Thursday, November 17, 2011
Chris Cullen opened an Ankeny office in 2010, selling insurance part time, but gave up his day job in January 2011 to work full time in the business. The company started with the family-owned business in Atlantic.
Chris Cullen is carrying on the family tradition. This member of the Ankeny Young Professionals had been selling insurance for Cullen & Associates, Inc, his family’s company, part time when he moved to town in 2009. When Chris made the move to Ankeny, it was with the idea of opening a branch office of the family business, which is based in Atlantic. He opened the office in February 2010 and continued to sell insurance part time while working full time as a territory manager for Becker Underwood, an agriculture-related company in Ames. “Our business in Atlantic had reached a point that we wanted to grow,” Chris said. His parents, Mike and Tammy Cullen, who started the business, talked with Chris about where they might expand. Ankeny made …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Amanda Petersen, branch manager of First National Bank in Ankeny, sees volunteering as part of the job and rarely passes up an opportunity to get involved.
Although she enjoys banker's hours, Amanda Petersen does not stop working when Ankeny's First National Bank closes for the day. During lunches and after business hours, Petersen builds business contacts by serving on the board for the Ankeny Building Association, fundraising for the United Way and Ankeny Area Chamber of Commerce and participating with the Jaycees. “It all started with (Ankeny) Young Professionals,” she said. Petersen, 26, a Boone native, lived in Ames for six years while working full-time as a restaurant manager and studying business at Iowa State University. Petersen transferred and graduated from William Penn University in order to keep a demanding but enjoyable job at the Ames Golf and Country Club. Petersen was hired …
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Chris Nicol, an Ankeny insurance agent, keeps active in his hometown through Ankeny Young Professionals and other groups.
Chris Nicol's job as an agent at Ankeny's Farm Bureau Financial Services not only provides him a paycheck, but also a chance to do what he loves. "My hobbies are meeting people and playing golf," said 30-year-old Nicol. The Ankeny native joined Farm Bureau seven years ago after graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in marketing, and has had his own office for more than six years. He graduated in 1999 from Ankeny High School, where he started dating his wife, Kelsey, during his senior year. The couple recently welcomed their first child, Liam. "I really like Ankeny," he said, "so I wanted to stay here." Nichol enjoys the people he meets each day, although he already knows many from growing up in Ankeny. Nicol is a member of …
Monday, August 1, 2011
Casey Carlson, the chairman of Ankeny Young Professionals, thrives with multiple irons in the fire.
Casey Carlson wears a lot of different hats in the Ankeny community. The 31-year-old is the father of three young children. He and his wife, Jodi, are active members at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Ankeny. He is a business banking relationship manager at US Bank, where he works with business owners at three branches. Carlson, a native of Granger, also sits on the board for the Ankeny Chamber of Commerce, and is this year's chairman for Ankeny Young Professionals. But Carlson looks at his many responsibilities with a positive attitude. "Our tagline is ‘you're as young as you feel’," Carlson said. In 2008, Carlson and his family moved to Ankeny from St. Louis, Mo. "We moved back to get back by family," Carlson said. "It's a good location …
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Your daily tidbits for June 10 include wine, fireworks and - bees?
1) Today marks the final day of the 2011 Ankeny SummerFest but the events are far from over. At 3 p.m. near the festival grounds, witness a bit of friendly competition at the Pros vs. Joes Water Fight. If a quiet, relaxing afternoon sounds appealing, sample a few varieties of local wine at this year's Wine Festival. The event will be held from 1-4 p.m. at Hawkeye Park. 2) Did you miss something on Ankeny Patch this week? Don't fret - check back later today for the Week in Review. 3) Just in case you were wondering, today is Don't Step on a Bee Day - pretty good advice in itself, we think. 4) There may not have been fireworks in Ankeny over the Fourth of July but tonight should make up for it. SummerFest will be brought to a close with …
