Meet the Team: Q&A with Susan Miller

Susan Miller is one of the most experienced team members. In addition to being a wealth of knowledge that we all get to learn from, she’s an absolute joy to be around. We sat down with Susan and got a little more insight into what drives and inspires her each and every day.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Hello, I am Susan. I was born in Connecticut, but I got to Texas before I was 6 months old, so I consider myself a TEXAN. I have 2 wonderful children/adults, and 2 AMAZING grandsons. I am a dog mom to 4 rescues, but sometimes not sure who rescued who. In my spare time, I love spending time with my family, especially my grandsons. My husband and I love classic vehicles so when the weather is nice you can find us at a car show, enjoying the beautiful weather and our time together.

2. What do you like about working in insurance?

I started working in insurance approximately 30 years ago, I love working with people, talking to them, getting to know them, helping them find solutions for their sometime unique situations.

3. What inspires you and why?

My husband inspires me, he suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest back in 2013, he suffered an anoxic brain injury, and everyday he wakes up, and tackles the day, no matter what challenges lie ahead. His outlook and positivity on life truly is inspiring and I have a front row seat, he has taught me so much along the way. I am reminded daily how truly blessed that I am that he is still in my life and we get to continue this journey together.

4. Tell us about any volunteer work or giving back you like to do.

Thru the years we have volunteered for our local Youth Softball Association, local homeless shelter, local battered woman shelter, various church functions, participated in Toys for Tots. I have always been willing to help a friend, a neighbor or even a stranger.

4. Who is your hero and why?

My parents were my heroes, they raised 7 children, they stayed married no matter what life thru at them, and with 7 kids that could have been anything 😊. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, my dad was the sole bread winner, they taught me the importance of time spent with loved ones, material things were not important as you can’t take it with you. I could go on and on about my parents and how everyday they made a difference, raised 7 human beings that are productive citizens of this world and instilled in us how hard work and perseverance pay off.

5. Do you have a secret hidden talent?

My grandsons think it is my kiss on their boo boo, it magically makes the pain go away.

6. Do you have a story about someone you helped when they had a claim that would inspire readers of the blog?

Early in my career, I worked at a local insurance office, and I had developed a relationship with one of our insured’s and her family. She would come in every month to make her payment, make changes to the policy or sometimes just to say hello.

She had 2 boys and as they got older, getting their driver’s license she would bring them into the office to meet everyone to make sure they knew where the office was located and numbers on how to reach us.

One day, she stopped by to make her payment and she stated that her and her husband would be out of the country vacationing, her older son was in college, but the younger son was a senior in high school, and he would be home alone., of course family and friends around in case of an emergency. I let her know to make sure he had our information and if he needed anything to please don’t hesitate. About 3 days later he came into the office, panicked. He and a friend were following each other home from school and, of course, he was in his mom’s Lexus Convertible (with explicit instructions not to drive). Well, teenagers being teenagers, they collided with each other, trying to beat one another into the driveway. Both boys were fine, it really was a minor accident. I told him that if they were physically okay, we could have the vehicles repaired. That did not comfort him at all, he said, “My mom is going to kill me, she waited so long to get this vehicle as she always drove the mom mobile.” He begged us to fix the vehicle and not tell her, they were due home in 3 days LOL. I told him that I would call his parents to explain what had happened, but I was certain that the car was the least of their worries. So, I made the call and, just as I said, they wanted to make sure everyone involved was okay, and they told him that it was just a car. The hug that boy gave me that day - I can still feel it. Years later, after he went off to college, graduated from Medical School and became a doctor and he was buying his first car, first home, when he had his first child, he always called me on the phone and let me know how that one day made such a difference in his life.

7. What drives you every day?

Gratitude. I am blessed to do what I love, with people that I love.