Sat, Jul 05 2008
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Published April 22, 2008 11:37 am - It was the tearful eyes of his youngest son that told Kyle Hickam that coming back to the Joplin area after more than 20 years away was the right thing. Move to Joplin puts insurance agent on path to small-business success Editor’s note: This is part of a series on the 2008 BKD Small Business of the Year finalists. Winners will be named during the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce annual banquet Thursday at the John Q. Hammons Convention and Trade Center.
By Melissa Dunson mdunson@joplinglobe.com It was the tearful eyes of his youngest son that told Kyle Hickam that coming back to the Joplin area after more than 20 years away was the right thing. After years as a private investigator and a State Farm Insurance claims adjuster all over the United States, Hickam said, his family was tired of starting life over in a new city every few years. “My son just looked at me and said, ‘Dad, when are you going to stop doing this?’” Hickam said. “I told him it was the last time. This is the best move I’ve ever made.” Hickam took over agent Glen Wheeler’s Joplin territory after Wheeler retired a little more than six years ago, and he said he has never looked back. His office at 2606 E. 32nd St. now has five licensed employees, one each to sell fire, auto, life and health insurance, and one to handle financial services. His business has grown every year he has been an agent in Joplin, and he said his business is 25 percent to 30 percent larger now that it was when he started. But it’s his philosophy on how to sell insurance and run his company that drew the attention of at least one client who nominated him for the BKD Small Business of the Year Award, as well as the committee that named him a finalist for it. “I take a different approach — we’re not pushy,” Hickam said. “I don’t like pushy salespeople. People need to buy insurance because they need it.” Hickam said his office educates people on the coverage they already have and uncovers areas where coverage is needed. In the end, he said, the decision is up to the clients, who have to believe in what they are buying. That open and relaxed relationship is eventually the most important thing to his customers, Hickam said, because all clients walk out of his office with a promise that when something goes wrong, Hickam and his staff will be there. “I got a call last Thanksgiving at 10 p.m., and it was a client whose house had burned down,” Hickam said. “I drove over there and brought him a check. At least he knew he had somebody to call.” In the end, Hickam said, he’s really selling his office and his staff’s compassion. He is there when his clients are going through their worst moments, and he said he wouldn’t give up that feeling for the excitement of his former jobs. 
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