Agents Jerry Spray and John Nishimoto took the Statewide 2019 theme, “Taking the Lead”, a little too close to heart while travelling from north Idaho to Pocatello for the event. “It was snowing heavily and the roads were bad,” Jerry says. “Three hours into the trip, about 25 miles west of Missoula on Highway 90, I decided to pass three semi-trucks. As I crept past the first semi and pulled alongside the second, the first semi followed my lead and came up behind me. And that was when our tire blew out.” Jerry credits his extensive driver training as a former police officer in Post Falls for helping him maintain control until he was able to pass the third semi and pull to the side of the road. “Then we called Tire Rama in Missoula,” Johns adds, “and they sent someone to help. We got the spare on and drove to Tire Rama where they informed me they are required to sell me all four tires, not just replace the one. So we have four brand new tires.”

 

Was Statewide worth the trip? “It was great,” John says. “I really appreciated our guest speakers and the breakout sessions. I took copious notes and have already talked with my Sales Associate today to start implementing better processes and set more specific goals to help our business grow.” Jerry agrees. “All the speakers were excellent this year. Every one of them had a similar theme – Structure, Consistency, and Scheduling – that tied everything together.”

 

Agent Ryan Pearson didn’t have the same experience getting to Statewide since he lives in Pocatello, but his takeaway from the event was the same. “I enjoyed and benefitted from the training,” Ryan says. “I struggled with life apps but after Statewide, I submitted four life apps in two days. I feel charged and ready to ask to protect lives." Regarding the guest speakers, Ryan says, “Their motivation and messages remind me of the importance of my job and the difference I can make in my community. I competed against Taysom Hill growing up. Seeing what he has become was amazing. He taught me the importance of never giving up and having a vision of what I want to accomplish.”

 

Besides valuable training and inspiration, Statewide is also about recognizing the achievements of fellow agents. In total, more than 50 awards were presented for outstanding achievements at the awards banquet. The awards included:

 

• Mario Salinas, Loss Ratio Leader – Best Three Out of Four Years

• Clint Van Biezen, New Brokerage Premium

• Keefan Caron, New Overall Production

• Ben Rae, Region of the Year

• Steven Zamora, Rookie of the Year

• Kendon Perry, Agent of the Year

• View all the award winners in the Statewide 2019 program.

 

 “Celebration is a key component of Statewide,” says Ron Leavitt, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “It’s an honor for us to recognize the hard work and achievements of our agents.” The event organizer, Destiny Lynch, added that she was pleased to see such a large turnout. “I want to thank everyone who was able to make it to Statewide this year. I hope everyone who attended had a great time catching up and celebrating each others' successes.”

 

The trip home for John and Jerry turned out to be uneventful. “Jerry and I made it home without any problems,” John says. “But for anyone five minutes behind us it became an adventure due to two eighteen-wheelers that jackknifed.” We’re glad to hear that John and Jerry had taken the lead this time.

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