If there is one thing we have here at Ashland Insurance, it’s a robust crew of versatile agents. Looking at those on our team, you can find an agent that meets and matches your lifestyle with a keen awareness that allows for your service to truly fit.
They have lived in the areas we live, done the work we do, have families like we have.
When we meet the agents in the field with that priceless, relatable experience, paired with extensive insurance industry experience, it becomes a clear choice in adding them to our team.
With that said, it’s no surprise, we would like to introduce you to another team member.
We’d like you to meet Lisa Benchrif.
Who is Lisa Benchrif?
Lisa Benchrif is the kind of person that feels familiar. She’s someone you know, someone you’re already friends with, someone who shares stories, laughter, and sound advice with you.
Lisa is a mom, a go-getter and a DIYer. She’s been a t-ball coach, a Girl Scout leader, and a PTA member. She’s ultimately curious, a life long learner, and unafraid to try something new.
It’s this community and family focus, coupled with the willingness to take on the challenges around her with a wide smile, feel as familiar as hearing your neighbor tinkering away on the day’s project living out in the rural areas we are so close to. Even if what the day brings is a bit new and different, the day to day normal of approaching the challenge or need with gusto is the part we become used to.
Lisa Benchrif is originally from rural Washington State. In her own words, “I grew up in the sticks.” (And, for those of us still out there in the sticks, we know how much goes into finding the right coverage for our rural property and lives!)
Not only does Lisa have the life experience that goes into living in the rural Pacific Northwest and what lies outside her front door, she also has a strong connection to all that lies on the inside of that door.
Lisa stayed home and raised her three kids. This is when she leaned in and focused on those very “mom-oriented” activities– her presence with the PTA, Girl Scouts, and t-ball teams.
At the same time, Lisa looked to follow in the footsteps of her own mom moving in spaces of being the active working mom that guided her through her life.
As the kids entered full-time school, Lisa wondered, “What am I going to do now?”
Lisa Benchrif: Entering the World of Insurance
With her resume out, Lisa Benchrif received a response she hadn’t originally considered.
State Farm responded to her, and asked “Do you want to do insurance?”
Now, earlier when I said she meets every challenge with a wide smile, that was no exaggeration. Lisa Benchrif is a bit of sunshine, bright, warm, and very present. But when offered the opportunity to enter insurance, she wondered if she would be too much.
Present, happy, and engaging are definitely not attributes to shy away from in a field that can, at times, get the bad rap of feeling flat or boring. Trust me when I say, I like having an agent that is engaged and lively. It gets me excited about all the bits and bobs of my life I am protecting.
Another thought that crossed her mind, though? Will it be fun?
Having a mindset of approaching everything with an eagerness to learn, she decided to give it a try.
And thus, Lisa Benchrif entered the big wide world of insurance.
Though she had no licenses in the beginning, she is a committed learner for life and has no fear of the process found in discovering something new. This is a woman who, as a young girl, loved to know how things worked– she would even take apart her brother’s radios just to see the inner workings.
The book of businesses she picked up at State Farm required a bit of building bonds with those that called, upset and unsure how their own policies worked. Though she eventually continued on to Liberty Mutual, she took with her that tie to building bonds and connections, solving problems, and ensuring that those she served understood the ‘why’ to it all.
Lisa Benchrif: Building More than Just Connections
Lisa eventually took a bit of a break from the world of insurance and began working on the rental homes her father was buying.
It first started as little fix-its, but as her interest and her skill grew, she became a multifaceted asset to the projects at hand. There was something to learn in the stream of trial and error, and with the type of life long learner mind Lisa has, she took on the needed information to spark a genuine interest in the field she had found herself in.
In her break from insurance, Lisa Benchrif acquired her contractor’s license.
Though Lisa does return to working in insurance (I mean, that is why we are here, right?), what she took with her through this time working on homes shows itself, not only in her own at home DIY projects, but in complimenting the foundation of understanding how to protect your home with the right kind of coverage.
Lisa Benchrif: From Building to Ashland Insurance
Lisa eventually came back to insurance, and, for a time, had her own agency. As that evolved and the hustle of it all became such a focus, she remembered why she loved working with insurance in the first place.
Lisa Benchrif loves learning, and that includes learning the people she served. Specifically how she could serve them. She discovered this in learning more about the community as a whole.
In learning about the community, she also discovered an opportunity for the community to learn about the world of insurance that, at times, feels like so much to wade through.
Lisa is committed to empowering people through educating them how to understand what’s out there and what’s available to fit their needs.
“It’s why I love insurance, insurance is something everyone needs.”
In her commitment to empowering the folks in the communities she serves, she taps into the whole spectrum of those in need of policies that protect what’s important to them.
In her learning of the community, she gets to provide a little reflection back to them, showing to them all they have – themselves included– is indeed worth the added layers of security.
“I want to know who you are, you have value even if you don’t see it in yourself.”
In re-entering the realm of insurance, she spoke to a recruiter and shared with them what she was looking for. She wanted to come back to the place of customer service focus rather than just numbers and quotas.
That is when Ashland Insurance was presented to her.
Looking at how it all comes together made it a clear fit for Lisa. From there, Ashland Insurance gained another agent.
Lisa Benchrif: Her Specialties
When you ask Lisa what her specialty is, she comes back pretty quickly with the answer “life.”
To her, life matters a lot. It’s a small cost in the big scheme of things.
She refers to the common situation of what happens when someone we love, are connected to, have our life intertwined with, passes away. Our everything and the stability we once had gets turned on its head.
In these situations, Lisa has seen how the added support and protection in life insurance can assist in approaching everything that has to be done, as comfortably as possible, in a time that is just so uncomfortable.
Lisa has stories (after 15 years in insurance, she has a lot of stories) of how she has provided the information to help fill in the narrative around what can really provide the best coverage for her clients, and when it really does.
“None of us would know this would have happened to us but having these things in place really helped us.”
Second to life insurance, her next specialty is homeowner’s insurance. Considering the home she has built, both figuratively and literally, it’s no surprise she has true hands-on guidance to provide.
Lisa Benchrif: What Excites Her & Keeps Her Going
Outside of her career in helping those around her, Lisa has a full life at home with her.
With her husband and his three young sons, originally from Morocco, she recently took a trip to Morocco. It’s in these spaces she is reminded of her love of meeting new people and hearing their stories. Between her husband, 3 children, 4 grandchildren and 3 step sons, she is surrounded by love.
She encourages folks to see and learn the differences of those around them. She does so herself, and continues to be inspired.
Just as it’s reflected in her work and in her home, she meets those in her community and hears about what is important to them.
Lisa also enjoys engaging with her local houseless community, again coming to meet them as the individuals they are. She cooks food at home and takes it to them. In breaking bread with those in that community, she continues to do what she is so good at– building the bonds and connections that help serve a community in the ways that are needed.
Lisa doesn’t just speak of empowering the folks around her, she does so in action as well.