Our newest agent, Fernando Ochoa, arrived last December with six years of experience as an agent, a knack for learning and a ton of determination.
But it wasn’t an easy journey. He was born in Mexico and immigrated to the United States with his mother and younger sister in 2001. They joined his father, who had immigrated previously and was working in Auburn. Fernando was only seven years old and no one in the family spoke any English.
Learning this new language was difficult enough at school, but doing homework was even harder since his parents couldn’t help. Despite that obstacle, Fernando’s determination to learn paid off, and by fifth grade he was an honor student!
After graduation from high school, he found a job at the front desk of a local hotel. The hours were long, the work shift was late, and many of the hotel’s customers were unhappy and complaining about some problems with their room. While he was forced to listen, there was nothing he could do to solve it. He was determined to find something where he could make a difference.
Warehouse Job
Fernando Ochoa
After about two years of that, he got a job working at a Safeway warehouse unloading the trucks and putting it on the shelves. He liked the job because he was accomplishing something and was good at it. Soon he was made a supervisor. But the 2 pm to 2 am shift meant he seldom got to see his friends, who had day jobs, or play his favorite sport: soccer.
His break came in May 2015, when he got a job in customer service at the local office of a big insurance company. He liked helping customers and decided to become an agent. While many people need to take this difficult exam multiple times, he passed the Property and Casualty exam on his first attempt!
He ended up working for two major insurance companies over the next six years but grew frustrated by having only one line of insurance to offer his customers. Working for a big insurance company meant he had no choice but to offer that company’s policies, even if it wasn’t the best one for his clients.
Opportunity Knocks at SAV-ON
Then, late last year he found out from a cousin about an opening at SAV-ON Insurance Agencies. With his insurance experience and fluency in both English and Spanish, he soon was hired.
Suddenly, he had as many as 30 insurance companies from which to choose. That meant he had the opportunity to research a lot of different companies and find the best insurance for his new clients at the lowest cost. His ability to speak Spanish also proved helpful to SAV-ON’s many Hispanic customers.
“I enjoy helping my clients understand the value of having insurance and what will be the best for them,” he says. “They appreciate my patience explaining the various insurance coverages.”
A New Father
Being a husband and the new father of a 20-month-old son, he appreciates having a day job so he can spend more time with his family. His parents, sisters and brother all live close by, so he can visit on a regular basis. He and his younger brother regularly get together and go watch a movie together, a tradition they started years ago.
On his days off, Fernando likes to spend time relaxing at home with his wife and son, or visiting family. They have lots of relatives in Southern California, so they try to schedule visits down there occasionally.
Being a big family man, he enjoys the family atmosphere at SAV-ON and felt at home from the beginning. “They welcomed me with open arms as soon as I started,” he remembers. Everyone has been so friendly and helpful. I’m still learning the ropes and trying not to mess up anything.”
Fernando feels the best part of his job is helping clients with their insurance coverages and explaining why it is important. He gets a lot of satisfaction from answering their questions so they leave happy.
“Thanks to Rick, Phil, and Shay for giving me this opportunity,” he says. “I’m learning a lot in this job and really enjoying it.”
His goal is to eventually open his own insurance agency at some point down the road. He’s convinced that having his own agency with a variety of insurance companies to choose from is an ideal way to help customers save the most money.
In the meantime, SAV-ON has a dedicated, motivated agent helping customers get the best insurance for themselves and their families.
