By Mary Owen
In the early 1980s, Ron Lierman traded a firefighting career to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“I was looking for a change of employment, and asked my dad if there was a possibility of becoming an agent for Farmers Insurance,” Lierman said. “My father, Wayne, started the first (Stayton) Farmers Insurance Agency in 1960 on Washington Street. He had asked me on more than one occasion if I would like to become an agent, and each time I had told him no. I think that when I finally asked him, he was taken back a bit, but, also glad that I had asked.”
Born and raised in Stayton, Lierman entered the U.S. Army in 1969, married his wife, Pam, in 1970, and after a tour in Vietnam, was discharged in 1972. He returned to Stayton and attended Chemeketa Community College, earning an associate’s degree in fire technology.
“I then went to work for the Woodburn Fire Department,” Lierman said. “In 1974, I was hired by the city of Dallas (Oregon) as their first fire inspector.”
After changing careers, and finishing the required training for the state of Oregon and Farmers, Lierman joined his father and fellow agent, Wilma Shelton in 1983.
“At that time, our office was located on North Third Avenue,” he said. “They had been there a number of years, and as all of our agencies grew, we found that we were needing more room. We moved to the current location on North First in 1990.”
Lierman bought the business from his father in 1993.
“At that time, Farmers would only allow an agent to sell his business to a family member,” he said. “As of 2103, an agent can sell to another agent that meets Farmers’ criteria.”
Now retiring himself, Lierman took advantage of the change and sold his business to Farmers agent Mike Boschler, a move he considers fortunate.
Boschler opened his own office in Sublimity with Shelton in 1999, and since taking over the agency after her retirement in 2002, grew the agency from one staff member to a team of four full-time and three part-time employees. He takes over Lierman’s agency on April 1.
“My current staff will remain the same, and Ron’s staff will continue working with us,” said Boschler, a four-time honoree for Farmers President’s Council for “sales, service and community involvement.”
Lierman said highlights of his career are many.
“Due to contests that were sponsored by the company, I have been to the Super Bowl, Canada, Mexico, Las Vegas and many other places at the company’s expense,” he said.
His greatest highlight was being with his family, Lierman said.
“I have been able to be at almost all of my daughter’s athletic events, traveled to distant tournaments, and taken time off to be at the hospital when each of my six grandchildren were born,” he said. “This is only possible when you are self-employed and are lucky enough to have a wonderful staff that can take care of things while gone for either an hour or for two weeks. My staff, Renee Hendricks and Mary Rambo, will both be staying on with Mike’s operation.”
Lierman said his soul purpose in life is to “be of help to my fellow mankind.”
“When I was in the fire service, my main goal was to save at least one life in the performance of my duties,” he said.
“Accomplished! Even after leaving Dallas, I was given credit for preventing a homeowner from entering a very dangerous situation because through my fire prevention activities, a fifth-grade student stopped his father from entering the home because I had always preached, ‘NEVER enter into a burning building.’
“It has been my hope and goal since I started my career with Farmers to provide the best possible advice to my insured’s and even clients of their agents.”
Sometimes people are hard to convince of what to insure, but Lierman said one client who lost belongings and property to a fire was “made whole again” because of adequate coverage.
“I honestly feel that the greatest testimony is that my career allowed me to deal with some of the absolutely best people in the entire country, and those are the people in Stayton, Sublimity and the Santiam Canyon,” Lierman said.
“People have asked me what I am going to do when I retire,” he added. “My response is that I am going to have six Saturdays and one Sunday a week.”
The Liermans are planning to spend additional time at their Detroit Lake home.
“I also plan on going fishing more often,” Lierman said. “And chase the little white ball out at Santiam Golf Club. These things will all be worked around the activities of my grandchildren.
“I know that it is not going to be possible to thank everyone,” he added. “I must thank my wife for putting up with all of the crazy hours we have had to deal with early on in my career. Without the influence, encouragement and knowledge that my father provided me, I could never have made it in the past 32 years. Thanks, Dad.”
Lierman said he will miss dearly all his wonderful clients.
An open house will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. at the office on April 2-3 for Lierman’s retirement and to welcome Boschler to the agency. For more information, call 503-769-3476.
