Home grown: farmers celebrates 75 years in Los Angeles. (Special Advertising Profile: Farmers Insurance Group).

The year was 1928 and Los Angeles was an exciting place to be. The nation's fifth-largest city took the wraps off its new City Hall and spent $3 million to buy 640 acres for what is now Los Angeles International Airport, despite protests from a local newspaper that no one would use it. Walt Disney was just setting out to bring his magic to the world, while Hollywood gathered to hand out the first-ever Academy Awards.

Meanwhile, across town in a crowded office in Room 616 of the Broadway Building, two men were getting ready to revolutionize the insurance business. John C. (Jack) Tyler and Thomas E. Leavey had a simple plan: sell auto insurance at a reduced cost, keep expenses low and deliver quality service.

Their customers would be the many ranchers and farmers surrounding the city. While it's hard to believe today, in 1928 Los Angeles was a largely agricultural area, with a densely populated city center.

The Farmers Automobile Inter-Insurance Exchange officially began business on March 28, 1928, with two employees, a typewriter and some secondhand furniture. But it didn't take long for the company to start expanding. By 1930, Farmers had written more than 40,000 policies, far more than its founders had dreamed possible. As 1932 came to a close, the company was operating in 14 states and had assets in excess of $1 million.

Today, the company is the nation's third-largest personal lines property and casualty insurer serving more than 15 million customers in 41 states. It's a diversified financial services provider, offering insurance for autos, homes, recreational products and businesses, as well as life insurance and financial services.

Much of the company's success for the past 75 years is due to the principled nature of its founders. Both men were the sons of farmers, although Tyler's father later went into the insurance business and encouraged his son to do the same. Leavey, a native of California, was the first in his family to attend college and worked as an auditor for the Federal Land Bank, while supplementing his income selling insurance part time.

They were men who believed in treating their employees and agents with respect and fairness. From the outset, they established 12 principles to guide their new company. Among these principles were vows "to eliminate the excessive sales cost from the premium," "to settle all honest claims promptly without red tape or quibbling" and "to enlist the cooperation of automobile owners in the prevention of accidents in order to keep down the cost of insurance."

As their company grew, they added business insurance in 1935, home coverage in 1942 and life insurance in the 1950s. It also continued to add staff, growing from just two employees in 1928 to more than 19,000 today, about 5,000 of whom are in the L.A. area.

Those staff additions made for cramped quarters -- and many office moves.

After outgrowing several locations in downtown Los Angeles, the company decided to construct its own building along Wilshire Boulevard. In 1937, the company moved into its current home.

Farmers almost immediately outgrew its new home and the building was expanded in 1948, then again in the mid-1960s to meet the growing company's needs. By the mid-1980s expansion of the main building was no longer possible and the company added additional buildings along Wilshire to house operations. As one of the largest corporations still headquartered in L.A., the company is an active philanthropic supporter in the community, from major cultural institutions to local charities.

Even as it has grown, though, Farmers has relied on employees and agents to deliver personal service. This commitment to customers care, established by the founders 75 years ago, still absorbs the company.

"In 30 years of insuring, I have never heard of such marvelous service -- except in advertising claims," wrote a customer in 1959. "But, this happened to me, and I sincerely feel it is a record you may be proud of."

Farmers builds on that tradition today by searching for new ways to provide customer service. One new program is the HelpPoint service, which uses specially trained representatives to calm customers during a crisis. The representatives can also call on vast resources to get customers what they need, such as a rental car or a repair service, in the middle of the night.

It's how the Farmers of today stays true to its founders' vision.

"As we celebrate our 75th Anniversary, we will strive to be better than yesterday, but even better tomorrow," says Martin D. Feinstein, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Farmers. "Our goal is to leave a strong and vibrant Farmers to future employees and agents so when they look back on our actions they can rightfully say, "job well done."

For more information see Farmers.com.