For Darrell Camilletti, a chance conversation years ago at a kitchen table on his family ranch outside Hayden led to him sitting at the helm of a company with a national footprint. The story of that company, Mountain West Insurance & Financial Services, LLC, is rooted in the Yampa Valley and was built on personal relationships.

Born in Steamboat Springs and raised near Milner, Camilletti’s earliest lessons in hard work came on the family ranch. After earning a business degree with a focus on accounting from the University of Northern Colorado in 1973, he returned to the family ranch.

When he moved back home, he never expected that his life’s path would eventually lead to founding a notable insurance company that would grow to serve clients throughout the United States. 

It was a chance conversation in 1975 that set Camilletti on that path.

“I was sitting at the kitchen table while my parents were talking with an insurance agent,” Camilletti said. “I started asking him questions, and he finally looked at me and said, ‘You should be doing this.'”

Camilletti took the advice to heart and started working part-time with Farm Bureau while still working on the family ranch. By 1979, his client base had grown enough to take the plunge full-time, a leap of faith that was encouraged by his father. 

“He said, ‘Don’t pass it up,'” Camilletti recalled. “So, I went all in.”

Camilletti would end up spending 22 years with Farm Bureau, where he learned the trade and built relationships. Over time, he grew frustrated with the limitations of the company’s business model and the way they were trending when it came to customer service. 

“They lost sight of the customer,” he said. “It became more about the company than the individual.”

That realization led to a bold move. In 1998, Camilletti founded Mountain West Insurance & Financial Services as an independent agency and decided to offer access to multiple insurance carriers and tailored solutions for the agency’s clients.

“It was a financial challenge, for sure,” he said. “I had a son and a cousin’s wife helping me start the agency, and I had to make it work fast.”

Operating initially in Hayden, Camilletti soon acquired an existing agency in Craig. Over time, he joined forces with other local agents to gain access to more markets while still working independently. When the partnerships eventually dissolved, Camilletti made the decision that Mountain West should stand on its own. It would continue to expand, with offices being established throughout Colorado and one in New Mexico. 

Despite the growth in both offices and portfolios, Camilletti insisted on continuing his core principle that people, whether clients or employees, should always come first.

“It’s always been about relationships,” he said. “Understanding what our clients need, what they’re up against financially and doing the right thing for them.”

That philosophy carried the company through steady growth and into new markets. By focusing on hiring people who shared his client-first mindset, Camilletti built a team that kept Mountain West grounded in small-town values, even as its reach expanded to all 50 states. 

Today, the company employs more than 275 people and manages over $500 million in premiums annually. 

While the core team is still based in Craig, Mountain West joined BroadStreet Partners in 2015, a move Camilletti said was driven by succession planning. 

“We needed to secure the company’s future, reduce risk and keep growing,” he said. “BroadStreet isn’t a private equity firm. They’re long-term partners, and they let us run our business the way we want.”

Despite rapid growth and technological shifts, Camilletti has remained committed to the personal touch. 

“We’ve got all the tools,” he said, “but I still like to be in front of the people.”

The insurance landscape, however, has become more challenging, particularly due to more frequent catastrophic events including floods, fires and hurricanes. The result has been a strain on the entire industry, particularly in the western part of the United Statesr, where the risk of wildfires makes insuring homes increasingly difficult and expensive.

“It’s the biggest challenge I’ve seen in my 50 years,” Camilletti said. “There are times when we just can’t find a policy for someone, and that’s heartbreaking.”

Despite that, his mission, and the company’s mission, remains unchanged.

“We’re here to serve, just like we always have been,” he said. “I want that to continue long after I’m gone.”

Camilletti, who is not yet retired but has committed to staying on for at least two more years, says his focus now is ensuring the next generation of leaders within the company uphold the same principles that built it — customer focus, community presence and employee care.

Even with a national footprint, Camilletti still believes that the Yampa Valley remains a perfect place to call home.

“There are good people here,” he said. “That’s what made this the right place to build something that lasts.”

As he looks toward the future, Camilletti’s focus is less on personal legacy or profit and more on a shared purpose measured by the ability to be there with people when they need it most.

“It’s not about what I’ve done,” he said. “It’s about what we’ve done, and what they’ll keep doing.”

Mountain West Insurance & Financial Services will host a celebration of Camilletti’s 50 years of service to the Yampa Valley with family, friends and clients on Thursday, Aug. 21, from noon to 5 p.m. at Mountain West’s office at 100 E. Victory Way in Craig.