02/02/2026
Five Years Grateful!
Yesterday marked the 5-year anniversary of our agency, and I’ll try my best to do the impossible: express my immense gratitude in words. Where is Ted Sorenson when I need him!?
Seven years ago, I started a journey that was terrifying – I took a major leap of faith, leaving a comfortable and great situation to take a chance and bet on myself. I was working for my mom in her agency, learning from the best and loving it. I was told there was an opportunity for an agency in Spokane Valley available, and that I should apply. I know my professional resume (athletics removed) was a joke compared to most applicants. Thankfully, my track record as a team member for State Farm, the four interviews, and the 40-page business plan gave me the opportunity to express my goals and vision. Being a local guy, I was thankful and lucky to have a community behind me. Thank you for believing in me from day one, Emily Cutler!
When I started my agency with State Farm, I was on a temporary 13-month contract. At the end of that contract, if I didn’t hit the goals I set in my business plan, my team and I would be unemployed. Spending 13 months working 50–60 hour weeks, investing every penny I owned, only to then turn around, sell all my furniture, take down the signs, and start the job hunt - try not to lose sleep with that on the line. Talk about motivation! I’m forever thankful for my experiences, teammates, coaches, and lessons from athletics—without them, I wouldn’t have had the stomach or stamina to get through those first few years. If you’re a customer, been a customer, called for a quote, or sent us a referral. You are truly the reason we’re here! You’re directly supporting a local business and five local families right here in Spokane. Thank you for your continued trust and support.
I wasn’t going through it alone - Matt, thank you for taking the leap with me and having the trust and faith to embark on this venture together knowing the future was unknown. This agency is just as much yours as it is mine, and there’s no one else I’d rather be in the trenches with. The stories we’ve created are endless. your consistency never ceases to amaze me. I couldn’t have done any of this without you, my brother.
The last five years in the insurance and financial services industry have been nothing short of crazy—constant change, new challenges, and moments that tested all of us. Through it all, we’ve stayed focused on what we can control: showing up, doing the right thing, working hard, and taking care of our clients, even when the environment around us was unpredictable.
To our incredible team—Matt, Jeff, Lucas, and John. Thank you for your hard work, diligence, consistency, and your willingness to go above and beyond every single day. Your professionalism and resilience during such a challenging period are the foundation of everything we’ve built. None of this happens without you. Thanks for putting up with my random historical facts, bad singing, and famous quotes throughout the day. Not everyone gets to enjoy going to work every day, and I do because of you guys.
Thank you to our current and past customers. Your trust, loyalty, and continued support mean everything to us. It’s a privilege to protect what matters most to you, and we never take that responsibility lightly.
Mom - thank you for helping me get my start in the insurance industry and for setting me on this path. Your guidance and support made this possible, and I’ll never forget it! Love you.
Alyssa - thank you for always having my back, for your constant support, and for believing in me through the long days and big dreams.
Ryan Raines - you were a huge help to me during the transition. You gave me every advantage possible, even though you didn’t have to, and you went above and beyond for me. I’ll be forever thankful to you! Our agency and leadership force at State Farm are incredible, and there are far too many agents to name who helped me get here. THANK YOU! Sorry I couldn’t name everyone.
Five years down, and we’re just getting started. Cheers to the next 30!
- DC
(and because, if you know me, one quote is NOT enough - here are a few that have been instrumental in our vision)
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vince Lombardi
“Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” - John F. Kennedy
"Vision without ex*****on is hallucination," - Thomas Edison
"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team," - Phil Jackson
