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Our Staff
Corporate Officers |
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Thomas C. Via, Jr., CIC, President
Tommy was born and raised in the New River Valley area. He received his BS in Finance from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech in 1979. Immediately following graduation, he began his career working for the agency. He is a graduate of the AETNA Home Office Insurance School and received his Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) designation in 1991. He is a Past President of Blacksburg Country Club, Past President of the Rotary Club of Montgomery County and past board member of the Blacksburg Chamber of Commerce. Currently, he serves as Second Vice Chairman on the Board of the Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia, the Advisory Board of NRV Junior Achievement, and serves as President of the MBC Development Corporation of Montgomery County. |
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Steve Lester, CIC, Vice President
Steve joined the Agency in July 2005. He is a 1981 graduate of George Wythe High School in Wytheville and a 1985 graduate of the University of Richmond with a bachelor's degree in Economics. Steve was a standout defensive tackle for the Spiders. After graduation, he began his career in the insurance industry with USF&G Insurance in Richmond working in the underwriting and marketing departments. He returned to the Wytheville area in 1990 to join Ewald-Lester Insurance, Inc. Thereafter, he served as Senior Vice President for Bankers Insurance, LLC. Some of his civic accomplishments include serving as President of the Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia, President of United Way of Wythe County, President of Wytheville Golf Club, is a Paul Harris Fellow of the Wytheville Rotary Club, and attends Sonny Hills Community Church. He and his wife Lisa reside in Wytheville with their two sons, Drew and Hardy. |
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Christy Brown, Corporate Secretary, Personal and Commercial Lines Sales Agent
Christy, a native of Blacksburg, is a graduate of the Cincinnati Insurance Companies New Producer School and Commercial Lines School and a graduate of Virginia Tech (Animal Science/Crop Soil Environmental Science). She enjoys getting to know her clients and feels this enables her to better protect their interests. Currently she is working towards her Certified Insurance Counselor designation. She is a Paul Harris Fellow, Director and President Nominee of the Rotary Club of Blacksburg, an Affiliate Member of the New River Valley Association of Realtors, and participates on the Advisory Committee of the New River Land Trust. She loves spending time with her family and friends, being outside, horseback riding, hiking, floating down the New River, reading, gardening, VT Basketball, traveling and volunteering/supporting local non-profit organizations. |
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Harriet L. Albert, Treasurer, Senior Customer Service Agent
Harriet is a native of Blacksburg and a 1964 graduate of Blacksburg High School. She has been with the Agency since September, 1966. She is a Senior CSR and has her Personal Auto and Personal Residential Property CISR designations. She is a member of Shiloh Lutheran Church and a member of the Lutheran Church Womens Club on which she serves as Treasurer. She has served the past 6 years on the Shiloh Church Council and on the New River Parish Council. She held the office of Secretary for both councils during part of her terms. She enjoys spending time with her husband Jerry and their two married children, traveling, and loves working with her roses. |
Past Presidents |
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John L. Brown, CPCU, CLU
John began his insurance career in 1965 following a tour of active duty with the US Army. He is a business graduate of Virginia Tech and has the following insurance professional designations: CPCU (Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter) and CLU (Chartered Life Underwriter). John is involved in all types of commercial and personal accounts. His hobbies include basketball, fishing, and traveling. John has served on the United Way board, is a past president of the Blacksburg Rotary Club and the Blacksburg Chamber of Commerce, a graduate of the U. S. Army War College, a retired Colonel in the US Army Reserves, and a member of Northside Presbyterian Church. |
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T. Cooper Via
Cooper received his BS in Business from Virginia Tech in 1958 and is a graduate of the USF&G School of Insurance. Cooper has been active in the insurance industry and has served on the Board of the Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia (IIAV). He will continue to sell new business and assist in servicing accounts as he moves toward retirement. |
Claims |
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Norma L. Hill, Office Manager
Norma has over 55 years of insurance experience and has been active in industry affairs. A native of Blacksburg and 1953 graduate of Blacksburg High School, she was the first woman to serve on the Independent Insurance Agents of Virginia Board. She oversees the processing of applications, policies, changes, claims, accounting and sales, and strives to give each customer the best possible service. Norma is a member of Prices Fork United Methodist Church and Chairman of the Administrative Board and works on numerous committees. |
