My brother Cory and I were raised in the small Central Illinois town of Groveland located between Pekin and Peoria. Early on in our lives, we came to appreciate the importance of friends, family, and faith. My parents were always closely involved in our church, school, and sports activities teaching my brother and me that we may not always be 100% successful at something, but we could always be the hardest working.
I grew up in a family of athletes. My brother and I were always participating in organized sports. I played football, baseball, and basketball all through grade school. Junior high and high school in Morton, Illinois was filled with me working at 3 sports. Athletics taught me at an early age the importance of commitment, practice, and teamwork. A good portion of those early learned principles help me in how I run my State Farm Agency today.
My father worked for Caterpillar for over 20 years in Peoria, Illinois until his untimely passing in 1992 due to brain cancer. He was diagnosed with what is known as a glioblastoma. This type of brain cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer and he passed away within 6 months of his diagnosis. He died on his birthday June 4th at the age of 41. Losing him while still a student at Illinois Wesleyan University opened my eyes to the importance of preparing for the unexpected. Jim McLeod did not want to leave this world that soon but he planned very well for us through life and health insurance so that my mother, brother, and I would not lose anything more than just him. His love for us and his tremendous preparation allowed me to finish my college education and obtain my Bachelor's degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1993. I immediately went on to receive an MBA in Marketing from Illinois State University in 1995. I was extremely humbled and blessed to be able to do both.
I have always had a passion for helping others and it had a great deal to do with watching those around me help and care for my father during his battle with cancer. So many wonderful people in the medical profession. Doctors and nurses, friends of our family and from the church, and even those we barely knew were giving of their time and support. It was inspiring to witness and made me want to do the same for others in some fashion. It really led me to researching the State Farm Agency opportunity and how I could have an impact on so many lives each and every day.
My insurance career began in 1996 with Country Insurance in Bloomington, Illinois. In the fall of 1996 I was hired on to State Farm claims in Schaumburg, Illinois. After working in the Chicago suburbs for 2 years, I took an opportunity to relocate to Bloomington, Illinois when State Farm established its Claim Central Division. Working in the claims arena really opened my eyes to why State Farm is and continues to be the industry leader. We truly do treat our policyholders like family and try to make the claim process as easy as possible while helping them recover from sometimes catastrophic events. In 1999, I moved on to State Farm's Corporate Headquarters in Bloomington as a market analyst in State Farm's Agency Marketing Department. In that position, I learned to help State Farm Agents with how they market their agencies and themselves. This position enlightened me to the prospect of an agency career and how it would give me the chance to help even more of our customers every single day.
On December 1, 2000, I opened my agency doors in Naperville, Illinois and stayed there until 2003 when I relocated myself and my team to Plainfield, Illinois. As a 21 year resident of Plainfield, I wanted to be the one and only truly local agent by living in the town where I work. My team and have been here ever since trying to help as many people as possible manage their risks, recover from the unexpected, and realize their dreams. My team is an extension of my family as are all of our policyholders.
I have a team of 5 wonderful people giving us over 60 years of State Farm experience. What we bring to State Farm makes my agency one of the most successful in the southwest suburbs and it shows in how we take care of our policyholders every single day. I am living proof of the benefits of proper planning and my team and I try to communicate the importance of insurance protection to everyone we can each and every day.
I have 2 beautiful daughters, Kellen and Kendall. Kellen just graduated with a degree in Psychology from DePaul University and is now teaching literature at the University of Chicago College Prep School. Kendall is a Junior at Arizona State University in the School of Business. My partner and confidante Tiffany is also with State Farm as a Business Lines Underwriter for all agents in this area and she has 2 wonderful children. Her son Wyatt (11) loves Star Wars, Fortnite, and reading Captain Underpants. Her daughter Presley (13) is involved in our local club volleyball and loves anything involving unicorns and 80's music. They are all the reason I do this.
Our team’s passion is to teach each and every person who reaches out to our office. We don’t want to be like your 1st grade teacher or anything (unless they were great then yes we are just like them ;-) but the only way to really feel comfortable you are protecting what matters most is to actually understand your coverage.
We are here to help with all aspects of protection and can offer honest answers to all insurance and financial services questions. My team and I offer the following to our current and new customers in 60586, 60544, and 60585. We serve all of Will, Kendall, Kane, Cook, Lake, and Dupage Counties. 24 Hour Customer Service in Plainfield, Bolingbrook, Joliet, Naperville, Oswego, Shorewood, Romeoville, Yorkville, and Lisle. We focus on relocations to Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
We are also a multi-state agency helping all who need us in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana!
December is a season of giving. If you happen to give or receive a piece of jewelry or an expensive item, make sure you have it properly insured with a State Farm personal articles policy. Give our office a call today!
From the McLeod Insurance Team we hope you and your family have a safe and enjoyable holiday season! Hope to see you soon, and hope to save you money on your insurance :- )
Spring Outdoor Tip: If you are adding some new shrubs, flowers or trees to your yard and have pets, make sure the flora is not dangerous to your pets. The ASPCA has a comprehensive list of plants that could be harmful to your furry friends. Ask us about Pet Insurance.
Did you know that damage from storms including wind, hail and lightning may be covered under your homeowner’s insurance policy? However, that policy does not cover water damage from rain or flash floods, you need a separate flood insurance policy for those events. For more information about flood insurance visit our website.
Purchasing your first home is a special time. We want to make sure you understand all your home insurance coverage options. Give us a call today to make sure there are not any gaps in your homeowners insurance coverage.
