Aon Edge Private Flood Insurance recently relocated to a new state-of-the-art facility on the west side of Kalispell. The new location at 1327 U.S. 2 West serves as the headquarters for the national private flood insurance company.

The locally staffed 40-person office will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3 p.m. on Aug. 21.

“We’re based in Kalispell, but we have customers across the country,” explained Matt Terrio, Aon Edge Program Manager. Aon, its parent company, is based in London and considered one of the largest insurance brokers in the world.

Terrio also said Aon Edge is one of the largest providers of private flood insurance in the country and one of the first companies to come onto the private flood insurance scene a few years ago.

He explained Aon Edge is a “private flood insurance alternative” to the National Flood Insurance Program. While the long-standing NFIP is federally funded, private flood insurance programs are funded through capital markets and can therefore offer flexibility on some rates.

“The federal program has historically been the only option,” Terrio said. With Aon Edge and other private companies, “there’s a choice where there used to be none.”

This alternative approach to flood insurance has largely grown out of the major flooding events that have taken place across the country in the past few years, from Hurricane Sandy on the Northeast Coast to multiple hurricanes along the Gulf of Mexico.

Aon Edge’s customers are insurance agents who distribute the “EZ Flood” policy to property owners. Terrio said the ideal candidate for Aon Edge’s services “could be anyone.” The company aims to provide a flood insurance alternative that “works for everybody — agents, property owners, everybody,” Terrio added.

Previously, Aon Edge was part of National Flood Services, the federal flood program that also operates in Kalispell. Terrio pointed out, “We’ve had a presence here in the Flathead for quite some time.” The move to the new office is part of Aon’s process of privatizing its flood insurance service.

Over the course of about seven months, the building was remodeled to create a “really unique” and “really advanced” new office. The “complete overhaul” improved the facility’s “aesthetic appeal and functionality,” Terrio explained, and the Aon Edge staff is especially “excited about the advanced technology in the new office.” The new office features an open floor plan that encourages team collaboration, ergonomic features that promote wellness and technology solutions that allow easy and efficient connections with colleagues around the world, according to a press release.

Terrio said he expects the company to grow.

“I know for a fact we’ll be hiring as we continue to grow,” he said.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.