Sales Agents |
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Don Linkous, Personal and Commercial Lines Sales Agent
Don joined the Agency in 1975 and is a member of the Professional Insurance Agents of Virginia and Independent Insurance Agents of America. An avid sports enthusiast, Don worked as a College Football Official for 19 years and a Virginia High School Football Official for 30 years. He served on the Montgomery County Recreation Commission from 1979 until 2003; the Advisory Committee on Agriculture & Forestal Districts; the St. Michael Lutheran Church Council; and the Montgomery County-Blacksburg Kiwanis Club. He is a past board member of the New River Valley Home Builders Association and served on the Montgomery County Planning Commission (1996-2005). |
Commercial Lines Service |
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Nancy Via Linkous, Customer Service Agent
Nancy was born and raised in the New River Valley area. She graduated from Blacksburg High school in 2001 and then received her BS in Consumer Studies with a concentration in business management from Virginia Tech in 2005. She has grown up in the insurance business and began working at Brown Insurance in 2005. She received her Associate in Insurance Production designation in 2006 and received her Certified Insurance Service Representative designation in 2008. She is an active member and past director of the Blacksburg Breakfast Lions Club. She enjoys helping her helping her husband, Taylor, with his family business, Linkous Auctioneers and has served the Virginia Auctioneers Association Auxiliary in all capacities including serving as President in 2008. She also enjoys spending time with her new daughter, family, friends and dogs, doing outside activities, shopping, and traveling. |
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Robert Simmons, CISR, Customer Service Agent
Rob is one of the Agency's Commercial Customer Service Agents and manages commercial lines processing for the Agency. Formerly of Virginia Beach, he is a graduate of First Colonial High School (Virginia Beach) and attended Tidewater Community College for several years. In August 2000, he earned his Property and Casualty license and began working for Friedman Associates (an independent agency in Tidewater). Rob joined Brown Insurance in August 2002 and is currently pursuing his CIC professional designation. He has served on The Hartford Small Commercial Agency Council, the NRUSA Adult Soccer League for the past several years and is Secretary of the New River Valley Builders Association for 2010. He resides in Blacksburg and spends his free time hiking the Appalachian Trail, watching Hokie Sports and serving as captain of his NRUSA Soccer Team. |
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Robin Hurst, ACSR, Customer Service Agent
Robin joined Brown Insurance in 2007 with over 17 years of experience in the insurance industry. She is a life long resident of Pulaski County and a graduate of Pulaski County High School and New River Community College. Service and customer satisfaction are very important to her and she enjoys working with her clients. Robin received the Accredited Customer Service Representative designation in April 2009 from the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, the outdoors and fishing with her husband Bill. |
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Denise Ewell (DEE) Pierce, CISR, CPSR, Marketing Specialist
Dee moved to Southwest Virginia from Cape Charles at the tip of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. She graduated from Cape Charles High School and attended the Pan American School in Richmond, VA. Dee began her insurance career in 1977 and has worked in several areas within the independent agency system; including personal lines, life & health, accounting, marketing and claims. The past 15 years have been spent in Commercial Insurance. She specializes in finding the right product for the right person based on their needs. Dee’s hobbies are photography, scrapbooking, reading and is a CKC German Shepherd breeder. Dee is Prayer Team coordinator of the Roanoke Valley for Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan Purses’ Shoebox Ministry. She is PPR chair and Parish newsletter reporter for Huffville Methodist Church. She is a member of the American Business Women’s Association. Dee and her husband Graham live in the suburbs of Pilot in Floyd County. |
Personal Lines Service |
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Shirley Randall, CPSR, Customer Service Agent
Shirley has been a resident of the New River Valley for over 40 years. She graduated from Nelson County High School and attended Radford College. She has over thirty-three years of customer service and sales experience.
Service and satisfaction are important to her which as been evident in the attention and dedication she has provided to her clients. She and her husband, Gene, reside in Radford and attend Central United Methodist Church.
She enjoys spending time with her family which includes two granddaughters.
