Cottage Grove man opens Allstate agency in St. Paul Park
Terry Knop was a young professional when he was recruited from teaching to become an insurance agent. He made the move, got started in the business and went on to spend the next 21 years in management. Twenty-five years after that first insurance job, Knop is back doing what he knows. The Cottage Grove man recently bought an Allstate insurance agency and opened in St. Paul Park.By: Scott Wente, South Washington County Bulletin
- Allstate
Terry Knop was a young professional when he was recruited from teaching to become an insurance agent. He made the move, got started in the business and went on to spend the next 21 years in management.
Twenty-five years after that first insurance job, Knop is back doing what he knows. The Cottage Grove man recently bought an Allstate insurance agency and opened in St. Paul Park.
“I just like it,” Knop said of the insurance industry. “It’s not like work to me.”
After Knop bought the agency from an agent who was retiring, he considered where to locate his office. A 19-year Cottage Grove resident, he looked at his hometown and nearby Inver Grove Heights, but there already are Allstate agents in those two cities so he had to look further.
“I thought, I don’t remember seeing an insurance agent in St. Paul Park,” he said. Knop signed a five-year lease at 465 Broadway Ave., Suite 200. He opened July 1.
Knop is the only agent in his firm, but he has help from Mark Duffy, a senior sales associate, and Kortney Knop, his daughter who fills the role of office manager.
Knop will handle commercial/business insurance as well as homeowner, automobile, life and disability policies. He can insure “toys” such as boats, all-terrain vehicles and motorhomes and will handle investments.
Since he is new with Allstate, he said it took time to learn that company’s approach but his familiarity with the industry helped him.
Knop said the biggest challenging to opening his own agency is getting his name out and making sure people know he’s in business. He purchased a catalog of clients from the former owner and is finding other ways to reach out to potential clients.
“It’s a lot of word of mouth,” he said.
Knop’s office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and by appointment. For details, call 651-289-0760.
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