Hello everyone out there, my name is Chris Cook. Welcome to our blog posts at MLL Insurance! I always send emails out to prospective customers with an introduction to MLL. I like to add a little info about us and our agency…..I guess this blog post is a little about me!
I started my working carrier as a paper boy way back when….when kids had the opportunity to hold a job and learn how to work hard and earn extra money! It’s too bad that kids don’t still have that same opportunity, but that is a topic for another blog post. I loved that paper route. My sister and I split up a large route that spanned 6 or 8 blocks. This makes me sound like a parent now, but we delivered papers 365 days a year, rain, snow or sunshine. It was great getting that extra money we earned, who knows what we spent it on! I can go back through those same neighborhoods and tell you which houses we delivered to, and where I had to put each paper. That route started me on a path to realizing that hard work does pay off, and so much more.
After a few years with the paper route, I moved up to working at PJ’s, a banquet hall and restaurant. I wanted earn more money and save for my first car! This is the same place Lisa Lemanski worked at! We had so much fun! It’s great to have goals because there is always that carrot keeping you on task. This was a family restaurant that was busy all the time. We catered and hosted weddings and parties every weekend. There was always work to do for a young kid willing to put the time in. This job lasted through high school and into college, and even after college for a little while. Again another job that taught me the value of working hard to achieve a goal…..I bought that first car of mine for $1,500. It was a cherry red 1981 Ford Mustang, with a block of wood keeping the driver’s seat from falling through the floorboard!
I decided to go to Adrian College in Adrian, MI after high school…with my Mustang! I had played football, baseball, and basketball in high school, and they thought I was good enough to play football for them. I played all 4 years and was elected team captain my senior year. I really believe that what I learned in high school, and in those younger years working the different jobs taught me to work hard, and how to lead, and be a leader. I studied business administration and management and went to work after 4 years in school. This was a fun 4 years!
Moving on and growing up in life, I started working for a scrap metal recycling business in Jackson Michigan after college. It was the job at PJ’s that got me the job. A manager at the scrap yard knew the owner of the restaurant. In my mind, I think he saw me working there over the years and thought I had a good work ethic. Either way, I was hired and used my work ethic to do the best that I could. I worked this job for about 10 years, in doing so I squeezed in some time to complete my MBA from Spring Arbor University, and learned more about operations and managing.
I ended up switching jobs and moved on to another scrap facility company in Glasgow, Kentucky. This time I took a chance and took another job, with a different scrap company, in a different state. This was my real test….could I cut it, could I take what I had learned in my previous jobs to excel at another company where no one knew me. This was the best decision I ever made. I was able to test myself and my ideas on how to operate, and efficiently run a business. I loved working there and making new friends. I worked with some great people, and will never forget them.
Through working all these jobs I guess I was growing up! I got married to the love of my life, Tammie, and we had a couple kids that really changed our lives. We decided to move back to Michigan to get back closer to family and friends. I had talked to Will and Lisa Lemanski over the years about what they were doing at MLL Insurance. I was always very impressed. Lisa and I had grown up together, and I believe her time working at PJ’s taught her a lot of the same values that I had learned. She was a hard worker also, and her and Will were building a successful insurance business over the years. When the opportunity arouse to join their team and work for them, I was very excited. This was another challenge for me and I was ready for it.
I have taken you through most of my working years and told you a little info about me. I do believe that every experience and every job a person has helps to build that person. I am taking what I have learned over the years and putting it to work at MLL Insurance. What I really love about the insurance world is the people I am able to interact with every day. I’m helping to solve their different problems and finding the most efficient way to provide coverage and value. I believe that all my previous jobs have trained me to be an excellent insurance agent….I may not be excellent yet, but I will always work to that goal! I take great pride in providing a quality product and quality service.
I have been working with MLL for a little over 5 years. It has been tough, insurance is not easy. I’m currently learning every day, and I am working to be my best. My work ethic I had during the paper route years ago is still with me. I know that I have a lot more to learn, and I am excited to see what the future holds!