This year, The Hartford is celebrating 200 years of operation. AA&B spoke with Juan Andrade, president and COO of The Hartford's Property and Casualty Operations, on the company's past, present and future, and the role independent agents and brokers have played in its success.

Q: As you reflect back on 200 years of the Hartford, what do you believe were the most significant events in the company's history?

Andrade: I've become something of a historian about The Hartford because the company's history is so interesting. I believe the most significant overall event is how we have become an American icon by being there for our customers. I don't say that lightly. The Hartford has been there in virtually every major event in U.S. history: the construction of the Hoover Dam, providing insurance for Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee and Babe Ruth; major catastrophes such as the New York fire of 1835, when we paid all claims at a time when many companies were going under — in fact, the president of the company, Eliphalet Terry, paid many of those claims out of his own pocket. We were there for the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and after 9/11, we paid more than 950 business, life, auto and property claims.