Sharon Lynch spent 12 years in the furniture industry, helping people decorate their homes. Wanting more flexibility to be at home with school-age children, she looked around for a career change. She knew insurance was something everyone needed and would always need, so she charted her course along the path of auto, home, and health insurance, along with financial services-32 years ago with State Farm. Sharon and State Farm are a perfect match. "I have no intentions of slowing down," she says. "I like to work and don't ever plan to retire because I like what I do."

On June 1st, Sharon opened her third Sharon Lynch State Farm office. This one is in Chesapeake, where she and three experienced licensed agents are ready to help people with their needs. Additional offices and agents are located in the Landstown area of Virginia Beach and Harbour View in Suffolk.

Sharon prides herself on having a team of 20 employees who go out of their way to provide exceptional customer service. Continuous training and awards like the President's Club and Chairmen's Circle put her agency in the top tier of State Farm offices nationwide.  

"We like to educate our clients about what they need in the way of insurance and financial services," Sharon says. "It's what sets us apart. When I ask clients what kind of liability limits they have, they rarely know. The general public is under-insured, and I find lack of education is the biggest reason why."

Continuous training in the insurance industry keeps Sharon and her staff on top of new products and information, but she believes her lifelong experiences as a businesswoman, wife, mother, and grandmother also make her aware of what could happen in life if a client is not properly insured or financially stable.

"We will talk to our clients about anything they'd like to know about, such as long-term care, wills, and trusts and liability issues," Sharon points out. "For instance, what could happen with their assets if they are in a car accident. We try to help people understand and be proactive."

Sharon knows first-hand how an accident can impact a family's future. When her now-grown daughter was 19, she was in an accident that was not her fault. A motorcycle traveling behind a full-size truck came out of nowhere while she was making a turn.  

"She called me and thought she had killed the motorcyclist," Sharon recalls. "He lived, and it cost him his military career. He sued for $2 million, but we had the protection because she lived with us, so our policy covered her as well. I can't imagine what her life would have been if we had not had that policy."

That same daughter, Gina Lynch, is now a State Farm agent in Virginia Beach. "She's a go-getter," Sharon smiles. "She does very well, and there's enough business for both of us."

Another family crisis proved how precious home insurance can be when least expected. When a line of tornadoes ravaged Suffolk in 2008, local media coverage featured images of a cul-de-sac of tattered and torn homes. One of those homes belonged to Sharon's son, Keith.  

"We were out of town, and the phone rang," she remembers. "His first question was, 'Do I have enough coverage?'  We reassured him he would be fine. Thankfully, no one was at home when the tornado hit, so no one was hurt. You can rebuild a house or replace a sofa, but you can't replace a life. Not everyone in that cul-de-sac had enough coverage. The tornado took the two-story house down to the crawl space. Everything was gone. We rented him a house, and State Farm paid the rent. That sofa we gave him, he got to choose a new one. But, at the time of the loss, what you worry about is, "Do I have enough coverage?'"

At the beginning of Sharon's State Farm career, most of the business came through her own hard work. Now, she has a team of independent, competent agents. Additionally, several team members speak Tagalog, and one speaks Spanish. Some specialize in property and casualty, some in financial services, while others are geared toward commercial business insurance. In addition to home/condo and auto/boat insurance, the product list is long and comprehensive. It includes long-term care, wills and trusts, liability issues, umbrella policies, annuities, supplemental health insurance, and even pet insurance.