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By Karl Gommel
karl@rushing-media.com
Stephanie Hebert can finally take some time to relax.
After more than a decade of long days and seemingly endless nights at her insurance agency, she is able to have some time to herself. She has a capable and experienced team around her that does a lot of the heavy lifting.
Hebert has been in the insurance business for almost 30 years, something she only got into by chance. After a divorce left her a single mom, Hebert needed a way to make ends meet, and she followed her father Stephen’s suggestion to sell insurance. After five years in the business, she branched out on her own and opened up the Stephanie Hebert Insurance Agency in December 1994.
With a new company and only one employee, Hebert suddenly had an empty client list she had to start building up. According to her, in those early days the key to a growing business was constant calling and being involved in the community. She joined the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce to meet business leaders and other clubs to make herself even more familiar with local faces she already knew well.
“I joined the chamber, I joined all these organizations, Kiwanis, I got involved,” Hebert said. “And I was fortunate that I knew a lot of people, too. That helps. I wasn’t a stranger coming from out of town.”
In 1999, Hebert purchased a retiring insurance agent’s business, which increased her company fivefold. Hebert said the purchase made her feel like she was starting all over again, as she now had a lot of debt to pay off. Hebert was once again working late into nights to satisfy her new customers and continue to grow her business. Hebert said five years after that acquisition, her company had doubled in size again.
Today, Hebert has eight full-time employees and one part-time worker. Her agency sells a variety of insurances from home to auto to boat to life and can also provide financial services for customers. Hebert said she has a specialized team that handles most of the day-to-day and policy work for customers while she overlooks the bigger picture, something she describes as “working on the business, not in it.” Hebert credits her experienced team, featuring employees like office manager Brandi Verret (16 years with Hebert) and customer service representative Mitzi Nelson (17 years), with her company’s ability to stay successful.
“I think the key is the people that you surround yourself with. I couldn’t do this without them. There’s no way,” Hebert said.
Though insurance is always a necessity and Hebert’s company is not directly tied to production in the Gulf of Mexico, she said the local economic downturn has taken its toll on her business as well. According to Hebert, more locals are shopping around for any discount they can get in these lean times, something she understands. However, Hebert said she has seen a tick upward in 2017.
“It’s turning, and I think it’s getting a little better than it was the past year or two. We’re having a nice year, so that’s a good thing,” Hebert said.
While the insurance industry has changed considerably, as the rest of the economy has, with new technology since 1994, Hebert’s company has stayed true to some of its early drivers of success. She still actively pushes community engagement on a number of fronts. She is involved in local groups like the chamber and the South Central Industrial Association. Hebert said when she is unable to go, an employee will step in to make sure the agency keeps its finger on the business community’s pulse. The agency also raises money for a local charitable cause every three months.
“I believe that I take from the community, so I need to give. When you get so much from the community, you need to give back,” Hebert said.
Hebert said she did not know what she expected when she first starting selling insurance. However, the profession has captured her, and the enjoyment it brings is what has helped keep her business tenured on Houma’s east side for so long.
“If you don’t like what you do, it’s not going to work,” Hebert said. “I love my customers, I love the people that work for me and work with me. Our team, it’s a good team – it’s one of the best teams I’ve had.” •
