instead of part of the problem. You have to get everyone connected," he adds.

The amount of success the Lawsons have enjoyed had been known to create monsters. Not so with the Lawsons. Lawson stresses the importance of treating clients and agents with "absolute respect," and when asked to describe his company, he enthusiastically says, "we are honest and hardworking."

"We are a grassroots company with a client-based attitude," says Lawson. "That has really been the key to our success. We care about people, and when you do that, you can only go upward."

Lawson's organization operates on the company's founding principles: establishing and preserving the trust of the client, co worker and business partner; offering the client only value oriented products; providing and maintaining a professional office environment to attract better customers and employees; connecting management to the principals and objectives of the organization through stock ownership' and discouraging bureaucracy while encouraging creativity.

Above all, Lawson stresses the importance of listening to clients, co-workers and agents. "When you listen to people," says Lawson, "it is amazing the synergy that takes place."

Throughout their time together in the insurance business, Michele and Edward Lawson have proved to be a power pair, keeping their goals in sight, treating clients, agents and employees with respect, and, most importantly, staying focused on the future.