SOUTH SOUND SUCCESS STORY: Heidi Duncan of Duncan Insurance

It could be that some superheroes come into being from a toxic spider bite, but other superheroes are just born into their roles as descendants of “do-gooders” before them. That’s the case with Heidi Duncan of Duncan and Associates Insurance Brokers, based in Olympia.

From the time she was young, little Heidi dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps and becoming an insurance agent. When other kids set their sights on becoming a doctor, professional ice skater or architect, Heidi was interested only in insurance.

Her father, Russ Duncan, founded Duncan Insurance 50 years ago. When Heidi was three and a half years old, she started going to work with her dad to give her mom a break with her newborn brother. Her first job was to pick staples out of the carpet, but that soon progressed to more complex tasks. By kindergarten she was using the office typewriter like a pro.

Heidi knows exactly when she knew that she wanted to be an insurance agent. When she was four or five, the phone rang at home in the middle of the night, awakening everyone in the Duncan household. It was a client. His house had just burned down and he was calling his insurance agent for help. Heidi’s father leapt to action.

He let his client know that he was completely taken care of and that he would be there for him every step of the way.

The superhero was revealed. Russ Duncan demonstrated to his daughter how important it is to take care of people in stressful times. It should be no surprise that when Heidi turned 18, she was one of the youngest people in Washington state ever to take and pass the insurance agent licensing exam.

Since then, she has been working diligently to help her clients. “Listening to the needs of my clients and helping them understand all the options available to them is the center of all our work,” notes Heidi. “Our agency may be small, but we have a huge range of expertise and since we operate like a family, we work to provide seamless wraparound insurance coverage.”

Being available to clients for emergencies continues to be a cornerstone of Duncan and Associates Insurance Brokers. “We are like financial first responders,” says Heidi Duncan. “We provide calm and comforting expertise for people who are dealing with major issues. We want to be superheroes.”

vHILLARY RYAN

Duncan Insurrance duncanins.com