DARLINGTON — Country Financial has found a new home in Darlington, and it’s situated right in the heart of Main Street.

“It’s a perfect spot right here on Main Street with a bunch of other businesses. Plenty of traffic and things to do,” said Hunter Johnson, agent and manager of the local office. 

The agency is located at 210 Main Street, right down by the river. In fact, Country Financial will hold an open house at 4 p.m. on June 8, the same night of Laps for Canoe Fest. Johnson said they will have vendors and serve food.

Johnson is a Darlington native, well known in the town for his time as running back during the four-year stretch the football team reached four straight state championship games (2013-16). He had two seasons of over 2,000 rushing yards and amassed nearly 5,600 rushing yards and 98 TDs in three seasons on varsity. He was named the state’s top running back and offensive player as a senior. He later went on to play three seasons with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Despite being separated by just an hour in the car, the atmosphere in Madison is almost a night-and-day difference to Darlington, which is what brought Johnson home after he finished college.

“I like being closer to family, and I just like the people of Darlington so much — and the people of southwestern Wisconsin,” he said. “You get a chance to explore bigger cities and people with far different views than you have. It was a culture shock — Madison is much different from Darlington. But I like the familiarity, I like the people. I still like the people in Madison, it’s a great city and there is so much to do, but in the end it came down to family and the community we’re in.”

When he brought his agency back home, he was going to need a good No. 2 person to help him out. It just so happened that his workplace No. 2 has been his No. 2 all along: cousin Trevor Johnson.

“We grew up about a mile apart,” Hunter said. They are just about six months different in age. “Ever since we could run we’ve been doing the same things together as we’ve grown. From going to church to eating at each other’s houses, sleeping over, same sports. (College) is probably the first time we did our own things.”

Trevor went a different route post high school than Hunter did. He found his way to Clarke University in Dubuque, playing basketball for a semester and then transferred to UW-Platteville. 

“Then I figured out that school just wasn’t for me, and then I started a lawn care business and did that for two years,” Trevor said. 

He also worked at the local funeral home for a bit. Eventually, though, the draw of working with Hunter was too strong.

“It all kind of came back full circle,” Hunter said. “As I graduated and started the agency here, we were hanging out over winter break and he approached me about a possible opportunity to work together and grow this business, and that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”

Their mix of friendship, family and on-the-field chemistry has transitioned smoothly in the office.

“When you decide to bring on a family member (into the workplace), you kind of have to ‘know’. Family is tough and it can sometimes be tough to work together. But I was confident and knew we could make this work. There’s no concern — we know each other extremely well,” Hunter said.

Trevor is a licensed agent, but with Country Financial he serves as Client Acquisition Specialist. In that role, he has the flexibility to create his own work schedule and can more freely leave the office, while Hunter stays back to hold down the fort.

He said so far it’s been a lot of learning in his first few weeks on the job, but that’s a good thing and to be expected.

“He’s a good teacher. He knows his stuff pretty well and makes it easy to learn,” Trevor said.

Having two Darlington-born and raised agents is something Hunter thinks will help his clients. They understand the area and the concerns and interests of the local residents, which in turn helps them find more optimal plans for their clients.

“We know what Darlington is about, and it’s about the community. Everyone knows each other and is here to help each other. It’s easy to get along with everyone,” Trevor said. “There is a lot this community has done for us growing up, and it’s nice to come back and get to help the community out in different ways and give back.”

Hunter said he had a friend from college that interned with Country Financial and gave a glowing review. Hunter had always thought about a career in sales because he likes interacting with people, but he figured it might be more with medical supplies. But with a wedding on the horizon and a spouse letting him know to figure it out quickly, he reached out to Country Financial. 

“I really liked what they had to say, and I really liked the company. I tell people all the time, I didn’t pick this company for no reason — it wasn’t because somebody knew somebody — I did my research,” Hunter said. “I knew I would be coming home and working with people I knew, and I wanted a high quality company to back me and back up my clients. I wanted to do the best for the people in the community, the people I get a chance to work with, and that’s why I picked Country Financial.”

Country Financial is one of the largest firms in the United States. They service clients in 19 different states, and Hunter said a lot of the plans include home, auto, life, retirement, business and crop insurances. JD Power & Associates rates Country Financial No. 5 in the U.S. in home insurance, and second in auto insurance in the Midwest.

“That was a selling point for me,” Hunter said. “When I did my training, it was all about protecting people — not penny-pinching or price. We are here to protect our clients.”

Country Financial is owned by the Illinois Farm Bureau, and is just one of 15 companies approved for crop insurance across the country by the USDA.

To get a hold of the Country Financial office, call 608-277-0106 or go to https://agents.countryfinancial.com/usa/wi/darlington/hunter-johnson.