ADRIAN — Like a good neighbor, as the slogan goes, Dave Dennis has served Lenawee County as an agent for State Farm Insurance for 60 years. 

Dennis opened his first State Farm office in Hudson in 1964, and moved to Adrian three years later. 

Dennis studied at Adrian College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business. He got his interest in being a State Farm Insurance agent from his dad, who was a State Farm agent when Dennis was growing up. 

“I grew up with it, basically,” Dennis said.

“I figured I’d want to do that one day,” he continued. “I just knew that I was going to someday.”

After he graduated from Adrian College, Dennis said that he thought that he would go into the military, but things changed and he realized that he needed to find a job. Dennis spoke to his dad, who spoke to State Farm management, and he started working for State Farm as an agent. 

Over his 60 years of working for State Farm, Dennis said the actual job of insuring people hasn’t changed since he opened his agency.

“What we do has not really changed,” he said. “What’s changed are rules and regulations.”

“The way we solicit insurance has changed tremendously,” he continued. “Back in the day, we knocked on doors, then we dialed them up [on the phone], and now we’re doing the same thing, but instead of dialing them on the phone, we do it on the internet.”

Dennis said that he doesn’t see any competition between his agency and those agents working for newer State Farm agencies.  

“They do business a little bit differently,” he said. “Obviously, they’re more active, but no, there’s no competition between us and any of the new agencies.”

“They’re still a State Farm agent and they have the same purpose,” he said. 

Dennis said that being flexible is how he’s been able to stay in business for so long.

“Rules change, regulations change,” he said. “You have to deal with it.”

After 60 years of selling State Farm insurance, Dennis said he is not planning on retiring anytime soon.

“My story is that I had a plan, but I forgot,” he said. 

Dave Dennis’ State Farm agency is at 995 S. Main St., Suite B in Adrian, next to International Diamond & Gold, and across the street from Auto Zone.  He can be reached by phone at 517-263-6757 and by fax at 517-263-6758.