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Candice Tarter, Customer Service Agent
Candice was born and raised in Wytheville and is a 2002 graduate of George Wythe High School. She began her insurance career in 2006 when she earned her Virginia Property and Casualty license. In 2007 she continued her education at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. After obtaining a BSBA in Real Estate Finance and Management in 2009, she moved back home to Wytheville and where she has resumed her insurance career. Candice loves spending time with family and friends, animals (especially her dog Cole), horseback riding, skiing and many other outdoor activities. |
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Carisa Ward, CISR, Customer Service Agent
Carisa recently moved to Blacksburg from her native home state of Florida. She brings 13 years of Personal, Commercial and Benefits insurance experience to the agency. Carisa has been licensed since 1997 and obtained her Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) designation in 2004. She enjoys spending time with her fiancée, traveling, running marathons and playing kickball. Carisa is actively involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training and also The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. |
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Windle Watkins, Customer Service Agent
Windle has lived in the Blacksburg area since 1979 and joined the agency in December 2008. He is a 1983 and 1985 graduate of Virginia Tech, receiving his B.S. in Marketing Management in 1983 and his M.B.A. with a concentration in Marketing in 1985. After graduation, Windle began his insurance career with State Farm Insurance, developing extensive experience while working in the Blacksburg and Roanoke auto claims service centers. His hobbies include softball, bowling, traveling, fishing, basketball and watching/attending Virginia Tech sporting events. He is a member of the Virginia Tech Hokie Club and the Blacksburg Sports Club. |
Receptionist |
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Marcie Bishop
Marcie, a native of the New River Valley, joined Brown Insurance in April 2007. She has over 27 years of local customer service experience. Marcie resides with her husband, Leonard, in the beautiful Mount Tabor area of Blacksburg. She enjoys spending time with her three children, three grandchildren and her two dogs, Lady and Koda. She and her husband attend God's House where she enjoys singing with her church Praise Team and fellowship with family and friends.
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Health, Life and Benefit Specialists |
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Brian Allen—Long Term Care and Medicare Supplement Insurance
Brian is a transplant from England, coming to the US in 1979. He has worked in this area since 1989 and became a US citizen in 1993. He has over 20 years experience with the 'over 50's' and earned the designation CSA (Certified Senior Advisor) to show his commitment to this market. Brian lives in Roanoke with his wife Margaret and 17 year old son, Brian. He enjoys biking and gardening as well as singing bass in two church choirs.
He serves as Treasurer for the Blacksburg Chapter of AARP and is on the board of St Francis House Food Pantry in Roanoke. |
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Kent Dodge
Kent brings 25 years of insurance experience to clients seeking life, health, dental, disability and other benefit coverage. He graduated from Randolph Macon College in 1983 Cum Laude and has resided in the New River valley since 1989. Kent is married to Jane and has sons Stephen and Daniel, daughter Mary Katherine. He enjoys discipling college students as a volunteer campus director at Virginia Tech with Christian group "The Navigators". In his leisure time he enjoys sports, especially playing hockey, the Maine coast, scuba diving, and Hokie football. |
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Leah Paulette
Leah was born and raised in Blacksburg, Virginia. She comes from a family of five Hokies and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2008 with a BA in Mass Communication and a Marketing Minor. She joined the staff as Kent’s assistant in January 2009 became licensed to sell Life and Health insurance in March. She is excited to be working here helping customers with their insurance needs. She and her husband, Drew, now live in Radford. They attend Blacksburg Christian Fellowship and enjoy hiking, camping, biking, and photography. |
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Jeet Heda
Jeet has been working in the insurance industry since 2002 and helping clients with health, life, dental, disability, international medical insurance coverage in addition to property and casualty coverages. Jeet has expanded his area of expertise and is an independent registered investment advisor with Avellar, Stone, Houston and Associates - and independent investment advisory firm. He helps clients with investments and investment advice, ranging from personal retirement needs to business retirement plans.He is a 2001 graduate of Virginia Tech - and has called Blacksburg his home for over 10 years. He and his wife Katie live in Christiansburg. They are involved in their church, Blacksburg Christian Fellowship, and enjoy sports and playing basketball. |
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