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Edit Business | Gwyn Petrick State Farm Insurance
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About . Story Every day I wonder, "Am I really living this dream?" When a little girl grows up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pretending she will be rich and successful, but her friends see an alcoholic father and a mother stressed about paying bills on a limited income, they say, "No way, girl. Your dreams are impossible. No one in your family has even gone to college.” That didn’t matter…one little girl kept dreaming. That little girl was me. And when I left home to attend Ottawa University, I thought I was hopping on the "express" train to success. How naïve! What I thought would be the "Success Express" actually turned out to be a 36-year journey on unpaved bumpy roads. In June, 1976, by earning a degree and marrying Randy Petrick, I won the lottery. (Ironically, it would be many years before I realized I had a winning ticket.) Early in the journey, Randy and I moved to Greeley, Colorado where I began working as an accountant. I obtained an MBA in 1982, and then went on to pass the CPA exam. I thought, “I can be successful running my own accounting firm.” At least that was the plan when we moved to Westlake Village, California in 1987. Working as an accountant for Security Pacific and then for Dole Foods, I discovered a problem. I didn't like or have a passion for accounting! Fortuitously, Randy suggested I take a look at a State Farm agency opening in the West Valley. I was so miserable I thought, "What do I have to lose?" So in 1992 I opened a State Farm Agency in Woodland Hills. In twenty years, that fledgling agency has now grown to having six employees and protecting over 2,000 families. The bumps weren’t over though. I suffered a stroke and then incurred a severe leg injury while disembarking an Amtrak train. I thought I was finished. For a year my team ran the agency while I was recuperating. When I came back, it didn't seem like they needed me. They were doing wonderfully well! What was left for me to do? As I struggled with that question, a friend said, “Gwyn, it seems like you want to help people even when they don't want it." While that wasn’t exactly right (I want to help people who really DO want it!), that thought was still the impetus that began moving me from being obsessed with running my agency to being obsessed with community service work. Looking back, I realize I was in a unique (and wonderful!) position: my agency provided me the time and money necessary to being involved in non-profits. I became involved in the Valley Cultural Center, in Rotary, in Soroptimist and in the Woodland Hills Chamber. I had finally found my passion! Contributing to these organizations has been an amazing honor and has brought me so many blessings. I truly get back so much more from these organizations than I can possibly give. Oh…about that winning lottery ticket. For many years, I thought it was opening and running my State Farm Agency. But as they say, “With time comes wisdom.” The lottery ticket wasn't starting the agency; it was marrying Randy, my husband and partner in life. Randy is a truly special man and a treasure beyond measure. With him as a partner, I’ve achieved many, many of my dreams. Yes, I really am living my dream. It just goes to show you…dreams really can come true for little girls with enough faith to believe in them.
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