by John Dowd
Many who move to Montana will say it was because of the mountains, the hunting or maybe the slower rural pace of life. However, for one insurance agent, it was because she believed God had a mission for her here. Because of an award from the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce, and many other reasons, she feels she is well on her way on that mission.
Darcy Hansen, a State Farm Insurance agent, started an office at 300 B Main Street in Stevensville almost five years ago. Since then she has worked to create a welcoming and informative environment for everyone interested in insuring themselves and their families. This year, all that work paid off when the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce honored Hansen and her office with their annual New Business of the Year Award.
Angela Wheeler, Darcy Hansen and Heather Oster, Hansen’s team. Photo courtesy Darcy Hansen.
The award recognizes businesses five years and younger that strive in every way to help their community, and their customers. For Hansen, this has been fuel to the fire, showing her she is on the right path.
Hansen opened her insurance office in August of 2021. When asked why she decided to move her family all the way from Nebraska to Montana, she said it was really a leap of faith.
Hansen said, “I didn’t have a background in insurance and I was scared.” However, she felt this was the path God had for her and that he would provide. She believes he has done that through people she has met, and her overall success.
“They have embraced me,” Hansen said about the community and her customers. She also attributed her success to the encouragement of her family. When she started this journey, without any insurance experience, she said the idea came from her husband, who did have a background in insurance. In fact, her background was actually in senior living. She also has the support of her kids, who help out where they can.
Hansen attributes her success both to God and to how she runs her business. “It’s important that our customers have a joyful experience,” said Hansen, even if they don’t leave with insurance. Hansen said it really comes back to the Bible. She feels her guiding verse, for much of her life, has been First Corinthians, 13:4-8: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
That verse speaks to what Hansen tries to do for everyone that walks through her door.
She said State Farm offers life, home, auto, and small business insurances as well as Medicare. It is important to her that her customers understand their insurance policies, because “it’s theirs.” It is important to her team as well, to be a knowledgeable and trusted resource. “As impersonal as insurance is, it is actually very personal to each person,” said Hansen.
Rates and coverage can be impacted by credit score, driving record, age, location, and more personal factors. Hansen believes that just as a person should understand their life, they should try to understand how their insurance will be affected, and how to make the right decisions on coverage.
One element Hansen says often goes overlooked is life insurance. She believes it is often underestimated in its importance. “We make excuses for why we don’t need it,” said Hansen. However, “we all know somebody who passed away unexpectedly or too young. Life insurance is something we leave behind for those we love.”
She experienced this personally, and it was part of what set her on her journey. Hansen’s downpayment for the business in Stevensville was made from a life insurance policy settlement she received after the death of a loved one.
She also thinks “life insurance is a leap of faith.” It is often an action a person takes, believing it will do good for their family down the line, possibly without even knowing how it may help at all. She gave another example, where a customer of State Farm took out a permanent life insurance policy for her daughter. Eventually, the customer’s daughter used that money to adopt her own child, because she was unable to have children herself. Fortunately, the permanent policy meant the mother did not actually die in order for money to be drawn from it.
Hansen said that mother’s story, and many stories like hers, are why she feels she is doing what God’s mission was for her. “I see that this is a lot bigger than insurance,” said Hansen.
For more information you can reach Hansen at 406-625-3715 or email her at darcy.hansen.vacbsi@statefarm.com