Rochester Natives Insurance Company Focuses on Client Needs
Photographer / Jubilee Edgell
Rochester native Judith Evans worked as a candy striper at Woodlawn Hospital for her very first job. Now she helps clients navigate the insurance industry, especially the Medicare open enrollment period.
The last months of any year are busy times for insurance agents, and Evans is no exception. Many of her clients come to her for medical insurance, including Medicare supplement plans and other health coverage options.
I was born at Woodlawn Hospital, Evans says. I went to Richland Center school. I have been away from Rochester just a couple times. I lived in Indianapolis for six months and Lawton, Oklahoma, for six months. Rochester is a great place to live and grow a family. I like being able to walk down the street and greet folks.
Evans opened her agency on April 1, 2004, as an independent agent for a national insurance company, and its been a second career for the former beauty salon owner. After becoming unemployed, she worked for a couple of local agencies before making the move to launch her own agency.
I had been a hairdresser having a shop in our home while the children were young, Evans says. That way I could be home for them and not need a babysitter. I was used to having my own business.
Evans Agency LLC specializes in Medicare products. Her clients also have access to home, auto, business, health and life insurance coverage. Legal coverage is also an option for clients.
We spend a lot of money purchasing a home and belongings, and as we saw in California, fires happen unexpectedly and we do not have much time to gather belongings, Evans explains. Even folks who rent where they live need to protect their belongings.
Insurance can help people plan for the unexpected, Evans says, whether that unexpected event is weather-related or otherwise. Life insurance is also important because, as Evans says, we are not going to be any healthier or younger than we are today.
The agency includes three licensed agents who help with many insurance needs. Their clients are from Indiana and include individuals, families, businesses, farmers and other groups.
It is grateful satisfaction when you have helped a client save money and still give them what they need, Evans says of her line of work. There is freedom to help anyone with their particular insurance need.
Another goal for Evans and her team is to make sure people are steered away from misconceptions, such as those regarding insurance status for new vehicles.
Folks do not always realize when they buy an additional vehicle that it is not covered until we have the information, Evans says. They think since they have auto insurance, it is automatically covered. If they are trading in a vehicle and purchasing another vehicle, they have automatic coverage for a few days, but not if it is an additional vehicle – we need to know as soon as they can, for coverage.
The company operates according to many core values including accountability, fairness, confidence, loyalty and open communication. Honesty, availability to her clients, and a wide range of coverage options all help to set Evans apart from other agencies.
A licensed insurance agent is also a source for information regarding changes in the insurance industry – for example, the annual cost-of-living adjustment for those on Medicare, coming in 2021. That increase also means Medicare Part B contribution costs will also go up.
Insurance is not your enemy, Evans says. It is a helper in time of need. Yes, it has a premium that needs to be paid, but when you need it, it is there to help you put things back together.
This is a lesson Evans knows personally.
I learned that early as a homeowner, and we were involved in the tornado of 1974, she recalls. We had only lived in the home we purchased just nine months prior to the tornado. Insurance helped put our home back together and replace our auto.
Evans Agency LLC is located at 410 Main Street in Rochester. Call 574-224-6988 and visit evansagencyrochester.com for more information.
