Carrie Williams knows a little something about waiting and learning patience. For 15 years, she longed to become a mother, but after a while let that dream go when fertility treatments didn’t end with positive results. And that’s when the biggest surprise of her life entered her world. “I was 39 when my husband Brian and I found out I was finally expecting a baby,” she says. “With all the struggles we had to get Brock here, that has made me appreciate him even more. I want him to be proud of me and I do my best at work so he will someday be a hard worker like I am.”

Carrie and Brian enjoy savoring every memory made with their little boy, who will soon be five. “He goes with us everywhere and wants to help me with everything I do, from laundry to cleaning the house,” she says. “And my parents keep him while I work, so they are forging an incredible bond with him.”

Just like she treasures her relationship with her son, Carrie loves the clients she takes care of every day at the Valent Group Decatur office. “I’ve been serving our clients for 20 years, so many have become friends and some feel like family,” she says. “Insurance is a relationship business—one where you want your clients to trust you and to be able to call you with their concerns.

As Senior Client Manager, Carrie has her hands on everything from day-to-day renewals to being in compliance with contracts to working with marketing to place new business for the agency. Since it’s a smaller office, everyone wears a lot of hats, with Carrie serving as in-house tech support and chief proofreader as well. “We’ve all been here a long time in this office,” she explains. “It’s important to all of us to help our clients keep their businesses running as smoothly as possible.”

No wonder the agency named Carrie as one of the first to be awarded Employee of the Quarter in 2019!

Carrie didn’t start out in insurance—she got her degree in education from Athens State University—but her first job was as the switchboard operator at Rankin Insurance Services. “It was a great place to get started because I became familiar with clients and insurance itself,” she explains. “When I was offered the opportunity to get my insurance license for commercial lines, I jumped at the chance and have loved every minute of it.”

Once the workday is done, Carrie heads north to Elkmont in Limestone County where she lives in the house where she grew up, two doors down from her grandmother. Her passion for getting her hands dirty has her outside most evenings planting flowers or pulling weeds. “My husband says it looks like a carnival, but the more flowers the better for me,” Carrie laughs. She is also an avid sports fan and will watch everything from Little League World Series games to basketball, softball to professional baseball or college football.

As time allows, the family is active in church and volunteers within the community. “I really just like being around people and helping them,” Carrie explains. “I love the team aspect and being able to use the gifts I’ve been blessed with to help others.”