Our Team
Working For You
Experienced and ready to help.
We’ve been growing with our clients since 1976.
Western Agency was founded in 1976 by Chuck Tompkins.
Chuck was a native North Dakota farm kid who understood the importance of crop and farm insurance first hand, he developed Western Agency to serve primarily the farm and small-town insurance market.
Now, we’ve grown to become the region’s largest independent insurance agency and the mission continues to help our neighbors on farms and ranches, in North and South Dakota. Our experience has expanded over the years to include business coverage for oil and gas, retail, transportation, and more.
Today the agency is managed by Ryon Boen and continues to serve North and South Dakota representing more than 1,250 farms, 750 commercial properties, and countless Western Agency policyholders.
Commitment to our Clients & Our Team
Western Agency Management Team
While there are a lot of complexities and risks when it comes to running, managing and working in a business, we’re well-versed in how to keep you protected at every level.
We’re proud of our dedicated team and the work they do to help you focus on what you do best. We look forward to getting to work for you soon.
Our Guiding Principles
Several mottos over the years have summarized our commitment to our clients and the companies we represent. One was: “We are the farm and small town insurance experts.”
Our current motto is: “Our business is to protect your assets.”
However, our original motto still sums up our belief in providing the best service available anywhere, at any cost, anytime; it is: “25 hours per day insurance service.”
It’s what guided our company for more than three decades. Some clients, who have been with us since the beginning, understand this first hand.
Western Agency
OPERATIONS & SUPPORT TEAM
Controller
Since 2014
Barbara Sagsveen
Email: Barb @ Western-Agency.com
Barbara brings years of experience to our team. Before beginning her role as controller at Western Agency, Barbara held other financial and leadership positions in Mohall and Lansford organizations. Her time at Western Agency has pushed her to develop as a leader and achieve her long-time career goal.
Outside of work, Barbara immensely enjoys the company of her granddaughters. She loves to bake with her “expert chocolate chip cookie maker Evie”, read, and travel. Before moving to Minot, she was very active in her church and her community. Barbara is currently planning to find a local office to help serve those in need, such as our families, the elderly, and those that are homeless during this unprecedented time.
Assistant Controller
Since 2022
Lacey Krueger
Email: Laceyk @ Western-Agency.com
Lacey graduated from Minot State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Management. She was previously the CFO at a local credit union for 12 years. Lacey loves working with numbers and ensuring everything is in balance!
Lacey and her husband spend their free time chasing their three children around. They make sure to enjoy the summers outside, whether it is in their garden or at the park. Lacey enjoys traveling, reading, and playing sports.
Lacey serves on the Board of Directors for Independence, Inc – a local non-profit that assists those in the Minot community living with disabilities in removing barriers to living independently. She also volunteers with Junior Achievement in the local schools.
Lacey is looking forward to starting her journey with Western Agency!
Senior Crop Insurance Analyst
Since 2007
Maggie Bennett
Email: Maggie @ Western-Agency.com
Maggie will be celebrating 13 years with Western Agency as of Dec. 26, 2020. After beginning her time at Western Agency at the front desk, she quickly became a part of the Crop Insurance Department. Maggie is passionate about extending a helping hand to her clients.
She consistently provides great customer service every step of the way, from the initial sign-up to making sure payments are delivered as soon as possible after a loss. Maggie has recently become a new homeowner and has enjoyed working in her garden to grow zucchini, honeydew and cantaloupe.
In her free time, she is part of a competitive pool league. From 2008-2011, her team won the ND State Pool Championship title each year in the women’s division. Maggie also spends her summers fishing, practicing archery and reading a book in the park.
Crop Insurance Analyst
Since 2019
Emily Roen
Email: Emily @ Western-Agency.com
Emily joined Western Agency while attending NDSU and chose to continue a career in insurance to support the ag industry. She’s an asset for producers in our crop and farm department where she helps navigate the differences between each operation and make sure they have the coverage they need.
Emily’s biggest reward is being able to provide answers and support for growers in the most challenging crop years and being able to learn about different agricultural practices and varieties. Emily and her husband live on a farm south of Minot, enjoy local horse events on the weekends, doing DIY projects, and working on the long-time family farm operation.
Crop Insurance Analyst
Since 2019
Medora Bennett
Email: Medora @ Western-Agency.com
Medora joined Western Agency in 2019 as a crop data analyst. She’s our in-house, go-to data and information gatherer so our team can be a greater resource for our clients.
When she’s not digging through data, you’ll find her with her camera exploring her community and helping keep the local parks clean along the way. Medora is a fan of reading books, watching movies, watercolor painting, and the work she does at Western Agency.
Receptionist
Since 2008
Sandy Sherlock
Email: Sandy @ Western-Agency.com
Sandy has been the initial point of contact at Western Agency for the past twelve years. Working at our front desk for more than a decade, she knows the ins and outs of the insurance industry and helps our team do their best. She enjoys greeting clients at the door and on the phone, and appreciates our friendly and helpful staff.
Outside of working for Western Agency, Sandy is the bookkeeper for her family’s trucking business, Genuine Draft Transportation, Inc. She also works to maintain her husband’s old farmstead where they house their equipment by mowing the grounds, running for parts, and keeping the equipment clean.
Receptionist
Since 2022