Ed Leap understood that the most important element in establishing a successful insurance agency was that of trust. When Ed founded the company in 1947, he was a well-respected and decorated World War II veteran. Many of the relationships that he established in those early years are still intact today, passed down from family member to family member and through successive generations of business leaders.


The company built on Ed’s early success, and once Bob Carpenter and Mike Kemps joined the team (in 1971 and 1981 respectively), the agency took on its current identity as Leap/Carpenter/Kemps Insurance Agency. Today, with the addition of owners Lynda Kissack, Mike Carpenter and Bob Salles, and the establishment of our Fresno Branch office in association with Ron Osborn, Leap/Carpenter/Kemps continues the tradition of customer service and integrity that was established by Ed Leap over a half century ago.

In order to bring the very best options and most competitive pricing to our customers, Leap/Carpenter/Kemps helped to establish Sierra Gateway Insurance Services in 1991. This entity provides your Leap/Carpenter/Kemps agent with a wealth of marketing options that smaller agencies just cannot access – options that in many cases match and exceed those of the largest national agencies.

Unlike those large national agencies, your Leap/Carpenter/Kemps agent is very local and very accessible. In fact, if you ask our long time customers what makes Leap/Carpenter/Kemps special (beyond the extremely competitive rates that we can offer), it’s the personal relationship that our customers have with our staff. We understand that finding just the right insurance coverages necessary involves our taking the time to know you and your unique circumstances. And the longer that we work together, the better we understand you, and the better job we can do for you over time.

We also understand that our business is only as strong as the communities that we serve. You will often see our staff involved in civic organizations, service clubs, charitable causes, business advocacy and community development efforts. We consciously recruit individuals who want to give back to their communities, and then we actively support the involvement of our employees who volunteer for these important responsibilities.

If you are not currently a Leap/Carpenter/Kemps customer, we invite you to talk to one of your many neighbors who are, to see if it might be time for you to change the way that you buy insurance. Give us a call, or select the Free Consultation button to the left. Let us provide you with a free analysis of your insurance coverage to help you determine if you have the right policies at the right cost. We are here to help!