As he retires, State Farm Agent Rick Hamm welcomes new agent Bryan Clark to the Lincoln community

[October 31, 2020]  

At noon on Friday, October 30th, local State Farm Agent Rick Hamm said good-bye to a career that has lasted a lifetime. He also said “welcome’ to Bryan Clark who will be the new agent in Lincoln taking over Hamm’s office.

Staff at the office are welcoming Clark, and look forward to having him join them the first of the year. In the meantime, Jenifer Sellers, a State Farm agent in Sherman will act as the interim agent for the Lincoln Office.

Hamm’s staff, consisting of Donna Boyd, Kelli Woodford, Kristina Hinton, Beth Hoffert and Glenda Allison will be on hand daily to assist customers with their immediate needs.

For Hamm looks forward to the change in lifestyle as he enters retirement. On Friday, as he prepared to leave he noted that he has lived his life engrossed in insurance, and specifically in State Farm. He recalled that his dad was also an agent and as a child, he knew more about insurance than any youngster should. But for him, going into insurance was a no brainer. It was worked he loved. He enjoyed serving his clients and meeting the challenges of changing times.

Now, as he enters retirement, he said that he has some plans. He is going to have an identity outside of insurance. He has plans to do some volunteer work and notes that he is a big supporter of the Easter Seals organization. He hopes to become more involved in supporting that program.

He also wants to enjoy some of his favorite hobbies. He noted that he loves woodcarving, wood working, and creating stained glass art. Hamm’s college education was in commercial art, so he looks forward to getting back to his artistic side. And, of course, there will be some travel, he’s planning to spend time in “warmer climates.”

Bryan Clark and his family are looking forward to becoming a part of the Lincoln and Logan County community. On Friday morning Bryan and wife Whitney closed on their new home in Lincoln and look forward to settling into the community and becoming involved.

Hamm noted that Clark is community oriented and said he is certain that the community will see a lot of Bryan out and about as time goes on. Clark noted that as a brand new agent and coming into a brand new area, he anticipates he will dive right into getting acquainted with the business and clients.

Clark said that his family is interested in becoming involved with the Lincoln Christian Church. His children will attend West Lincoln Broadwell school. He’s looking forward to school involvement in the future as well.

Clark began his professional career in law enforcement and noted that he spent 14 years in law enforcement before deciding to seek a new direction. He also said that his college major was homeland security.

He is currently wrapping up his agent training program with State Farm. He said that like many, if not all of us, the corona virus has impacted how training has gone. He noted that for the next couple of months he will be doing “job shadowing” with seasoned State Farm agents. However, because of Covid-19, that shadowing will take place via Zoom meetings.

Left to right:  Chris Coyne, Rick Hamm, Bryan Clark, and Deron Powell

Also on hand Friday morning to congratulate Hamm on his retirement and to welcome Clark to the community were State Farm agents Chris Coyne and Deron Powell. Coyne, Powell and Hamm have been an interesting trio in the insurance market, sometimes referred to as the “three amigo’s of insurance.” Coyne and Powell are looking forward to developing a great working relationship with Clark, just as they have enjoyed with Hamm over the past several years.

For State Farm customers in the area, those who currently have their insurance with Rick Hamm, may choose to continue on with the agency with Clark at the helm. Those customers also have the option to switch agents if they wish.

Hamm noted that in his 40 years of service, he has built a very large portfolio of customers. He said that for a brand new agent, it will be a hefty load, so some customers, particularly those who don’t live in the Lincoln and Logan County community will be encouraged to move their coverage to an agent closer to their home base.

Both Coyne and Powell are prepared to take on some of the Hamm portfolio if customers so choose. They both noted that the important goal for State Farm is to have their customers satisfied and confident in their agent. They feel that Clark is a great fit for this community and that customers will be able to rest assured that the new agent is just as dedicated to the clients as Hamm has been these past many years.

Hamm noted that letters went out some time ago to all of his current customers, advising them of his retirement and offering guidance on how to select a new agent if they choose.

Hamm said that some of his customers were a little confused by the letter, thinking that the office was closing and they were without an agent. Hamm said he wanted to emphasize that is not the case. Daily operations will continue at the office. Interim agent Sellers will be ready to serve Lincoln and Logan County starting Monday, and come January first, Bryan Clark will be well equipped and prepared to take care of client needs and the agency that Hamm has grown.

Clark echoed that saying he wanted customers to know that the agency was going to be his priority and that his strongest desire is to serve his clients and his new community to the very best of his ability.

Anyone who has questions or concerns about their coverage should continue to call Hamm’s office at 217-732-6211.

For those who do wish to consider changing agents, this can be accomplished with an email.

Send an email to agentselection
@statefarm.com.  Include your name, address, policy number(s) and your preferred agent. If you choose not to change agents, there is no action needed. All customers will remain with Clark, and will be switched to a new agent only upon request.

[Nila Smith]