Flag Exchange Is a Day of Glory for The Agent Insurance Services

BOARDMAN, Ohio –  Mike Vodhanel was greeted with a smiling face and brand new flag as he handed over his old, faded American flag Wednesday morning.

Vodhanel is one of hundreds of community members that came out to The Agent Insurance Services’ annual flag exchange event. He said he had been meaning to do something with his old flag for a long time, and this was the perfect opportunity.

“I think this [event] is really important to the community,” he said. “Everybody can get out and do what they have to do.”

The flag exchange event, which takes place every Flag Day, is now in its third year. 

“We want everyone to show their flags off, show their patriotism and paint the town red, white and blue,” said Ron Nanosky, founder of The Agent Insurance Services.

Although this particular event is growing in popularity, Nanosky said the company supports veterans year-round.

“We just got done doing a program called Save a Suit where we collected professional attire for veterans so they can have something for going to work or getting a job interview,” he said. “We collected over 350 suits to give to the nonprofit organization.” 

Nanosky said they also host events for Veterans Day and will continue to host events for Flag Day every year.

The Flag Day event was held at the agency’s Boardman and Salem locations. Each location started with 100 new flags. 

The event was scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or while supplies lasted. By 11 a.m., only about 23 flags were left.

“It’s just getting bigger every year,” Nanosky said.

“We started off the first year with 50 [flags] and gradually just started stepping it up,” he adds. “Now we got up to 100, and we think that we are really going to have to step it up pretty big for next year.”

Morgan McGowan, marketing coordinator for The Agent Insurance Services, said they have gotten a lot of new partnerships over the years. 

“Our partner that provides the flags, Operation Flags of Freedom, is awesome to work with and has made this event such a breeze,” she said.

Operation Flags of Freedom of Massillon, Ohio, was responsible for making the flags. The organization was founded in 2012 in an effort to promote patriotism and honor fallen military members by distributing flags to be displayed around local areas.

McGowan, who also does a lot of the agency’s social media work, said they also utilize their social media platforms for the event. This year they are hoping for an even greater number of people to post photos with their new flags and tag their Facebook and Instagram accounts. 

“Every year it just grows in who takes interest in it [the event], and it’s neat to see the numbers on the posts go up every year too,” she said. “It just keeps getting better and better.”

Participants of the event are encouraged to post photos with their new flags and tag the agency on Facebook at @TheAgentInsuranceServices or on Instagram at @TheAgentInsurance.

Pictured at top: Ron Nanosky, founder of The Agent Insurance Services, stands in front of the American flag at the agency’s Boardman location.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.