Halie Wetherington: reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
Lance Braswell, a Mayo resident and manager for Farm Bureau Insurance, was named Agency Manager of the Year for the entire state of Florida at the Farm Bureau Conference which took place in Orlando in February. Braswell, a Lafayette High School and Mississippi College graduate, grew up around Farm Bureau due to his father, Steve Braswell, being an agent for the company in Madison and Lafayette County. After playing football and receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration at Mississippi College, Lance worked in the insurance industry with other companies before coming to fill his father's shoes with Farm Bureau after he retired in 2006. It was then, in 2006, Lance became the agent in Lafayette County and subsequently became the Agency Manager for Lafayette, Madison, Jefferson and Taylor Counties after Freddy Pitts retired in 2017. From there, Lance has gone on to make an impact across the entire state. Lance, husband to Holly and father to Blake and Amelia Braswell, is now the Agency Manager, overseeing four counties, including Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison and Taylor County. “Having four offices in different locations makes it impossible to be everywhere at once,” said Lance, “However, we have phenomenal agents and an exceptional staff that can handle the day-to-day operations, allowing me to be flexible with my schedule.” With the four offices that he is in charge of, Lance is tasked with recruiting and training new agents and staff for the organization and managing the daily operation of each office. He also explained that he is the mediator between the Farm Bureau Insurance offices and the Farm Bureau Federation boards. “The past year has been tougher than most with all the changes in the Florida insurance market,” stated Lance. “Everyone here has stepped up to the next level to make sure our member clients still receive first-class customer service, no matter how busy we are. Our staff has done an excellent job taking on more responsibility to help the agents and me keep up and stay in front of our members.” Not only did Lance Braswell win the statewide Agency Manager of the Year award, but he also received the District Manager of the Year award. “Winning the Agency Manager of the Year was an incredible honor,” beamed Lance. “It serves as recognition for the hard work, dedication and innovation that the entire team has put into their work throughout the year. The feeling of receiving this prestigious award is an incredible validation of the agency's efforts and a testament to their success in delivering exceptional results for our members. Overall, winning the Agency of the Year award brings a sense of accomplishment, success and excitement for the future.” Speaking of the future, Lance noted his plans for the coming years of Farm Bureau Insurance. “My future plans are to continuously find ways to better serve our members and be a growing resource and benefit to our local communities.” He also wanted to ensure that his team members were recognized in light of his award. “I prefer to call the award the ‘Agency of the Year’ award because, without our team, there would be no award.” Lance's team consists of: Sarah Bengyel and Josh Liebbrand from Jefferson; Amy Croft, Angel Fenneman and Devin Hingson from Lafayette; Lindsey Lawson, Lori Blount, Connie Guccione and Abby Godwin from Madison; Lorie Russell, Tiffany Perry and Ryan Perry from Taylor; along with his family, Holly, Blake and Amelia Braswell.