Success through sincerity

Agency manager Amanda Compton named 2022 Ralph Stokes Honoree

BY NICOLE ZEMA

When the bottom fell out of the mortgage industry in 2008, lending agent Amanda Compton found herself out of a job.

The loss was devastating, she recalled. Her young family of four was down to one income as the entire country grappled with economic uncertainty. Though Compton assumed mortgage lending was her forever-career, she looked for other opportunities.

With limited insurance knowledge, she was hired as an Appomattox County Farm Bureau insurance agent in 2009. Fourteen years later, Compton is an agency manager in Bedford County.

In hindsight, she knows the after-hours demands of the mortgage job would have negatively impacted family life.

“I wouldn’t have been the mother or wife I needed to be if I was out late working all the time,” she said.

Compton is reflecting on her journey after being named the 2022 Ralph Stokes Honoree in March.

Named for the late Smyth County Farm Bureau insurance agent Ralph Stokes, the annual award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated the highest level of service and integrity over their career, said Ray Leonard, vice president of sales for Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co.

Compton’s agency also was named Platinum Agency of the Year, and she was recognized as Platinum Agency Manager.

“We’d like to think to succeed at her level, you have to work a 90-hour week, but I promise she does not,” Leonard said. “She works hard at work, and is as dedicated to her family as anyone can be.”

Hometown girl serves her neighbors

While many agents are known for their extroverted personalities, Compton is generally reserved.

“God showed me a long time ago— sincerity can outweigh talent or favorable personality traits,” she said. “Clients can feel your sincerity and want to work with someone who they believe has their best interest at heart.”

Compton was born and raised in Campbell County. She went on to earn a degree in media and advertising from Radford University.

Now working from the Bedford Farm Bureau office in Forest, Compton serves customers 15 minutes from where she grew up.

“It’s rare to have a job where you get paid to help others protect themselves and their families,” she said. “You can’t ask for much better for a career.”

Leonard said Compton is a go-to resource for new agents. With a teamfirst approach, activity is essential, she said, and it shouldn’t demand hours of

personal time.

“Honesty and ethical work habits are key,” she advises. “There are highs and lows in this job for everyone regardless of how successful you are. Just keep moving forward, and don’t start making excuses. Stay away from negativity.”

‘God has brought me favor’

Compton said she feels somewhat undeserving of all the accolades, and it’s God who brought her favor among clients.

“I’m on a daily mission to treat everyone I encounter in the way that Jesus treated people,” she said. “I fail miserably, but I try. All the glory goes to God.”

She added that her success is shared with an especially stellar office staff.

“For several years now, I have had two teammates who are the backbone of the office,” she said. “My success would be short-lived without senior member service specialists Jennifer Tuck and Erin Stephens doing what they do each day!”

Compton and her husband, Bear, and their daughters, Addison and Ava, attend Living Word Baptist Church in Forest. They spend time at the softball field and volleyball court and enjoy recreational fun at home. Compton is a self-published author of the book Finding God Amongst the Weeds, available on Amazon.