Chair Spotlight: What do you say Ray?

What do you say RAY By Nikki Robins

It’s 11 am on a rainy Friday morning and Ray Robertson is making his usual rounds - from his driver’s seat. He gives me anecdotes about our surrounding while we drive. “We’re in the middle of Stepstone and Howard’s Mill. Two of the big cities,” he says, as we make our way down a winding road. “This house is supposedly haunted,” he comments as we pass by a seemingly abandoned house.

Our first stop is at the scene of a house fire where Slate Creek Contracting, a longtime partner of the agency, is working on restoration. As we pull into the driveway, we get a phone call from First Christian Church. It’s a recording that announces the death of a parishioner. “I already knew about that,” Ray reports. I start to notice this pattern in our day together. Saying that Ray has his finger on the pulse of his community is an understatement.

We enter the home to find a full crew working. Ray greets each by name, and Brent Pergrem gives us a tour of the damage. This fire started in the kitchen, and proceeded to gut the home.

Brent and Ray then tell me several stories involving past jobs - everything from a home converted from a barn that filled with water to the hometown barber and what families are responsible for all the brickwork in town.

And all this from a non-native. Ray is actually from a small town about 17 miles away, called Bethel. This news comes as a shock to me, as he seems to know everything about everyone in Mt Sterling.

Our next client meeting is a little delayed, and its getting close to lunchtime, so we head to The Corner Store. When I ask if he goes there every day, he informs me that he’s already been in this morning, so I take that as a yes.

But, before we make it there, Ray takes another phone call about an issue with a backyard building delivery, another Ray’s small business ventures. Putting out fires is something that comes naturally to Ray. He consoles the man on the other end, comes up with a game plan, and we’re off to lunch.

more than he eats at home. “Except for Tuesday. That’s meatloaf day,” he says with disgust. Since we have our choice between two different booths, I am informed that this is a slow day. “Most of the time you sit with whoever has a seat open,” Ray informs me.

As we eat, a majority of our fellow patrons speak to us. It’s the interactions that you can only get in a small town - and that seems to be just how Ray likes it. “How can you not know everybody? That’s just how you live.”

We finish our meal and we’re off to our next appointment at Mike Murphy’s tobacco farm. This will be a bit of a drive from our current location, so I take this time to ask Ray a few questions.

What made you pick insurance? I didn’t, it picked me! I was umpiring little league baseball one summer and someone told me that if I wanted a part-time job while at UK, there was a guy from back home that would hire me. I stayed there all 4 years I was in school and then 6 years after that. I wound up being a field rep on the company side. I had an opportunity to become a part of the agency in Mt. Sterling in 1996. Before the birth of our second child, Laken, in 2000 we officially moved back to Mt. Sterling and have been here every since. I like being an insurance agent. I can’t stand the thought of being behind a desk. This is a typical day.

What do you find most fulfilling about being an insurance agent? Being able to help someone when they’ve had a claim. I know this can’t always be the case, but if I know about a fire, for example, I like to be there before the fire department has left the scene. That helps you get a better understanding of what happened, and get an adjuster on the case as fast as possible. I don’t really consider that going the extra mile. Because the people that I deal with as a customer, I expect them to do the same for me so that’s just how I do things. I can’t imagine doing what I do in a big city where I don’t know EVERYbody. I like the small town aspect and being able to be in touch with people. I never turn my cell phone off. I got a phone call on New Year’s Eve around 7 pm. And sometimes you can’t help at that time, but its important to me to be accessible.

Do you think you would still get that same level of involvement if you were a captive agent? I don’t think so. I can’t imagine not being independent. Tell me about your agency. Well, we have a little bit of an identity crisis - depending on which location you’re in, our customers could know us as Limestone, Hoffman-Robertson or Woodford-HillThompson. Limestone is the corporate brand and was started in 1847 by Miller’s great-great grandfather, who’s picture is on the wall at our agency. We actually have a check that my great grandfather wrote to the agency in 1927. (top, right) I have been here 23 years and we have had an agency in Paris since 2005.

How has your agency responded to the ever-changing needs of your customers and the industry? You meet your customers where they’re at. We have some that we email frequently and others that prefer the “old” way of doing things. And while we have a lot of technology at our disposal - from docusign to a website and social media - I insure in a very “old-school” manner. I will not insure anything that I haven’t physically seen. I deal with everything from tobacco barns and outdoor sheds to homes worth millions. I am adaptable, but I am also a very visual person and seeing helps me wrap my head around the needs of a current or prospective client.

