Lori Clark has been involved in the insurance industry since she could walk.
“My dad owned an insurance agency, and his dad owned an agency,” Lori said. “So, it was kind of how things went growing up. I started working in insurance as soon as I knew my ABC’s.”
Born and raised in Cedar City, Utah, Lori worked at her dad’s company, Certified Insurance, throughout middle school, high school, and her time at Southern University while completing her bachelor’s degree in communication.
Certified Insurance was purchased by Beehive Insurance in 2018, immediately making Lori a member of the Clyde Companies family.
“My title is operations specialist,” Lori said. “Essentially, I make sure everybody else can do their job. If they use our computer system, I make sure that it’s working for them. When they need access to company websites, I get them that. I make sure that state licensing is taken care of. On the insurance side, I do most of the bonding for the Southern Utah offices.”
Even though her workload is diversified now, prior to the acquisition, Lori had an even longer list of responsibilities.
“When Clyde Companies bought Certified Insurance, it changed my workload significantly,” Lori said. “It immediately removed a lot of my job responsibilities, so that was nice. I used to do work in human resources, advertising, and accounting. I did it all. It’s nice to not have as many hats so that I can really focus on just a few important things. I enjoy having the support and the resources that come with working for a bigger company.”
With fewer priorities to focus on, Lori has been able to make sure she’s providing the best service she can to those around her by always staying up to date on the latest technological advances.
“I work a lot with our insurance computer system, Applied Epic,” Lori said. “It is an ever-changing technology, and a constant learning process. What has been updated? How does it affect us? If you don’t stay up on it, it’s hard to catch up.”
As she has worked with customers, she’s learned that it can take time to develop an appreciation for her industry.
“Most people don’t like dealing with insurance,” Lori said. “But it’s nice to have when you need it. It fixes people’s problems. They might not realize until their house burns down or they’re in a car accident, but it gets them back to where they were. And without it, they’d be in trouble. It’s nice to be able to help people.”
Throughout her many years of experience, Lori has seen plenty of coworkers come and go in the industry.
“A lot of people will get going and think that they can coast, but you can’t,” Lori said. “It’s a learning process that requires constant effort. You have to keep working on your accounts. Just because you had them last year doesn’t mean you’re going to keep them. I think a lot of people don’t realize that, and they don’t want to put in that constant effort.”
Lori has been putting in that constant effort her entire life, which has led to immense job satisfaction.
“I like my job, and I like the people here,” Lori said. “This is a great industry to be in and a great company to work for, and I plan on being here for a long time.”
