"It's tough for a big agency to properly staff and service a small piece of business," he said.

I tried the two big agencies in town and they turned me down.

He is an insurance executive, and vice president of a big agency.

"I felt like it was time to go to a big agency so there'd be accountability," he said.

The big agencies could have done that, but no one was helping in the rural areas.

"To position ourselves as the next big agency for companies across the board would be a mistake."

As a result, most big agencies have had to lay off scores of employees.

Going with him instead of a bigger agency was the best career decision I ever made.

"But I absolutely rejected the idea of going back to a big agency," he said.

"Obviously, in any year, a big agency is going to take some hits."