On Dec. 1, Toby Dean opened a new Farmers Insurance agency at 3330 Ginger Creek Dr., Suite B, in Springfield. The office is located in same building as Denmar Builders and SCORE. Farmers Insurance, one of the largest personal line insurers in the U.S., offers a full line of products for both businesses and consumers.

“The company is great, they’re more customer-service based than anything else,” said Dean. He stated that he decided to open an office on the west side of Springfield because he took over clients from an agent who had left the company. “A lot of my book of business is in Jacksonville right now,” he explained.

Prior to opening his own office, Dean worked with Jeff Brown’s Farmers Insurance agency in Chatham. He got into the insurance business after more than 15 years of advertising sales with WSMI Radio in Hillsboro. “They would move me to different areas that were needing help, but once I built it up they would move me again,” said Dean. “Then they moved me down to the Metro East area, and that was tough because it’s so close to the St. Louis market. Businesses there aren’t targeting customers in Hillsboro.”

Dean was born and raised in Raymond where he still lives with his wife of 28 years. “My wife is from Butler, and when we got married we stayed in Raymond. It’s a great small town, and the commute isn’t bad at all.”

A lifetime member of the American Business Club, Dean said he was previously involved with Rotary and Kiwanis in the Hillsboro area and now looks forward to getting involved in community organizations in the Springfield area.

          “I plan to do some networking and get to know more people in this area,” Dean said, who hopes to get the word out about his new business. “I’m here to help people and make sure they are properly covered and all the gaps are filled. I’ll be here if they need somebody.”