Jim Murphy, of Murphy Family Insurance, says his business is all about helping others in time of need.

“You buy insurance for the one bad day. Insurance is all about protecting your family’s financial future. One bad can be devastating, not only emotionally but financially as well. That’s where we come in and help people pick up the pieces,” Murphy said.

“Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t like insurance. They really don’t like paying for it. You’re really paying for a promise. You can’t touch it, feel it, taste it, or play with it. You don’t get any of that from an insurance policy. But what you do get is a promise to pay a claim when that one bad day occurs,” Murphy continued.

“I compare it to the old days. Three farmers each have a cow. This guy named Henry Ford invents a car and the next thing you know this car hits one of these cows. After about five months of this, we’re all losing cows. We decide to go on putting $5 into a pot or a kitty and next time a cow gets hit one of us takes that $15 and goes and buys another cow. Fortunately, we all put $5 back in, but the next time it’s your cow that gets hit. Well, we all put $5 back in again, and then it’s my cow. So we all share the risk.”

For more than 80 years, American Family says its mission is to “make it our business to give our customers peace of mind by making their insurance experience easy and convenient. American Family Insurance understands you are looking for a relationship with a stable and trustworthy company.

“You want an expert, caring advisor who works toward making your insurance experience easy and convenient. An advisor who ensures there are no unwelcome surprises and peace of mind, especially in your time of need. Our knowledgeable agent advisors provide auto, home, life, health, business, and farm and ranch insurance.”

Murphy, who has been an agent 14 years, said,  “American Family is a mutual company that started originally catering to farmers back in the day and it has grown to a multi-state company. For us not being in half the states, we’re in the top ten as far as property and casual insurance.

“We’re a multi-line company, so we offer automobile, homeowners, commercial insurance, life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, we can do 401(K) rollovers, and we also have a brokerage department where I can go out and find other markets for things that don’t qualify for American Family or they are a better fit for another company,” Murphy said.

American Family also offers renters insurance and farm/ranch insurance. If there is any type of insurance you cannot find, Murphy says he can track it down. The company, founded in 1927, also has a 24-hour claims reporting and customer service line.

“I’m not an independent, I’m a captive agent, so I always sell for American Family, but we do have alliances with other companies that allow me to help other people to obtain insurance when they had trouble finding it,” Murphy continued. “We try to be fair, friendly, and give customers the service and a good value for the products they purchase.”

A Toledo native, he graduated from the University of Tennessee and worked in the transportation industry before becoming an insurance agent in 1997. They have four children, including one who attends the University of Toledo and the other three attend Oregon schools.

“It gives me an opportunity to provide flexibility, to help people, and to make a better living for my family,” Murphy said. “My wife Sherry, not only is she my wife, she is my full time office manager. It’s a family-run business and we are local.

“No. 1, I’m community involved. I help coached soccer and baseball and flag football at the Oregon rec and I’m currently involved with the Oregon Crew helping coach two of their teams.

“No. 2, for the value, we’re a full service agency. I give clients my cell phone number so I’m available weekends, after hours, and I encourage them to call me when they have a problem. At Friday after 6, I’m not done working. So if somebody has an emergency or a question, they can call me. I’ve been a JD Power extinguished agent award winner since 2005, so I’ve won six years in a row for customer service.”

Murphy Insurance Agency is located at 3246 Navarre Avenue between South Coy Road and Harbor Drive. Murphy can be reached at 419-698-1184.

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