June 2009

Award-winning agent takes pride in his county and job

By Kathy Dixon

While riding around Rockbridge County in his pickup truck, Geoff Goodbar enthusiastically points out landmarks and scenic areas.

There’s Collierstown Presbyterian Church, where Goodbar has been a lifelong member, served as an elder and currently chairs the cemetery committee. He drives around the cemetery and, at the top of the hill, stops to soak in the panoramic vista.

“This is quite a view, isn’t it?” he asks.

The tour continues into downtown Lexington and onto the campuses of Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University. The town has an abundance of historic homes and other buildings that date to the 1800s.

“We insure some of these historic buildings,” Goodbar points out.

He is proud of Rockbridge County, where many of his relatives also live and work.
“Basically we have a simple life here, and that’s what I like.”

Goodbar is not one to boast. He doesn’t talk about his many accomplishments as a Farm Bureau insurance agent since 1981, or the respect and admiration of his peers or his contributions to the community. Recently, the sales management team of the Virginia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. chose Goodbar as the 2009 winner of the company’s esteemed Ralph Stokes Award.

“I’m still very shocked that I received this award,” Goodbar said about a month after the surprise presentation. “There are so many other agents more deserving than me.”

The top recognition is given annually to an agent who supports company policies, has a high degree of integrity, is highly respected by peers, supports the agency force and creates a high degree of client loyalty.

“When you think of Geoff Goodbar, all of those characteristics come to mind,” said Donnie Knowlson, senior vice president of sales and marketing.

“He looks out for his clients no matter what,” added Jeff Feagans, Louisa County insurance agent and last year’s Ralph Stokes Award winner. “I’ve been here 21 years, and I’ve known him the whole time. He’s a mentor to other agents and always willing to help.”

Goodbar said he sees himself as “kind of like a plow horse for Farm Bureau—not a racehorse or a show horse,” he said. “I just try to stay the course no matter what.”

Farm Bureau established the Ralph Stokes Award in 1986, the same year Stokes retired after selling Farm Bureau insurance for 32 years. Stokes was known for his motivation and for a high level of mobility, despite the fact that he used a wheelchair while serving policyholders in remote areas.

“The Ralph Stokes Award is rewarding because it’s not given just for sales; it’s for the total effort at work, at home and in the community,” Feagans said. “Geoff is very much deserving.”
In addition to his church involvement, Goodbar serves on the board of the Rockbridge Area Recreational Organization, is a Boy Scout committee chairman and is a member of the Effinger Ruritan Club. When his sons, Bradley and Carter, were younger, he helped coach their baseball and basketball teams as well.

Goodbar said working as a Farm Bureau agent in the county where he was born and raised has enabled him to stay close to family and friends. It’s also allowed him and his wife, Gay Lea, to raise their boys in a fairly slow-paced area.

In addition to helping clients, whom he considers friends, Goodbar believes in continuing education. He has earned the Charter Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant and Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow professional designations and is working on the Financial Services Specialist designation.

“I think we owe it to ourselves and our clients to be as informed and up-to-date as possible on information that may affect how we handle their overall insurance planning program,” he said.