“Life offers so many opportunities, we sometimes fail to take advantage of them,” commented Keith Phillips. “We get so caught up in the work of life that we lose touch with the joy of living.” As owner and operator of Farmers Insurance, Keith Phillips Agency for over 39 years, he has shared the many ups and downs that his clients have experienced over the years. Phillips appreciates the opportunity to have developed the many long lasting relationships with many wonderful clients. In some cases, third generations are being served.
A family’s insurance portfolio is an extremely important matter, shares Phillips, and should not be taken lightly because not having the proper coverage can devastate an individual or family financially. Therefore, the agency strives to have their clients complete a periodic review in order to ensure that the client’s insurance coverage is changing along with their life changes. “You become very close to these people, and in many cases become friends and you want to be sure they are protected.”
Indeed, relationships are important to Phillips. He and his wife Julie have been working together since 1994, when she joined the agency after many years as a loan officer at Metropolitan Federal. Of course, there are challenges with working with a spouse, he adds. However, the joy of working with your spouse and having that special relationship adds a unique dimension to life. As proud grandparents of 12, they have three daughters living in Fargo, Denver, and Mandan with their only son living in the Seattle area. They have also sponsored a young woman from Portugal who is now starting her junior year at MSUM.
Born and raised in Hallock, MN, Phillips was the oldest of eight children, so he learned from a young age how to share and to be a leader. His father had a 40-year career with the highway department and his mother tended to the large family on the home front. Phillips attended Bemidji State and transferred to MSUM. He credits his interest in the insurance world to an uncle who was a very successful agent in Greeley, CO. Phillips remembers how his uncle operated his business and always appeared to be having fun in the process of helping others with their insurance needs. Combining fun with helping people sold Phillips on the vocation.
Although today Farmers is one of the largest personal line insurance companies in the country, it was not an easy way to the top. Farmers is one of the very few to start in business only one year before the Great Depression, and survived to become a household name. This is one of many firsts for Farmers in the insurance industry.
Farmers became the first major insurance organization to offer a monthly payment plan that wasn’t a finance plan and with no interest. They also became the first major insurer to offer a non-smoker discount. In addition, they were leaders in catastrophe response, often the first Mobile Catastrophe fleet on the ground to serve communities affected by disasters. As part of their commitment to the environment, Farmers became the first major insurer to offer a discount for alternative-fuel vehicles. They opened the University of Farmers to provide their agents and employees with insurance education, and were voted the number 1 corporate training center in the country by Training magazine.
Phillips added that Farmer’s policyholders are also number one. If you are a current client, thank you. If you are looking for insurance or just interested in a quote, stop in as the coffee is always on.
Keith Phillips
Agent
725 Center Ave
Moorhead, MN 56560
218 236-0948
http://www.farmersagent.com/kphillips
