“We love to know about the good things and help them celebrate.” On the flip side, you can also count on them to be there when things aren’t so great. Brad and his family moved to Paradise in 1991, and both Kelly and her sister, Kim, graduated from Paradise schools before moving on to Chico State. When the Camp Fire swept through the town in 2018, the family home was lost. However, it soon became clear Brad and Kelly were going to be able to fill a vital role for their customers who were also their friends and neighbors. “Normally we have one fire claim every other year, meaning a garage fire or a kitchen fire,” Brad said. “We had 588 claims in just 12 hours that day.” In the weeks and months that followed, Brad and his team worked long hours, doing their best to get their customers’ claims paid. “We worked a lot of weekends,” said Kelly. “It was a crazy time.” Almost four years later, the dust has finally begun to settle. “I actually just had a meeting with a customer who’s finishing up her rebuild from the fire,” Kelly said. “She was just saying how thankful she was that she was with Farmers because a lot of her friends and neighbors had so many complaints about their insurance. She said that Farmers made it so that she got her money and didn’t have to fight for it.”
Brad Jacobson has been a Farmers Insurance agent since 2002 and celebrated his 20th anniversary with the agency in June. His daughter, Kelly Gibbons, recently celebrated her 10th anniversary working alongside her father. “She’s my right hand man,” Brad joked. “Right hand woman,” Kelly corrected him. The father-daughter duo are as playful and fun as they come, and they both enjoy the work they do. Sitting down with a local insurance agent is something that many people don’t do anymore, but it’s a personal relationship that only becomes more important over time. Brad and Kelly understand that better than most. “Insurance is first and foremost 34
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a service industry,” Brad said. “And it’s one that is not just a one-off experience. I could be selling solar, as an example. I could really get to know the customers, go to their house, meet with them, learn about their family, and then help them with their sale. Then we say goodbye, and for the most part, that’s it. With this industry, we still get to go through all of that, but instead, since we’re a service and a policy that they’re going to need forever, we get to take care of them for years to come and really build good strong relationships.” When a wedding takes place, a child is born, or a new home is purchased, your insurance team celebrates along with you. “We genuinely care about the families we serve,” Brad said.
If you’re looking into insurance for business, home, auto, or life, and want that family touch, call Brad and Kelly at (530) 891-7900.
WRITTEN BY MADDIE RODRIGUEZ | PHOTO BY BEAU VANDERMATE
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Brad and Kelly enjoy working together for many reasons, including the fact they both love coffee and sweets, and that’s how they connect when their days get hectic and they need a moment to slow down and recharge. They are also involved with several local service organizations, including Reading Pals. “My dad really values that time spent volunteering,” said Kelly. She also noted that there’s a legacy factor that goes along with working for her dad. “I’m going to be able to take over the agency once my dad decides to retire,” Kelly said. “We have customers that have been with him since the very beginning, and they know that once my dad retires, they’ll still be with an agent that they know and trust. They like to know that we’re going to be around if and when they need us. That’s the whole point of having insurance and a local agent.”
