Mark Olsen

I like telling people the story about how (and why) I became an insurance agent, because I’m so passionate about the work I do. I was born and raised in Utah, and moved to Colorado Springs in 1984, and I had just gotten married. My new wife and I had a new brand new car and we were driving to a see a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. (In case you don’t know about Red Rocks: if you love music, it’s the exact kind of place you want to go see a show outdoors). So there we were, driving up I-25 on a Friday night, headed to see this show at Red Rocks, and as we’re cruising up the highway, a drunk driver hit our car and pushed us out into oncoming traffic on the other side of the highway. My car engine burst into flames, and the hood flew up and hit our windshield. My wife was screaming, and we both thought we were going to die. It’s crazy: I can’t believe we lived through this car crash. We were taken back to Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs in an ambulance, and when we got there, I called my insurance agent. It was 3:00 in the morning, and I called him at home and woke him up out of bed. He answered the phone and I told home “I’ve just been in this horrific car crash, and I don’t even know where my car is—it’s smashed on the side of I-25 somewhere with all my stuff in it, and I’m at Penrose hospital, what do I do?” Dave, my agent, told me: “Well, you’ve got a great insurance policy, so you’ll be okay. We will work everything out.” I wanted to believe him, but I didn’t really think it would be okay. I didn’t believe him at the time, because I’d never experienced anything like that before, and I never had to make a big insurance claim like that. I didn’t know what to expect. Later that day, at 10:30 in the morning, a man named Frank shows up and he introduces himself to us as our adjuster. He told us he would make sure we had everything we needed. I thought “Wow, that’s pretty impressive—I called my agent, Dave, at 3:00 that morning, and already my adjuster is here meeting me at the hospital.” I told him “I don’t even know where my car is and my wallet is there, and my wife’s purse is still in the car, and I’ve got all these bills now for the ambulance, and now doctor bills, and hospital bills, and I’m concerned about who is going to pay for everything. ”We were released from the hospital that afternoon, and went home, and a few hours later Frank the adjuster showed up at our house bag with all of our things from the car. He brought it all: the purse, the wallet, everything. They took really good care of me, and I was so impressed with the whole process of how they took care of my wife and I. Nine months later, on April 15th, Tax Day 1985, I decided to become an insurance agent. I’ve worked as an agent ever since, and that was over 30 years ago. I’m really grateful to be an agent. Insurance is such an important thing: when a home catches on fire, the homeowners are never thinking “Boy, I sure am glad I saved 15% on my insurance policy…” They’re thinking things like: “Am I covered?” and “Do I have the right policy that will help me get through this?” For example, during the Waldo Canyon fire and Black Forest fire, I had 14 clients who completely lost their homes in the fire. None of them were concerned at that point about what their bill costing: they wanted to know if their belongings were covered, and how soon they could talk to an adjuster to get the insurance claim process started. For most of my clients, they received a large check the very same day they were allowed back onto their property, looking at their burned home. My job as an insurance agent is to be there for you when catastrophe hits, and to help you get through a claim, and take care of you no matter your situation. Because I experienced myself what can happen in a major life-changing accident, I know how having a great relationship with your insurance agent and having a good policy with the right coverage can make all the difference.

Mark Olsen
Mark Olsen Insurance Agency Inc