State Farm Opens At Former Newspaper Office

State Farm of Pineville has opened its new office in the former location of the McDonald County Press.

Agent Sean Crider built his business from scratch. He was a financial services representative for two years. In January 2007 he got the opportunity to become a State Farm agent. At the time there was no State Farm in McDonald County. Most agents take over from an existing business, he said. A scratch agent has no existing customer base and has to go out and build one.

"It was the hardest thing I can imagine. You have to be completely invested," he said. "But we've grown every year. We've tried to give the best service we can. We've tried to give the best advice we can."

Crider's first office was on the Pineville square. He chose Pineville because he wanted to be the McDonald County agent, and so the county seat was a natural fit. Had he set up his office on the state line, it might have sent the message that he was there to serve the Bella Vista area, he said.

Working with Crider are his wife, Kristin, who is half owner and a fully licensed agent with 10 year's experience, and Lynette Zacher, who is a fully licensed agent with more than 20 year's experience with State Farm.

"By buying this location," Crider said, "it's going to allow us to have a permanent presence and also have additional space in the back."

The owners gutted and remodeled the front 2,000 square feet of the building, but there is a large portion left that is not in use. Crider said he chose the building primarily for its location. He said they want to work with a local nonprofit organization that wants to start an after-school program that could meet in the back portion of the building. There is not currently an after-school program in the county, he said.

The new office space is twice the size of the business' former location, Crider said. Sam, Andy and Tom Williams did a lot of the construction work. Local craftsmen were used wherever possible. The cedar on the new front porch came from McDonald County. The staff moved into the new location in early September.

"I love it," said Crider. "It's nice to have the space. After you've been in one place for 10 years and you pick up and move, you get a fresh start on organization."

Kristin Crider agreed. "I love it. It's a really nice, open atmosphere. It feels comfortable. There's lots of places to sit around or stand around and talk. The historical part of it is neat. I feel like it's a way for Pineville to grow. We're growing toward the interstate."