Crothers In Business 30 Years

DAYTON - For Bette Lou Crothers, who as a child moved every year, Dayton is her real hometown. Crothers attended Dayton High School her junior and senior years, married a local boy out of college and has been selling insurance on Main Street for 30 years.

Crothers said her family moved often because her parents worked building dams along the Snake River.

She attended Central Washington University and always thought she would be an accountant. Instead, she got a job working as an insurance agent for a local broker for four years.

"I had no insurance experience when I took the job," she said.

After four years with the company, Crothers decided the only way to move up in the insurance world would be to have her own business.

The current State Farm agent was also a TV repairman.

He retired in 1981 and Crothers took over his business as her own. She was 31 years old.

"It was very very scary," Crothers said of striking out on her own. "I was never so scared in my whole life."

Crothers said giving up the known for the unknown was the worst part. She worried if she would have customers. In the early days, she said she crossed a lot of hurdles, but realized a new kind of satisfaction that comes from owning your own business.

"It was exciting, scary and very satisfying," she said.

Crothers was hoping her new job would bring her better income and more stability, and she learned that she most enjoyed the responsibilities that came with it.

Over the course of 30 years, Crothers said many things are the same. She said she continues to do her best to cover clients' needs, provide good service, be there for the customer at claim time and fulfill promises.

"People still want to do business with someone they can trust," Crothers said.

The biggest change over the years has been technology. She remembers being so excited to get a microfiche machine in her office. Now, it has become more complicated, with more products and more aspects to different insurance programs. Also, the speed that transactions are done is very different. She said getting car insurance used to take a month, and now it takes minutes to hours.

Instead of just mail, she has to figure out the best technology to use to reach her policy holders.

The staffing has also changed quite a bit in her office. She started alone, and soon hired a part-time worker so she could attend classes and monthly meetings. Now, in addition to herself, Crothers employs three full-time agents.

"We have decades and decades of experience in here," she said.

Some of her employees have been working for her for more than 20 years.

And even though she has been in business 30 years, Crothers has no plans to retire.

"I enjoy my job and my staff," she said. "I look forward to seeing them every day. When, I retire, what is their future?"

She is thinking she may eventually cut back to four days a week. She simply wants to remain active in her business and her community.

"I've been on Main Street for 30 years," Crothers said. "I really don't want to miss out on all the fun."