Contact Us

Company Contact Information:

1240 Chicago Dr
Jenison, MI 49428
Phone: (800) 869-2022
Fax: (888) 767-0826
Text Line: (616) 606-FAST(3278)

Our Team

Personal Lines Team

Spencer Tomlin

Spencer Tomlin

Personal Lines Team Lead

stomlin@thecolonialgroup.com

A native of London, England, Spencer moved to the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area in 1992. He has worked at Grand General since Feb, 2005 as an agent. In his spare time, Spencer enjoys acting, playing REAL football and enjoying life with his wife, Kristin.

Skye Grit

Skye Grit

Personal Lines Underwriter

sgrit@thecolonialgroup.com 

Skye joined our office in November of 2018. She graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2018 and enjoys music, literature, baking, and gardening. In her spare time, she experiments with gourmet cupcake flavors which are sometimes shared with the office.

Victoria Wisdom

Victoria Wisdom

Personal Lines Agent

vwisdon@thecolonialgroup.com

Tori joined the Grand General team in the summer of 2022. She enjoys sinking into a good book, tabletop games, and spoiling her two cats. Her favorite part about working at GGA is her teammates’ sense of humor and kindness.

Commercial Lines Team

Andy Perry

Andy Perry

Commercial Lines Team Lead

aperry@thecolonialgroup.com 

Andy joined Grand General in 2013.  A 2012 Grand Valley State University Alumni, Andy enjoys participating in recreational sports leagues, cooking, and whatever events Grand Rapids has to offer.

David Ooms

David Ooms

Commercial Lines Agent

dooms@thecolonialgroup.com

A Grand Rapids native, David joined Grand General as an agent in 2016. He enjoys hiking, fishing, and many other outdoor activities. He also volunteers at airshows around the Midwest supervising flight line safety and ground operation.

Support Team

Nancy Manning

Nancy Manning

Support Specialist

In 2005, Nancy joined the team as an experienced, licensed agent and delved into underwriting task here at GGA.  Since then she has become part of our valued support team where she believes strongly in treating people with courtesy and respect, focusing on helping others find the best options to fit their needs.  She most appreciates the atmosphere of teamwork and friendship she experiences among her teammates.

Outside of work Nancy enjoys gardening, walking her dog, and traveling. Top on her list is spending time with family and friends, especially her 3 children, as well as spoiling her 5 grandchildren and 6 great – grandchildren.  Nancy’s super power would be to bring peace and harmony to the world along with curing cancer.

Dawn Miller

Dawn Miller

Support Specialist

Dawn joined the GGA team in 2004, and after a couple years away, she has returned to us.  After starting in the mailing department, Dawn became an essential solution to our support needs across multiple departments.  She now focuses on system processing and downloads.   She especially values the flexibility and family-first orientation of GGA.  Dawn is an optimist, choosing to find the positive and fun in all situations.

Dawn is a highly creative person who enjoys floral gardening and design, jewelry making, glass fusing, and metal work when not at work.  She is married and has both a son and daughter.  One of her greatest wishes is to have the ability to ensure her loved ones are fulfilled, successful and happy.

Julie Salzwedel

Julie Salzwedel

Support Specialist

Julie came on board to lend a hand with our mailing department in 2000.  She has since transitioned into clerical, processing and data entry responsibilities. Several things she truly appreciates about working here at GGA are her teammates and the flexibility in her work hours.  In her spare time she enjoys reading and raising foster puppies for PAWS With A Cause, an organization which trains and provides service dogs.

Deb Unseld

Deb Unseld

Support Specialist

Deb was born and raised in a small town outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.  She attended Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Deb stayed home with her two boys for 16 years and has been back in the workforce for 10 years.  She enjoys all things music, nature, art and sports in her spare time.

Walter Pyper

Walter Pyper

Support Specialist / IT

Walter is a graduate of Byron Center High School.  He joined Grand General in 2020 with an extensive background in customer service.  A father of two children, he spends his off hours working with Tears From Daniel, a non-profit working to raise suicide and mental health Awareness in Northern Michigan. You can also catch him behind the lens of his camera as he works on honing his photography talents.

Accounting Team

Marti Topp

Marti Topp

Treasurer

mtopp@thecolonialgroup.com

Marti graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids with a degree in Business Administration and later received an MBA from Western Michigan University. She supervised the support team at Citizens Insurance West Michigan claims branches for several years. Marti has been the accountant for Grand General since 1998. She handles everything from monthly statements for the agencies and companies that we work with, to payroll and company financial statements. She enjoys reading, bike riding and kayaking.

Marketing Team

Jeff Salzwedel

Jeff Salzwedel

Field Marketing Specialist

jssalzwedel@thecolonialgroup.com

Jeff was born in Wisconsin but has lived most of his life in Michigan.  He began his insurance career in 1989 when he started an agency in Grand Rapids.  Jeff came to work at Grand General as a field representative in 2011 after selling his agency. Jeff is married and has two daughters.  One daughter is married and is a doctor in the Army. She is stationed at Fort Irwin in California. His youngest daughter is a medical coder for a health insurance provider. In his many seconds of spare time, he and his wife raise service dogs for PAWS With A Cause. If there are moments left after that, he likes to play soccer, golf, and go fishing.

Management Team 

Bill Korfker

Bill Korfker

Vice President

wkorfker@thecolonialgroup.com

Bill is a Grand Rapids, Michigan, native and received his degree in business from Calvin College. He joined Grand General in January 1998 after being lured away from retail hardware management. Bill enjoys many hobbies, such as reading, fishing, golf and softball, but has little time for them as he and his wife, Debi, are kept plenty busy by their five children.

John Salzwedel

John Salzwedel

CEO

jsalzwedel@thecolonialgroup.com 

John has been at Grand General for over 20 years.  He has worked in all areas at Grand General. John graduated from Calvin College with a Bachelors in Business and from Aquinas College with a Masters in Management.

John spends his spare time with his family, volunteering at church,  Ottawa County emergency services or in one of his myriad hobbies.  He likes woodworking, collecting coins, playing guitar and bass guitar and just being outside.  He enjoys spending time with his wife, Susan, his two children, two grandchildren and two grand-dogs.

Office Dog

Chanel

Chanel

Office Dog

Chanel was born in Michigan and spends her days with the accounting team – part guard dog, part accounting associate. In her spare time, she enjoys all things pink, short walks, and snacks.

Form Finder  

  • Product

  • State

  • Company

  • Form Type

SIDE MENU