Douglas N. "Doug" Whitworth, President of the Gardner-Whitworth Insurance Group, is the third generation to own the local independent agency following his grandparents, Kenneth and Ruth Gardner, who founded it in 1946, and his father, William O. "Bill" Whitworth, owner from 1982 to 2005.

Doug is a lifelong resident of Mattoon and a graduate of Lake Land College. He obtained his producer's license for all lines of insurance while a sophomore in college and began his full-time career with the agency upon graduation in 1985.

Doug has been a long-standing member of the Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois (IIA of Illinois), where he has served on the board of directors and chaired the Illinois Young Agents Committee, which won the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA) National Young Agents Committee of the Year award for three consecutive years. Doug also received the prestigious Young Agent of the Year award from PIIAI in 2004. He served as the downstate Illinois representative to the Grange Insurance Companies Agents Advisory Board and is working toward attaining his Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation.

He serves as a board member of the Mattoon Youth Basketball League and the Mattoon Babe Ruth Baseball Association; local chairman of the Trusted Choice Big "I" Junior Golf Classic Qualifier; and member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and First United Methodist Church. He has coached and supported various youth sports programs in Mattoon for many years. He has two children, Tyler and Colin.

Perley Storm joined the Gardner-Whitworth Insurance Group in 1982 after beginning his insurance career with Country Companies. A native of Mason in Effingham County, Perley is a graduate of Dietrich High School, Lake Land College, and Eastern Illinois University. He is active in several local organizations, including the Mattoon Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Lake Land College Alumni Association. Perley is a licensed producer in all lines of insurance and specializes in Farm, Crop and Multi-Peril Insurance.

Kristy Kuhl joined the Gardner-Whitworth Insurance Group in 2001. She is the Customer Service Representative in charge of the Windsor office. Kristy has lived in Windsor since 1972 and resides with her husband Terry and daughter Whitney. Kristy serves as treasurer of the Windsor Harvest Picnic Committee and is an avid NASCAR fan.

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Kendra Warren is the Customer Service Representative for the Mattoon office of Gardner-Whitworth Insurance Group. A 2002 Parkland College graduate with an A.A.S. in Agri-Business/Equine Management, Kendra also works for the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Cooks Mills. She resides in Cooks Mills with her husband Joe and daughter Taylor.