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American Family Insurance

Gary Hurst, local American Family Insurance Agent, began his career in April 1971 in Trenton. He is licensed in all lines of insurance, except securities. His office is located at 805 Main, where it has been for the last 4 years.

Hurst believes that the insurance business has changed over the years with larger insurance providers losing some of the personal touch due to the size of their business; he, on the other hand, can deliver a personal touch at the local level.

American Family started in Wisconsin years ago focusing on auto clients. The company considers auto insurance to be their “bread and butter” but has expanded into home, health, farm, business, and life insurance.

While generating a profit is important for the company, just as it is for any company, customer service comes first. American Family is geared toward serving families.

Hurst has found out that having competitive rates is important, but rates are not the defining factor in being successful in the insurance business—customer service is the most important element. He prides himself in being up-front with clients and telling them like it is. He has even gone as far as telling a client about a better value at a competitor if necessary.

He has found his career with American Family in Grundy County to be very rewarding and prides himself in taking care of people. During his 34 years in business, he has had some amusing experiences. For instance, years ago, he had a very intellectual sort of person come in claiming that he had been hit by one of Hurst’s insureds and the man demanded payment for damages that day. Gary filled out the paperwork to begin the claims process. The guy did not wait for the process to work, he found the name of the adjuster, called him at home and demanded a check for damages. At the time, the adjuster was not yet aware of the claim. Gary called the guy, asked him to come into his office, and told him the way in which the process was going to work. The guy left after Hurst “straightened him out.”

Another time, a man claimed that he has been hit by one of Hurst’s insureds in Kansas City. He claimed that his back was badly injured; after some research, it was determined that the guy was already on full disability for a previous back injury.

During the hailstorm, that hit Grundy County on May 27, 2004, Hurst had over 1000 claims. His agency paid out approximately 5 million dollars of damages. He estimates that Grundy County insurance agencies paid out about 20 million dollars overall. The magnitude of that storm was unprecedented. He has a few clients who are still waiting on contractors to get work done this spring, but overall is pleased with the way in which the claims were handled.

The American Family office is open Monday through Friday from 9-5 and is closed from 12:00-1:00 for lunch. He has two office assistants—Tonna Ricketts and Janet Wilson.

Hurst feels that the Trenton community has been good to him. He hopes to continue with his agency for years to come. He is very active in the community, currently serving on the City Council, on which he is the finance committee chairman, is a member of Kiwanis, the Wesley United Methodist Church, the Riverside Country Club, Downtown Improvement Association, a member of the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as serving as an Ambassador.