Local pastor insures future with Farmers group

Flexible hours helps Gilmartin assist others

MOSES LAKE — In the seven years since arriving here, Garth Gilmartin has worn a number of hats.

Gilmartin came to the area from Hoonah, Alaska, where he was pastor of a church, to start the New Life Tabernacle in Moses Lake. That church started out in his house, he said, and now has its own building and land.

He also sold cars at James Chevrolet for several years, and then became a Darigold delivery man.

"That got me in the back doors of all the businesses in town — I delivered to all the schools, all the little coffee shops, little gas stations, rest homes, hospital," Gilmartin recalled. He did that job for a year before deciding the physical demands were too much, and then went to work as a Head Start school bus driver for two years.

On Feb. 1, Gilmartin opened one of several Farmers Insurance Group offices in Moses Lake.

"The flexibility with my ministerial duties," he said when asked what the attraction was for working with insurance. "Of being able to have the weekends to take care of my pastoral obligations, because the weekends are really my time, Sunday especially. Some jobs you have to work graveyard, swing, weekends and that wasn't going to work for me. Plus, I'm great at sales."

Gilmartin said he is a registered representative, which means he sells securities and deals in IRAs, 401Ks and retirement plans as well as home, automobile, fire and life insurance.

Gilmartin said Farmers Insurance inquired about the possibility of his working for them years ago when he first moved to the area, but the task of obtaining the licensing was not what he wanted to do. This time around, it took him six months.

"Now we're up and going, and business has been good," he said.

Farmers Insurance Group does automobile insurance, homeowner's insurance, mobile homes, motorcycles, life insurance, umbrella policies, commercial insurance and financial, which Gilmartin said is kind of a plus for his agency.

"I feel that our particular company, Farmers Insurance, has one of the best programs for multi-discounts," he said. "In other words, bringing all of their insurances into one package. In our training, they told us that we are one of the best companies around that has that type of thing to offer."

It puts Farmers Insurance at an aggressive stage where they want to grow, Gilmartin said.

He notes that he kept records of all the people he sold cars to while at James, and so now he can offer them insurance as well. Not to mention the possibility of offering to his congregation.

"If they need insurance, sure, they can come talk to me," he said, adding with a grin, "I don't make it a point to solicit over the pulpit, but, you know …"

At present, Gilmartin is the sole employee in his office, located at 832 Sharon Ave., Suite F.

Gilmartin said his objective is to help people, save them money, cover them properly and be present when they need assistance.

"I want people to know that I'm here to help them in more ways than one," he said. "I will sit down and not just give them a quick quote. I'm going to work very hard to make sure that they're covered properly, because a lot of people don't understand their coverages. Once I explain that to them, people are really very shocked that their coverages aren't where they need to be."