Options Insurance has roots going back to 2011, when Sarah Smith founded the original agency. But the story of how it became what it is today starts in a less expected place: the mortgage industry.
Tom Wertish spent over a decade in mortgage sales and leadership, eventually running a division with 66 people reporting to him. Then in 2014, the company sold, the site closed, and Tom had to lay off his entire team — including himself.
The timing couldn’t have been more interesting. Tom and his wife Cailin had just welcomed their second child on a Monday. By Friday, he was out of a job. That summer, while studying for his insurance license with two young kids at home, Tom made a decision: no more riding someone else’s rollercoaster. It was time to pave his own path.
In June 2014, Tom launched Novallus Insurance Brokers. The name means “new and different” — a nod to his belief that the typical insurance experience wasn’t good enough. The early days were scrappy: his brother’s office in Saint Louis Park as a mailing address, a 10x10 interior office in Wayzata for $240 a month, a 4G hotspot for internet. He networked. He cold-called. He smiled and dialed.
In 2020, Sarah Smith retired and sold Options Insurance to Tom. He loved the name — it captured exactly what he’d always believed: clients deserve options. Novallus Insurance Brokers became Options Insurance. The deal closed in the middle of COVID, and Sarah’s team came along. They’re still here today.
- 2011 — Sarah Smith founds Options Insurance in Chaska
- 2014 — Tom Wertish launches Novallus Insurance Brokers after leaving the mortgage industry
- 2016 — Carolyn Todd joins the team
- 2017 — Leadership Award, top 1% of 10,000 agencies nationwide
- 2018 — Office moves to Chaska, one mile from home
- 2019 — Best Insurance Professionals, Minnesota Monthly
- 2020 — Tom acquires Options Insurance; Novallus becomes Options. Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses graduate
- 2021 — Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices member
- 2025 — Top 5 of 10,000 agencies nationwide. Goldman Sachs DC Summit, Minnesota Captain
