Born and raised in Brookhaven, Sam Sones has dedicated his career to serving his hometown.

Sones recently won Farm Bureau Agent of the Year for the fourth time and third year in a row. Even though he has been very successful in his 14 years as an agent, he claims he got into the insurance business by chance.

“Financial advising is what I had always thought I would do. I worked as an intern for an insurance agency, got insurance licensed, and never looked back because I loved it,” Sones said.

Sones explained that he came back to work in Brookhaven on purpose. He always knew he wanted to come back to Brookhaven to live, work and raise his family in his hometown.

Sones attributes his success against other competitors to his hometown roots.

“This community and county are in my blood. Not everyone will have Farm Bureau Insurance, and that’s OK. But for the ones we do have, I genuinely care about those relationships and believe we are the best insurance option and best local option. That’s why I’ve been with this company for nearly 14 years,” He said.

However, for his personal values as an insurance agent, he does not view himself as having any qualities, in particular, that stand out against everyone else.

“You have to love dealing with people and care about what you do. The biggest key to success, in my opinion, is finding something you can be passionate about and love doing. The rest takes care of itself,” Sones said.

Sones says he is honored by the award, and it’s something he starts working towards on the first of every year. His goal for the upcoming year is to figure out how to better and more efficiently serve his clients.

“Our agency goals matter significantly to me also — we have so many good Farm Bureau agents in our Brookhaven office. Taking the Mississippi Agency of the Year award is something I absolutely think we can do,” Sones said.

Story by Emmaline Wolfe.