Q&A with Sara Payne

Sara Payne is Chief Financial Officer and an agent with Edward L. Sanders Insurance Agency, a full-service independent agency in La Plata, MD.

Q. Your agency is approaching its 120th anniversary! Tell us about its history.

A. The agency was opened by my great grandfather, Ed Sanders Sr., in 1903, and the primary focus in the early years was on life insurance. He took on his first fire insurance carrier in 1913, which began the shift from life to property and casualty. Each generation has put its mark on the agency. Ed Jr. finalized the shift from life to property & casualty, and my father (Larry) developed relationships with regional carriers. My brother (Michael) and I are fourth generation and have navigated through the fast-paced changes in technology within the insurance industry.

Fun fact – Ed Sr. started the agency in a building located at 1 Washington Avenue. Almost 120 years later, we’re still on Washington Avenue, just one block away from the original office location.

Q. You and your brother are the fourth generation to work in the agency. Was it always your plan to join the family business? If so, what drew you to the industry? And if not, what changed?

A. If I’m being honest, joining the family business was the furthest thing from my mind! My original plan was to plant roots in North Carolina after graduating from East Carolina University. Just before graduating, I met my (now) husband who was living back at home in Maryland. I came back home and took a job doing commercial lending with a local bank. Not quite a year into that job, my father called me in for a meeting to discuss my grandmother’s retirement from the family insurance business. He asked me to replace her as the bookkeeper for the agency. We agreed that I could leave anytime if insurance wasn’t a fit for me. After careful consideration, I accepted, and here I am 18 years later!

Q. What does your typical workday look like?

A. I could wear a number of hats on any given day. My main focus within the agency is running the day-to-day operations and finances; however, I also manage some commercial lines accounts and am the producer for others. Once I got my feet wet in the business, I decided I wanted to learn how to do each role within the agency, so I’ve spent the last 18 years doing just that.

Q. What’s your favorite part of your job? What’s the most challenging?

A. Insurance is never boring! There is constant change – whether that’s the coverages, carrier computer systems, etc. I like that even after working in the business for almost 20 years, I am still learning.

The most challenging part of an independent agency is the technology. Our staff has to become proficient in all of our carriers’ rating systems and agent sites. It’s like having to learn many different foreign languages because they’re all different!

Q. In any business, even when everyone’s vision is aligned, there are bound to be differences in opinion. What advice can you share on handling conflict when working with family members?

A. This probably goes without saying, but mutual respect for one another is extremely important. If the family members respect each other, then it’s easier to have productive conversations rather than creating conflict. Having multiple generations within the agency is a huge plus. It allows us to discuss where the agency has been, what’s worked, and what may need to change in order to meet our goals.

Q. What’s the best professional advice you’ve received? Who gave it to you?

A. At some point during my first few years working in the agency, my father and agency owner, Larry Sanders, told me “You’re a Sanders. You have to work 10 times harder than everyone else in the office.” It’s true; you can’t ask something of your staff that you’re not willing to do yourself.

He also told me, “If you treat your staff well, they’ll treat the agency well.” This mindset has rewarded us with many long-tenured employees who care immensely about our agency.

Q. Your family is committed to preserving local ownership of the agency. Tell us about that.

A. In Southern Maryland, many of our community businesses are still locally owned. They want to work with professionals who are also locally owned businesses. There’s something to be said for keeping the personal touch with our clients.

Q. What should we know about La Plata, MD?

A. La Plata, MD (located in Charles County) and the surrounding communities are full of history and offer the best of both city and country living. We are just 30 minutes south of Washington, D.C. and within minutes of neighboring St. Mary’s and Calvert Counties, which along with Charles County make up what we call “Southern Maryland.” We have many access points to rivers for boating and crabbing during the summer. And while Charles County has grown, La Plata still has that small town feel.

Q. When you’re not working, where will we find you and what will you be doing?

A. My kids are currently 8 and 11, so more than likely my husband and I are watching one of their sporting events. We’re a very active family, and the kids enjoy baseball, football, softball, and swim team. Other than that, I’m happiest while enjoying the sunshine by a pool or on a boat somewhere!

Sarah Payne and her family live in Southern Maryland, where her family has operated an independent insurance agency for four generations.