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State Farm® Insurance Agent Charlie Smader

1901 Jackson Street
La Crosse, WI 54601-5867

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Office Info

Office Hours

Mon-Fri
9am - 5pm
Sat-Sun
Closed
After Hours by Appointment
Call us 24 hours a day!

Address

1901 Jackson Street
La Crosse, WI 54601-5867

Languages

English
About Me

The most important holiday gift of all is the gift of life insurance. Our team is ready to serve all of your financial and insurance needs. Please call us for in person or virtual appointments!

I became a State Farm Agent in 1975 here in La Crosse, WI and how I became an agent was a much different process than it is now. I had just graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and I had a baby on the way with my wife. Times were hard and jobs for a new graduate were hard to find. The State Farm manager in La Crosse got my transcript from the local recruitment office and wanted to discuss the opportunity to start a multiple lines insurance agency. I had no idea what it meant at the time, but agreed to meet with him anyway. In our meeting, he explained that a State Farm agency was an opportunity for me to run a business with no financial input, just "sweat equity" (later I learned what that really meant). I knew I couldn't turn down such an opportunity! So, with a cardboard box that contained a few paper customer files, a card table, a phone, and a 300' ft. office space and a strong work ethic . . . I started my business and began to attempt to market an intangible, untouchable, obscure product . . . which proved just as difficult as it sounds!

45 years later, I have constantly been reminded of the service we provide to our customers. Many of those lessons I learned about insurance and customer service when I first started are what I built the foundation of my office on. Our customers rely on us to do a good job, to do what's right and to go the extra mile to provide security and peacefulness for their lives and their assets. The same things my customers still rely on my office for. My goal has always been to help educate and aide our customers in making wise choices. Insurance is not a one size fits all product, and working with customers to help make choices that protect them and their families is one of the most fulfilling parts of the job.

I have been fortunate to have worked with my son Jeff for over 20 years, and am thankful to have the team I currently have that consists of Jeff, Kim and Peyton. Over these last 45 plus years I have helped my customers deal with total fire losses to their homes, unexpected deaths of loved ones, disabilities and major liability claims. My family and I started our journey with State Farm in 1975, State Farm gave me the opportunity to run my own business, contribute to my community which I take great pride in, coach my kids and attend their activities and provide my customers with secure programs that helped them in their time of need. Now I am enjoying doing the same with my grandkids!

OFFICE UPDATE REGARDING COVID-19

Our top priority is the safety of our customers, team, and community.

We are open and in the office, however we do ask if you have a question or need to pay a bill please call or email us first as we can handle many of your service requests virtually. If you need to speak with a Team Member, we ask that you call in advance and schedule an appointment.

If we can help you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Products

Insurance Products Offered

Auto, Homeowners, Condo, Renters, Personal Articles, Business, Life, Health, Pet

Other Products

Banking, Mutual Funds, Annuities

Our agency believes that we owe it to our community (La Crosse, Onalaska, Holmen, West Salem, Stoddard, Desoto) to make sure the hard working people are protected from unforeseen circumstances. In our office, our motto is that we are here to help you buy insurance, not talk you into it. We want to assist you through the process from start to finish, support you in purchasing the coverage that suits your needs, while helping with the decisions that make you feel the most comfortable in your purchase.

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Jeff Smader

Office Manager

Jeff is born and raised here in La Crosse, WI and has been working in our office for over 20 years! He has a business degree with an emphasis in finance from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. His favorite part of the job is helping solve customers’ problems and educating customers. In his free time Jeff likes to play softball and golf, as well as travel and spend time with his family, which is very important to him as another part of the job Jeff really enjoys is being able to work with his Dad on a daily basis. Having been here for over 20 years Jeff has practically dealt with every type of insurance related situation there is, so if you’re looking for someone with a lot of insurance experience, Jeff is the right person to talk to!

PF

Peyton Fellenz

Office Representative

Peyton is from right here in La Crosse, WI and graduated from Central High School and Viterbo University, which are both right down the street from our office! In his free time Peyton loves to travel with his Fiancé, spend time with his family, watch his favorite baseball team the Brewers, and be outdoors playing sports or hunting. He has been working at our office for 3 years now and handles the marketing here in the office. He also handles all the recreational vehicle insurance in our office, such as ATV’s, UTV’s, Campers, Boats and any other fun recreational vehicle you can think of,  so if you are looking for recreational vehicle insurance he is the guy to reach out to!

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Kim Cortez

Office Representative

Kim is originally from Kansas and has been working in our office for 3 years! She is a Trinity College graduate with a BA in music, and has her MBA from Viterbo University here in La Crosse. Kim is a voracious reader and loves completing complex jigsaw puzzles in her free time. Kim is our life insurance professional here in the office, if you have any questions about life insurance she would love to hear from you!