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The Markel Story

From jitneys to Fortune 500, Markel began with insurance–and became much, much more.

In 1930, Sam Markel had the dream of establishing an insurance company to insure jitney buses. He probably never imagined that one day Markel would be a Fortune 500 holding company that operates a leading specialty insurer and owns an impressive portfolio of products and services businesses. While Markel's heritage is in insurance, today we've evolved into much more. Explore our history and find out how Sam Markel and his four sons shaped our relentless pursuit of excellence in all we do for our customers, employees, and shareholders. Though it’s been over 90 years already, we believe the best is still yet to come.

At Markel

We work with a forever mindset and an appreciation for the cumulative result that develops over time.

The Markel Timeline

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      explore the world of markel

      • The Markel Style

        The Markel Style is our corporate compass. It is intrinsic to our brand. Integrity is non-negotiable, and we are committed to being open-minded and transparent.

        Written in 1986, in preparation for our initial public offering, the Markel Style memorialized how we seek to perpetually operate our businesses and treat one another.

        Discover the Markel Style

      • Markel Ventures

        Markel Ventures owns and operates a family of companies that employs thousands of people across the manufacturing, consumer, business services, financial services, and healthcare sectors.

        See all our companies