Published: July 30, 2008 11:57 am      

Local Geico office still standing strong

Thirty-three years in the insurance business has had an effect on Jim Whitten. So much so that he thinks of ways to ensure safety even in little things at the office.

For instance, because the back door to the insurance agency faces the west, it stays sun-scorched and hot all day. So hot, Whitten said, it could burn somebody who touched it. To counteract the problem, Whitten covered the inside of the door with Styrofoam.

Maybe this is a thought process he learned after being in the business. Maybe he already had this characteristic when his friend encouraged him to get into the insurance business in the early 1970s.

Soon after, Whitten began as a private insurance consultant in Oklahoma City. After 18 years, he opened the first and only Geico office in the Oklahoma metro area in Midwest City. On Aug. 1, Whitten will celebrate 15 years with Geico.

Whitten said what he now enjoys most about his job is the opportunity he has to teach new insurance agents about the business.

“I just like the challenge of training the young people out here, giving them the chance to learn, and providing service to the public,” he said.

The advice he gives the rookies is to learn all they can. He noted that the insurance business is ever-changing. A major change, such as a natural disaster, in any part of the world can affect how a local office does business. The office receives daily updates from Geico.

“That’s probably what influences the industry more than anything…natural disasters,” Whitten stated. He mentioned that in Oklahoma, hail plays the biggest role in changing up the policies.

Whitten prides himself on creating an office that is really out to serve its constituents.

“Our primary focus is being a local office,” he said. After 27 years in the Navy, and now, as a retired seaman, Whitten feels strongly about working with the men and women of Tinker Air Force Base to keep them insured.

“We’re certainly here to service the military and the service workers,” he pointed out.

When out of the office, Whitten enjoys the chance to grab his golf bag and hit the greens. He described himself as an “avid, avid golfer.”

Whitten said he plans to continue in the business for a few years. One thing he appreciates about the insurance job market is that it is always a needed service.

“This office will be here for many years,” said Whitten.