As an agent, what keeps you up at night? Various day-to-day tasks that might not have been taken care of that day. I don’t worry too much about people buying direct on the internet. Those people aren’t usually our customers. I know that future generations are going to use that more, but I am confident that we are doing the right things for our clients. But honestly not a lot keeps me up at night. I’m a sound sleeper.

Are you involved in any activities in your community? I have been on the Planning & Zoning Committee since 2001 and Chairman since 2003. I’m on the Regional Board of Traditional Bank, Chairman of the Board for Longview Cemetery in Bethel and have been Chairman of the Board for Mt. Sterling Main Street for 21 years.

What are the lessons from your personal life that you’ve incorporated into your career? You’ve got to believe in you. If I’ve done anything over the years, whether it be with coaching baseball or with my own children - it’s that you have to believe in what you’ve got. You have to believe in your own talents. That’s not to say that everything is always going to work out. We certainly didn’t win every game. But you have to believe that you did all you could do.

My mother taught me to stand up for what I believe in, to defend the people that need you and to stand beside those who stand beside you. I have some of the greatest friends in the world that have rallied around me in my time of need and I would do the same for them.

How will the “you’ve got to believe” mentality feed into your time as Chair? It drives me crazy that some members aren’t involved or do the bare minimum and think they’ve gone overboard. This is our livelihood. When the teachers were threatened with retirement issues, there were sick outs and going to Frankfort. The whole Capitol grounds were covered with teachers. I feel sometimes that insurance agents get complacent and just assume everything is going to work out. The Big “I” Government Affairs team is the reason why all of us are included in the tax cut for pass through income. I think most people didn’t know anything beyond their taxes being lower - instead of their national association fighting for us. I want everyone to become more involved. I’ve committed to go to every Road Show because I think its important for people to see someone who’s involved in leadership.

Tell me about your family. Stephanie and I have been married since 1994. She’s tolerant and she’s an awesome mother. We have a daughter, Ashlyn Ray, who will be 22 in February and a son, Laken Scott, who will be 20 in March. They both attend the University of Kentucky. Ash will graduate in May and is currently interviewing at physical therapy schools. Laken is a sophomore studying Integrated Strategic Communications.

How do you strike a balance between work and family? Well, it helps that I have a great wife. She understands how I do business. She knows that people are going to walk up to our table at resaturants or local games. She knows the phone is going to ring...

As if on cue, Ray’s phone rings. He empathizes with a client concerning a bond problem and receives a phone call from Mike at our next location. Mike’s tobacco bailer is broken down and his grandson has to get a part. Ray assures him that’s not a problem, and that we only need pictures for this very article.

What would you be doing if you weren’t in insurance? You know, I don’t know. I always wanted to be President of the United States when I was growing up. That’s what I was for Career Day. I never set out to be in insurance, but it definitely matches up to what I like to do. I don’t feel like I have a job - I just like helping people. I can’t imagine doing anything else.

What advice would you give your 25-year old self? Slow down every now and then. How has your membership affected your life both personally and professionally? I have gotten to do a lot of things and go a lot of places that I wouldn’t I have gotten to do otherwise. But the biggest takeaway for me are the connections. It really helps when you can identify with people who have the same problems you do. I have made friends through this association that I know I can trust and will be there for me and would probably even drive across the country if I asked them to.

We arrive at Mike’s farm. “You know, I have some clients that call me for small things. And, like I said, I always answer because that’s what I’m there for. But when Mike’s house burned to the ground on a Saturday night, I didn’t find out about it until Sunday morning because he said it was the weekend and he didn’t want to bother us.” This anecdote, accompanied with the call from earlier give me a sense of the man who greets us in the tobacco farm. When I ask him about the fire, he tells me, “well, what’s done is done, so I figured it could wait until Monday.” After a few more stories and a firm handshake, we’re back on the road toward the office.

If you had to pick your favorite Big I Kentucky benefit, what would it be? Legislative Advocacy - I wouldn’t have said that a year ago, but after being in Washington, DC and seeing it up close, that rose to the top for me.

What are your goals for your time as BIG I KY chair? Is live through it an answer? Ha! But honestly, not that I’m wishing for a big issue, I just want to see members get more involved and realize the importance of legislative advocacy.

Do you have any words you’d like to share with the membership? Get involved. To find out what’s going on, you’ve got to come to a meeting. Find out what’s REALLY going on, don’t just rely on what you hear.

Thank You 2020 Industry Partners (as of 01/21/20)

Kentucky Growers Insurance Co., Inc. State Auto Insurance Company

Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield EMC Insurance Companies Encova FCCI Insurance Group Frankenmuth Insurance Grange Insurance Company ICW Group Insurance Companies J.M. Wilson Market Finders Insurance Prime Insurance Companies SwissRe Corporate Solutions United Home Insurance Company

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