Box Insurance Agency – Our Story

Box Insurance Agency has deep roots in Tarrant County and a rich history woven into the City of Grapevine.  Our people are and have been dedicated to the surrounding communities and we can credit our involvement and success to the devoted leaders that have guided the agency over its 90 years of existence.   Here is a little about each one of them.

D.E. Box
The agency was founded in 1920 by D.E. Box to complement Tarrant County State Bank that he started in 1919 when he moved to Grapevine.  The bank later became Tarrant County National Bank and eventually First National Bank of Grapevine.

In addition to thirty-three years of serving as President and as Chairman of the Board of the Bank, Mr. Box was active in the community.  He was involved in the association responsible for getting Highway 114 built in and through Grapevine.  He served on the Grapevine City Council and on the School Board.  Other organizations that Mr. Box was a member and/or leader of include Grapevine Masonic Lodge, Grapevine Lions Club, and the Texas Bankers Association.  He was awarded the First Grapevine Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the year award in 1957 after his death and the award is given annually in his name.

Joe N. Box
Upon D.E. Box’s death in 1957, his son, Joe N. Box inherited Box Insurance Agency.  Having moved to Grapevine with his family in 1919, Joe attended and graduated from Grapevine High School in 1934.  He began his career as a bookkeeper for Grapevine Feed Store (now B&D Mills), then was employed by the bank where his father was president and worked his way up to his own presidency in 1957.  Joe, like his father, continued the tradition of community involvement by serving on the City Council, School Board, Grapevine Chamber of Commerce, and The Masonic Lodge, just to name a few.  His wife Cecelia was also very active in local organizations such as the Garden Club, Music Club, Women’s Division of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce and the Tarrant County Historical Commission.

Clydene Johnson
In 1978, Clydene Johnson purchased the Agency from Joe N. Box and preserved the founding family name of Box in the business.  Clydene is a Tarrant county native and has lived in Grapevine since 1965.   Clydene began her insurance career at First National Bank working for the Box family.  She then spent 13 years working in the Yancy family’s insurance agency.  In 1978, the opportunity to buy Box Insurance Agency came about and Clydene owned and operated the business until 2007 when her son Dustin Parker purchased it.  Although she has technically retired from Box Insurance, you can still find her in the office working from time to time.

Community involvement has also been an important tradition for Clydene.  She is active in the Women’s Division of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce, having twice served as President for the organization, and was elected as the first female President of the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce.  Clydene’s service to the City’s government has been generous over the years.  She has served on various City of Grapevine Committees and was elected to the Grapevine City Council in 1995, where she served as Place 3 Representative until she retired in 2007.  She has earned many achievements and honors over the years including D.E. Box Citizen of the Year, Grapevine Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s award, and the Ted Willhoite Legacy Award.  Under her ownership, Box Insurance Agency was named Business of the Year for the Grapevine Chamber of Commerce and was inducted into the Chamber’s Business Hall of Fame.

Dustin Parker
In 2007, Clydene decided to hand over the reigns to her youngest son, Dustin Parker.  Dustin began his career at Box Insurance in January of 2003.  Prior to that, he worked as an international tax consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers in San Jose, California.  Dustin really enjoys leading Box Insurance and helping other business owners protect what they have worked so hard for, which in turn also protects the livelihoods of those who are employed by them.  Dustin has a passion for the local independent business model and fights hard to see this model thrive.  In the office Dustin spends his time looking after some of the agency’s most complex clients, leading and developing our agents, and preserving the culture of the agency.

Dustin and his wife Alicia have three children; Isabel, Jessica, and Caleb. These children are 5th generation Grapevinites and the family really values this great heritage.  They live in downtown Grapevine and especially enjoy being involved at their local church, Gateway.  Dustin takes 1-2 mission trips every year ranging from caring for the least privileged to trips to Israel to teach on stewardship. Dustin was a collegiate golfer at Baylor University and now enjoys golf as a hobby, playing with friends and family.