State Farm
Katrina Thomas, the first African-American female State Farm Insurance agent in the history of Northwest Louisiana, has had quite a year. She has celebrated her 15th year in business with State Farm, was appointed to the Workforce Commission by former Mayor Glover, and will be the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Shreveport Chamber of Commerce on April 30th. “We have found our place in the community as far as mentorship, giving back to customers, schools, students and local organizations.
Thomas is one of those lucky women who found her career path early in life. Thomas graduated from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas in 1994 with a degree in Business Administration, and jumped right into the insurance industry after graduation. “I started with State Farm as a claim representative in Memphis, Arkansas in 1995, then I moved to Monroe at the regional office as an in house claims representative in 1996. After 4 years there, I moved to Shreveport as an insurance agent in August of 2000.”
The move to Shreveport has proved to be a lucrative choice for Thomas, as her agency is thriving. “We are a full-service agency in our 15th year of business with over 40 years of experience.” she says. “We sell over 120 different products - from auto, home owners, renters, and business insurance, to health and disability insurance. “You are able to walk into the agency, have a one on one experience with your own personal agent, and when you walk out we can take care of everything you need for insurance, financial services and retirement. We can service the entire state of Louisiana” In addition to her agency in Shreveport, she has also recently started servicing an agency in Minden. “That shows how the company is trusting us and has the confidence in our team to take on that responsibility,” she said. “We will be servicing that agency for about 6-7 months, which is an honor within the company to be able to operate two locations and still be able to keep the balance to take care of the customers.
There are several things Thomas enjoys about the insurance business, but her favorite part is helping her customers. It is important to Thomas and her team that each customer receives the education and knowledge of insurance to ensure that should a hardship occur---whether it’s an auto accident, fire loss, or loss of a loved one, the policy(ies) the customer has will help to sustain them and their family.
One of the other joys of her work that Thomas is quick to point out is the strong team of women she has built at her State Farm agency. “I have a great group of ladies that work with me! We have over 40 years of combined experience at the agency. I wouldn’t trade my team for anything in the world.”
Through the direction and guidance of her mentors, Thomas’ passion for helping others live a better quality of life was ignited. Make Me, Mold Me Empowerment, Inc. is a non-profit organization established to aid women in different stages of life with finding their core (outside of their everyday roles), while living a biblical walk. The goal is to help women discover a holistic purpose, renew Godly mindsets, determine self-value within themselves and in the world, and build selfconfidence. For more information, visit www.makememoldmepower.com.
In her spare time, Thomas is a member of the Krewe of Harambee and enjoys reading, cooking and traveling. She is also very proud of her 22 year-old son, Lenice Redmon Jr., a Senior at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette majoring in business. Her true passion, however, is helping others and mentoring. Thomas believes that her talents and gifts are best utilized by sharing to make a difference in the lives of others.
Though she has been successful, it’s been through hard work and perseverance that she’s reached her goals. Since 2000, Thomas has truly embraced her roles as CEO and a mentor. She says that trusting her team’s decision-making and leadership skills has allowed her to establish a healthy balance between personal and professional aspirations, as well as community involvement.
(318) 688-8312 | 8216 Jewella Ave | Shreveport, LA 71108
