Ruhl&Ruhl traces its origins back to 1862 when, as with most agencies, an ambitious entrepreneur established a sole proprietorship. As the business grew and prospered, it became a partnership, changing hands a number of times over the next thirty or so years. In 1899, the then successful insurance agency came under the control of John G. Ruhl. John had visions which went beyond the scope of his predecessors and it was he who set down the guiding principles of quality, integrity and service which characterize the firm today. One year after assuming control, John added real estate brokerage to the firm's growing list of services establishing a duality of business functions which still exists. John Ruhl was joined by his sons, Edward Ruhl in 1919 and C. Arthur Ruhl in 1920. Although the boys were encouraged to work in all areas of the business, Edward gravitated to real estate and Arthur to insurance.

In 1949 John G. Ruhl, the oldest son of C. Arthur Ruhl, joined the firm and was followed a year later by his brother Charles A. Ruhl. The firm had by then four full time real estate salesmen and was flourishing in both the real estate and insurance areas. The boys were told to learn both sides of the business and did, although it was soon obvious that John preferred insurance and Chuck favored real estate. The untimely death of Edward Ruhl in 1956 created an unfortunate necessity for Chuck and John to pursue their specialty on a permanent basis. Edward's death also brought about the need for more manpower and it was early the following year that a brother-in-law, Don Challed, joined the firm concentrating on insurance.

Arthur Ruhl died in 1959 and his passing triggered the absolute distinction between insurance and real estate. In January of 1982 a major reorganization took place and the real estate and insurance companies separated. A fourth generation of the Ruhl family was added to the firm with the association in 1976 of Charles A. Ruhl, Jr., in 1980 of Caroline Ruhl, and in 1991 of John G. Ruhl.

In 1997 another reorganization took effect. Caroline Ruhl then took ownership of the Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, the residential company, and Chuck Ruhl, Jr. opened a new company, Ruhl Commercial and was joined by his brother John Ruhl. A sister company, River Valley Development, which develops and owns a number of residential subdivisions, is still co-owned by Chuck, Caroline, John, Chuck Sr., and Steve Stephens. In 2001, Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors merged with the McCarthy Bush real estate company, whose parent company is one of the largest residential developers in the region. As a result of this merger, the McCarthy Bush principals became minority owners of Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors.

Today, Ruhl&Ruhl Realtors, the residential company, has 260 sales associates, 50 employees and eight residential offices serving eastern Iowa and western Illinois, along with its corporate office in Davenport, Iowa. The residential sales offices are located in Davenport, Bettendorf, Clinton, Muscatine, Iowa City, DeWitt, and Maquoketa, Iowa and in Moline, Illinois. The company specializes in Residential Brokerage, Relocation Services, and New Construction Marketing. Ruhl&Ruhl Commercial Company has 20 sales associates and 10 employees. They specialize in Commercial-Industrial Brokerage, Property Management, and Development, and have offices in Davenport, Dubuque and Des Moines.