Taking care of 'good neighbors'

Lance Wood said his aim is to live up to State Farm Insurance's slogan as he settles in as Fostoria's agent at 200 S. Main St. Wood celebrated a Fostoria Area Chamber of Commerce grand opening with a ribbon cutting Monday in the office with a number of guests present. Wood himself will be splitting time between his offices in Fostoria and Bowling Green. He's been established in Bowling Green for nearly nine years, following in the footsteps of his father, who has been a State Farm agent in northwest Ohio for 37 years. "Like A Good Neighbor, State Farm is there," proclaims the numerous television commercials featuring the fictional Jake from State Farm, as well as actual NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes. And that's the way Wood plans to operate in Fostoria, as the office expands its functions to include sales after having most recently been a service agency here. "It's a community that we'd love to be a part of," Wood said as guests gathered for the occasion and indulged in provided food. "We've been in Bowling Green for almost nine years. I thought I'd branch out and take care of more people. "We love being a part of a community. We've donated a lot of money in Bowling Green. We want to do the same here in Fostoria. It's an opportunity for us to branch out. We have our goals set to meet as many people as we can and help people." Wood said he has three people -- Team Lead Taryn Tietjen, Sales Representative Marla Colon and Office Manager Bonnie Rodriguez -- working in the Fostoria office full-time. He said he will be in Fostoria on Mondays and Wednesdays and in Bowling Green on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and he will rotate Fridays between the two locations. He said more than 300 products are available through his offices, including auto, home, renters, business, farm, commercial, life and health insurance, along with savings options. He said he conducts individual meetings with clients each year to review their policies. Wood said his Bowling Green office doubled its business in a three-year span, and he's looking for a similar jump in Fostoria. "A market share of 30% of the city is what we want," he said. "Right now, we have 16%. Our goal is to double that in the next two years. How we do that is by becoming involved in the community. I want my team down here to meet you with a smile; that's half of it right there." Lance Wood State Farm can be reached by calling 419-435-1494.