Who are the people that our clients talk to, trust, and work with year after year? Get to know more about our agency by getting to know the people through our Employee Spotlight Series.
What do you do here at Wells, what's your background, and how long have you been here?
I've worked here for about 8 years. I'm the director of personal lines and agency sales leader. I manage carrier relationships and facilitate a team of great coworkers to retain and acquire new business. I was in the furniture industry before this and the supply chain logistics field then I was in an Insurtech and then found my home here wells.
Why Wells? What brought you here (and back again) and what do you like most about it?
The opportunity to work for a more family environment, better people and to work in my community to help ensure my neighbors and my community.
What's the best lesson you've learned throughout your career?
Remember that you're not in charge. You're responsible for those in your charge, and that's a Simon Sinek quote, and it serves me well.
What's the biggest challenge you've had to overcome in your career?
Patience and grace.
What's the first job you ever had?
I was 15 spraying hydrochloric acid into the air conditioning coils on the roof of the manufacturing facility. You spray the acid into the coils and it boils out the dirt and then you pressure wash it off. It was a great job and it was quite interesting in the summers. You're out in the sun, you get a great tan, but you do get second degree burns a lot...chemical burns. Sometimes it would spray, and when it got on you, it would take the tan right off before you could get the water off of you. Yeah, it was a job no adult would do. Who knows what the long term effects are?
What's the weirdest job you ever had?
I would say changing the air filters at Campus Edge by UNCW. You see some pretty strange things.
If you could do anything for a living, what would it be?
I think I'd be move backwards a little bit and go back to a more of a homesteader type life. I don't want to churn butter every day, because I would like to have a hot tub or something like that on the side. Id like to maybe get away from the pace we're at now.
What do you like to do when you're not working?
Well, I used to like to spearfish and boat and I still do like those things, but since having children 7, 4 and 2. I think spending time with them is the top priority now in the formative years. Hope to get back to those things and camping and teaching them all of the really fun ways to be little mongrels.
What’s volunteer activity/non-profit do you like to work with/support and why?
'm a mentor at the Cameron executive network at the UNCW School of Business teaching, graduating seniors. How to or helping them with resumes, internships, and interviewing. I think that's a great skill for them and I wish I had that type of mentorship, but I had to learn the hard way like a lot of us did.
What's on your bucket list?
Paragliding actually is something I may want to do. I used to skydive and it's gotten into my skin, so I kind of want to do it.
What's your greatest weakness?
Getting out of my own head. Overthinking things.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
When I was in my mid 20s, I tore down an old log tobacco barn in central North Carolina, relocated it to our farm, and rebuilt it as a hunting lodge without any plans or anything like that. I just had the idea in my head and did it.
before
after
Favorite Book?
Favorite book is Seawolf by Jack London and I'm very fond of the Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Favorite TV Show?
I’ve enjoyed Yellowstone recently.
Favorite Movie?
I'm pretty fond of Fight Club.
Favorite Band?
∆ (Alt-J)
How do you define success?
Being able to get out of bed every morning and put my feet on the ground and help some people do something positive in the world, and make some kind of difference.
What's the best advice you've been given?
Do a little better today than I did yesterday and be the man you would want your daughters to marry. That's something that you work on every day.
Jared has been a vital part of Wells Insurance for several years as our Director of Personal Lines as well as and most recently as Agency Sales Leader.
910-251-5447