News
October 8, 2020State Farm Agent Bob Desautels Opens New Location in Rotterdam
The Chamber took part in a ribbon cutting for the brand new Bob Desautels State Farm Agency on Wednesday, October 7th.
The Capital Region has a new State Farm agency, located in Rotterdam, owned by Bob Desautels. Bob and his team members, Gail, Nicholas, and Stacy, all share a common desire – to prove that insurance can be fun. The office, on Hamburg Street in Rotterdam, has a putting green, Plinko board, kid’s corner with bean bag chairs and children’s movies, and almost always has fresh-baked cookies in the cookie jar.
They want everyone to know that stopping in to see your insurance agent does not have to be a chore. Bob selected his team based on their ability to make customers feel comfortable and welcome, and to give them a few laughs during their visit to the agency. That said, they are there to explain your coverages as insurance professionals and offer recommendations that are suited to your specific situation.
Bob opened the agency on September 1st of this year, after nearly a year of planning, training, and learning the industry. The decision to open came when his prior employer sold the business to a larger company. Bob decided that it was time to control his own destiny. He has many friends and associates in the State Farm community and had always appreciated the State Farm culture.
The decision to open in Rotterdam was made through discussions with State Farm where it was identified that this was a community that had great potential to continue to embrace the State Farm brand and all of the insurance and financial services it provides.
Bob has spent his entire life in the Capital Region. His background started in advertising and marketing from 1999-2005. From 2005-2015 Bob was the General Manager of the Colonie Golf & Country Club in Voorheesville. Most recently Bob spearheaded New York business growth of an auto glass company based out of Massachusetts. That company was sold to a larger competitor in August 2019. It was through that business that he became acquainted with State Farm agents and their team members.
Bob is most passionate about his family, which includes his three children (Nicholas, his oldest son, works in the office), golf, and watching football. As often as possible he enjoys taking long walks with his fiancé.
Bob says, “My team and I are passionate about making sure our customers are properly covered. We treat every customer like they were our own family. When they walk out of our doors knowing that they have proper coverage, have saved money, and have had some fun doing it, we know we’ve done our job.”
The agency plans to work with community organizations to help in fundraising efforts and encourages organizations to reach out to the office and brainstorm ways to work together.
