In our ongoing Meet the Team feature, we put a name and a face on the amazing members of our team. Today we would like to introduce Silveus Insurance Group (Silveus) Agent Kari Heiss.
Where is your hometown and did you grow up around farming?
I grew up in O’Neill, Nebraska, which is mainly an agricultural community. My entire family has been in farming for many years. My grandparents were farmers/ranchers raising mostly corn, soybeans, and livestock. My mother is the president of a local bank that does a fair share of ag lending and my father has sold John Deere equipment for over 30 years. Tate, my husband, comes from an agricultural background as well. He is a grain merchandiser for a local elevator and farms with his dad and brother, raising primarily corn and soybeans.
What are your clients asking you about today?
I have been working with several ranchers lately who are asking about Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Insurance (PRF) coverage. I found a new passion for PRF and I want more ranchers to know about them. I’ve seen some very positive impact to operations I insure already this year. PRF Insurance insures against one peril, precipitation. There are many ways to design clients’ policies and being the analytical person that I am, I love walking through different scenarios with Silveus’ software, RangeCalc. I am able to see how this product would have performed all the way back to 1949 based off of the coverage levels chosen and how the policy is designed. Each policy I write is unique to the client. We look at the location of their ground, historical data, and more to design a policy that best fits their operation. I’m excited to continue to help educate farmers and ranchers on how this product can potentially play a role in their operations.
What is your approach to customer service?
I want to earn my clients’ trust and to achieve this I ensure that they know they matter. Striving to do what is in the best interest of my clients is how I live up to the mission statement of Silveus that reads, “At Silveus Insurance Group, we serve others by creating exceptional value through risk management solutions, because people matter.”
How long have you been working at Silveus and what do you like best about your job?
I started with Silveus about two years ago. Prior to that, I was a financial representative for a well-known financial firm for six years where I held my Life, Health, Annuities licenses and also my Variable Contracts license, having taken the Series 6 and 63. During that time, about 80 percent of my clients were either AG producers themselves or AG-based businesses.
When the opportunity with Silveus came along, it was definitely a no-brainer because I knew it was a great company to be a part of. I get to work with a great community of people every day and help them make the most important decisions for their operations every year. Without a doubt, the best part about the job is working with the farmers and ranchers in the community.
What are you most excited about?
I am excited to be here and to be working for such a wonderful company. I truly believe that PRF Insurance can be very valuable to my clients and I enjoy educating them about the product. With the role that Silveus played in bringing this product to the market and the resources I have at my fingertips, which includes our amazing software and our knowledgeable agents, I believe I can bring a positive impact to many ranchers. I enjoy helping my clients make the best educated decision on what is most suitable for their operation, not just for PRF Insurance, but for other products and services as well.
What is one fun fact about yourself your co-workers don’t know
I love watersports and slalom snow skiing (a water sport that involves just one ski). My family owned a cabin growing up and we spent almost every summer weekend there. We still go up in the summers, and as my children get older, I hope to get back there quite a bit more. Something about being in a cabin surrounded by the river is so peaceful.