(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights Hunt Insurance owner Neil Hunt.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born July 11, 1977, in Baton Rouge, La.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I attended Northeast High School in Zachary, La., then college at Southwest (Mississippi) Community College in Summit and finished at the University of Mississippi in Oxford.
Q: Where all have you lived?
A: I’ve lived in Oxford, Jackson, Columbia and Pride, La.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: Here I am owner, agent, accountant, pretty much everything. Day-to-day it’s keeping up with insurance policies, making sure people’s insurance doesn’t lapse, writing new business, collecting payments, finding new business, working with referrals — I’m on the phone a lot. We offer pretty much everything that’s out there: home-owner’s, auto, commercial, commercial liability, commercial property, commercial auto, 4-wheeler, RV/camper and boat insurance. I also have a little bit of a market for health insurance.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: I was looking for a job right after 9/11 when I graduated from college, but everybody got put on a standstill. Everyone was saying, “We’re not hiring right now.” I found out about a job here in Columbia at Farm Bureau, interviewed and that’s how I got into insurance.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: I enjoy the interaction with people. Just helping people out with their needs as far as insurance goes is rewarding.
Q: What was your first job?
A: The first job I ever had was at a plant nursery, then I worked for the Department of Health and Hospitals. This was all in high school. My first out-of-college job was at Farm Bureau.
Q: Who is the person who has been most influential in your life?
A: My parents, Dana and Roxanna. They were always striving me to push forward, telling me not to give up and keep going.
Q: If you could relive one day from your life, what day would you choose?
A: I’d want to relive the day I got married. It seemed like it was a blur because it was so fast paced. It felt like it happened fast, and we didn’t really get to enjoy it. Everybody said it was a good time, but when we got through with it, it was like “What happened?” I wouldn’t mind doing it again and having the chance to really enjoy that moment.
Q: What is your spouse’s name? What does she do for a living?
A: Courtney. She’s a pharmacist at Farmer’s MedShoppe.
Q: Do you have any children?
A: Not yet.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: It would be crawfish etouffee over fried speckled trout.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: I would go to a place I haven’t been yet — in the Yukon territories in Alaska.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I like to hunt and fish, saltwater or fresh water. I hunt deer, turkey; you name it.
Q: What do you enjoy about living and working in Columbia and Marion County?
A: Most of the people are nice. I enjoy the small community aspect of it. You feel like you get to know people when you see them enough. Everybody seems familiar. I like that everything is close. We can get anything we need right here close to us in town.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: Theodore Roosevelt because I’d want to just pick his brain on what his thoughts were.
Q: Would you rather read a good book or watch a good movie and why?
A: I’d rather watch a good movie. I’m not much of a reader.
Q: What would be the No. 1 thing on your Bucket List?
A: That stems back to the Yukon territory. I want to go up there on an Alaskan big game hunt. That’s something I want to do.
Q: If you could describe your morals in three words, what would they be?
A: Honesty, trustworthiness and persistence.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: I would like to be remembered as a good listener who listens to people’s problems and a kind person.
— Joshua Campbell
Pictured Above: Neil Hunt, owner of Hunt Insurance, has worked in the insurance industry since graduating from Ole Miss. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
