|
 Coyne and his staff have moved from their office
in Heritage Plaza to 1308 Woodlawn Road. The building they now
occupy is best known as the former Long John Silver’s restaurant,
but after that restaurant closed, the building was converted to
office space for a local tax service.
Thursday, Coyne said that structurally there wasn't a lot that had
to be done inside the building. He did add a window in his office
because he likes to see his customers come in, even when the
customer will be assisted by one of Coyne's team members.
Inside the building the interior is done in pale gray with red and
white, which reflect the State Farm company colors. Coyne's team
which consists of Robyn Yarcho, Karen Leisman, Josh Baker and Josh
Jackson have work areas in the front of the building, with Coyne's
office located a little further back into the building.
Coyne had noted in a previous interview that the majority of the
work done inside and outside the building was cosmetic. He had put
in new carpeting, painted the interior and worked to clean up and
make the outside more attractive. On Thursday, it was noted that one
oddly familiar part from Long John Silver's was still in the
building, the cold room. The door to the freezer storage area where
restaurant staff accessed food for the fryers is prominently located
in Coyne's office. Coyne said he had thought about that area and
decided he was happy to leave it there.
Coyne had also previously talked about the people who had worked in
the building to get it spruced up. Among those were his wife Tia.
Thursday, Tia noted the work that had been done and said that there
were remnants of the old eatery still inside the building that did
have to be cleaned up and disposed of, but most of the work had just
been to get the painting done.
Coyne also recognized the work of the crew who helped make the move
from Heritage Plaza to Woodlawn. He said that was one of the things
he most dreaded was moving all the furniture plus all of his records
and files. He said it was going to be a big job.
Tia's brother, Eddie Morrow had organized the move and last
Wednesday morning he had a crew ready to help make the move. Coyne
said the crew worked really hard and really fast, and by late
morning everything was moved. He said he was amazed and delighted
and thankful for the great help he and the staff got in taking on
that large task.
Coyne said he had also had great reservations about how well the
move would go when it came to telephones and computers, but that too
had gone pretty well. He said there were some issues with the phone
system that took a little while to work out, and that he had help
from other State Farm agents, who took calls for Chris and passed on
messages. Coyne said it wasn't exactly supposed to go that way, but
it all worked out, and he appreciated the help he received.
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Thursday morning during the cut, with rain falling
outside, everyone gathered near the front door in the lobby of the
agency. Coyne was joined at the ribbon by wife Tia, his office
Manager/Vice President Robyn Yarcho and the Good Neighbear. Others
who gathered behind the ribbon included the balance of Coyne's sales
team, as well as Lincoln Mayor Seth Goodman, City Clerk Peggy
Bateman, former Chamber Ambassadors Jennifer Kirby and Deron and
Kristi Powell, Logan County Tourism Bureau staff Morgan Gleason and
Kaylee Kirby; and Karen Hargis, Roy Logan and Nila Smith from
Lincoln Daily News. The ribbon cut was led
by the LDN ribbon cut crew with Smith welcoming everyone,
acknowledging those in attendance and thanking them for coming out
on a rainy morning. She expressed appreciation to Coyne for
continuing to invest in Lincoln and for taking an abandoned building
on the city's main drag and transforming it into something nice with
good curb appeal, once again making it an asset to the landscape of
the city.
Coyne spoke briefly, acknowledging the excellent help he had in
making the move and thanking everyone for coming out. Mayor Goodman
also congratulated Coyne on the move and wished him the very best in
his new location.
When it came time to snip the ribbon, Coyne stepped
forward a bit and asked Yarcho and wife Tia to join him. There was a
moment for posed pictures, then the traditional countdown and the
snipping of the ribbon.
After the cut, guests were encouraged to linger, enjoy a cookie or
two and visit with Coyne and his staff. Several did just that also
taking a complete tour of the building offered by the Coyne's.
Chris Coyne's State Farm has offices in Lincoln as well as Atlanta.
In Lincoln, the office is open daily and staff are always happy to
sit and visit with customers and prospective customers about their
current insurance needs. If you're in the area, be sure to stop by
and say hello, whether you are in the market for insurance or not,
the staff and Chris will be happy to see you and spend some time
showing you their new digs.
[Nila Smith] |
