Through Service Comes Success

WRITTEN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ALLSTATE STEPHANIE HEBERT

With a big smile and in true Southern fashion, Stephanie Hebert welcomes you into her Allstate agency. Her eight agents fill the glass-walled office, each busily answering phones, and eager to assist their clients. Together they boast over 104 years of combined insurance experience. Customer service is the main goal of this team and they have high expectations of themselves.

“I believe in surrounding yourself with the best people possible,” says Stephanie. “We have a great team in place. I have a claims person; I have a service person; I have a person that reviews policies. It’s a very specialized way of working but it’s what makes us great. Our service is what makes us stand out. I pride myself on service. When you service people, it raises you above. Our team is excellent.”

Stephanie Hebert has been in business for nearly 24 years. She began her business from scratch, with just herself and a secretary. From day one, she began by picking up the phone and making calls.

“I was working for a commercial insurance agency and I had insured an Allstate agent,” Stephanie recalls. “I was going over his information, and he looked at me and said ‘Do you want to be an Allstate agent?’ And I thought, I don’t know… but he picked up the phone, got me an interview and 10 months later I was an Allstate agent.”

After five years, Stephanie purchased another Allstate agency and quickly doubled her business. Over the years she has continued to work hard and grow the business she began. 

“I was fortunate when I began that I knew a lot of people in the community,” says Stephanie. “I believe in giving back to the people who give to you. I believe in that wholeheartedly. Now I’m trying to get my staff involved in doing more community service.”

The walls of Stephanie’s office are adorned with awards and the shelves filled with trophies. One of her favorite awards is the Ray Lynch Community Service Award. Allstate awards it to agents for outstanding community service. Allstate selects 12 agents a year, who are nominated, one from each region. Stephanie received the award in 2006, from the Southern region, which is made up of five states.

Stephanie remains involved in our community, as a graduate of Leadership Terrebonne and continuing to serve on the board, and as member of the Women’s Business Alliance, SCIA and the Kiwanis Club of Houma. She was the Chairman elect for the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce in 2015 and continues to play a large role in the Chamber. She has also been actively involved with our troops, by forming a program known as Charlie Phone Home. This program raised money to purchase calling cards that allowed troops to call their loved ones. She developed an endowed scholarship “The Stephanie Hebert Center for the Study of Dyslexia Endowed Scholarship” which provides financial assistance to a deserving full-time student enrolled at Nichols State University who has been diagnosed with dyslexia.

Being a woman in business is important to Stephanie. She was faced with being able to provide for and raise her two sons and knew she had to be successful.

“I grew up with my father being in business and there was no question in his mind I was going to be in business,” says Stephanie. “In the beginning it was hard. Twenty-four years ago, it was different. They didn’t think I was going to succeed because I am a woman. Well, I’m still here 24 years later.”

To other women who are thinking of striking out on their own and becoming businesswomen, Stephanie says do it.

“My one bit of advice is make sure you like what you do. I don’t think I could be here 24 years if I didn’t like what I do. I like helping people. Not only in the community, but I like helping people with their needs. Everyone needs insurance. And they need someone that can explain it to them. I thoroughly enjoy helping people through my work and career.” •