Houlton office of MetLife opens on Kendall Street

    HOULTON — Opening your own business isn’t always simple, but for Alex Hutchinson, it seems meant to be.
Pioneer Times Photos
METLIFE AUTO & HOME — Alex Hutchinson, pictured at right, is a licensed agent with MetLife Auto & Home and opened the Houlton office in March. He is currently offering a range of insurances including homeowners’ insurance, as well as, auto, snowmobile, ATV and motorcycle insurance.
    “Everything really just seemed like it fell into place,” says the new property and casualty specialist with MetLife Auto & Home.
    Hutchinson, who had spent the last six years working in auto sales, said that within roughly a month’s time everything started coming together. His first day for MetLife was March 10 and he’s now operating from an office on Kendall Street.
    “I had worked for myself most of my life and I wanted to do that, but I still wanted to stay in sales,” he explained. “So, I did some research and ended up working for MetLife.”
  Fully licensed to offer homeowners’, auto, snowmobile, ATV and motorcycle insurance, Hutchinson said he’s already had a strong response from the community.
  “It’s been great,” he said. “A lot of people were stopping in even before the signs went up — just to see what was going on here or saying they’d heard I was opening an insurance company and wanted to stop in for a quote.”
    Getting a quote or switching insurance carriers doesn’t have to be a hassle. The public is more than welcome to stop in and see what MetLife has to offer, Hutchinson said.
    “A lot of people have been with their present carrier for years and just want to see what else is out there,” he said. “We’re very competitive … and where we really shine is on insurance for mobile homes and double wides.”
    Hutchinson said he’s been enjoying the professional change.
    “I really like it. It’s almost like being self-employed; you have the independence, but you’re still under Met,” he explained.
    Over time, he said he’s hoping to bring a few of his family members into the business, too.
    “I’m hoping that my daughter will be joining me once she graduates,” he said. “I also have a son that’s interested in getting into the life and disability part of the insurance. That way we could offer the whole range of insurances. My plan to begin with was to get licensed for the whole line of insurances, but I’m finding that auto and home are more than enough to keep me busy.”
    Currently, customers who are interested in life and disability insurances can set up appointments in the Houlton office with a Presque Isle area MetLife agent.
    Overall, Hutchinson said his goal is to offer competitive prices and quality service for customers.
    “I’ve been in this area all my life and I know quite a few people,” he explained. “But even though I’m new at this [business], MetLife has been around for 138 years and we do have good products to offer.”
    For more information, visit the Houlton MetLife office at 1 Kendall St. (formerly the Houlton Photo Lab) from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office can be reached by calling 532-2221 or via e-mail at carguy0295@hotmail.com.