Meet your neighbor: Jessica Hutcherson
Published 2:50 pm Friday, January 14, 2011
- Springville native Jessica Hutcherson works as a local Farmers Insurance Agent.
A native of Springville, Jessica Hutcherson enjoys being a hometown girl.
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“It’s a close-knit community, and everybody knows everybody,” she said, seated at her desk in the front office of her newly-opened Farmers Insurance agency as traffic, visible through the picture window behind her, passed by on Highway 11.
The Springville High and UAB graduate opened the agency last October and recently dispelled, while discussing aspects of the business, a commonly held misconception about her industry.
The biggest misconception people have about the insurance industry: “That it’s a scam and that we as agents can set and change the rates ourselves. We don’t.”
The most challenging aspect of her work: “Getting people to give you the opportunity to see what you can do for them.”
Its most rewarding moments: “Being there for somebody when there’s an accident, their pipes burst and their basement floods, or their house catches on fire and they call you and say, ‘Come help me.’”
About Farmers: Founded in 1928, the company is now the third largest insurer in the country with 15 million customers in 41 states.
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How she describes herself: “I’m fairly laid-back and easygoing, but at the same time, everything has be perfect with all the Ts crossed and all the Is dotted. I’m kind of over-organized, to a fault, but in this industry, that’s good.”
Away from work: “I have a little one who plays basketball, baseball and football, so I spend a lot of time watching youth sports. We live on Highland Lake, so I also spend a lot of time on the water.”
The best piece of advice she ever received: “If you set your sights on whatever it is that you want, don’t give up.”
The person she most admires: “My dad. He can do anything, from rocking a baby to changing a flat tire, and most of the time his advice is right. He does it all.”
Something an acquaintance might be surprised to know about her: “I still have my feather pillows from my childhood. They go everywhere with me. I can’t sleep without them. And I was named after the song, ‘Jessica.’”
