Takes Detour on Path to Retirement
Sometimes retirement plans fall into place easily. And sometimes they don’t. In 2024, after owning his American Family Insurance Agency for nearly 30 years, Matt Glaser began contemplating life’s next big step. His wife, Shelley, had been retired from teaching fourth grade since 2020, and they were new grandparents. Glaser notified the insurance company in August that he would retire in March 2025, thinking six months would be plenty of time to name a successor and make the transition.
Shortly after the announcement, however, Glaser’s brother, Robert, had his initial consultation for a double-lung transplant. He needed a partner for this life-saving journey and Matt quickly joined him.
Before the surgery, they traveled from his brother’s Galesburg home to Chicago many times for testing and other preparations. By the time the Jan. 25 transplant date arrived, they had a short-term lease on an apartment near Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
During the first month, Glaser made a few trips back to Macomb while his brother was in the hospital and, later, a physical rehabilitation center. After Robert was released in late February, the brothers remained in the apartment and worked together on his recovery. In late May, they returned to their homes. Robert continues physical therapy and is doing well.
Matt Glaser’s retirement date came and went when he was in Chicago. While he was gone, Jennifer Robinson, Carthage branch manager for Glaser’s agency, was appointed as the new agent/ agency owner in February. And now Glaser is back in the Macomb office a few hours every week.
Career development Glaser, 65, grew up in London Mills, where his 95-year-old mother lives in their family home. He earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management at Eastern Illinois University in 1982 and was hired as a route supervisor at Pepsi- Cola in nearby Mattoon. After becoming engaged to his wife, he began looking for a job closer to London Mills and Canton, her hometown.
The next decade continued to be eventful. In 1983, Glaser began working as a manager for the Anheuser-Busch distributor in Galesburg. He and Shelley were married the following year, and Glaser was transferred to the distributor’s Macomb location in 1986. Their son Kyle was born in 1988, and Brett was born three years later.
“In my mid-30s, I got antsy,” said Glaser, who by that time had earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Western Illinois University. “I wanted to go into business for myself. I wasn't particularly unhappy, but I just knew I didn't want to do what I was doing for the rest of my life. So I took a leap of faith and got my insurance license.”
The decision wasn’t instantaneous.
“I told Shelley about it, and she said, ‘We're not going do that.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you’re probably right, but it’s something worth taking a look at’.”
Glaser responded to an advertisement regarding the introduction of an insurance company to McDonough County.
“I saw an opportunity to start something from scratch,” he said. “They (American Family Insurance) were going to put up a sign in Macomb and I thought, ‘Somebody’s name is going to be on that sign. It might as well be mine’.”
He continued, “When I started in the insurance business, the rule was 20 percent of agents that started were successful in the business and 80 percent failed. At that time, American Family Insurance provided financial assistance to agents who were starting agencies from scratch to help make them successful. With that program in place, it flipped the industry standard to an 80 percent success rate. That was one of the things that attracted me.”
After an interview with the company’s district manager, Glaser completed training and testing, and became licensed in November 1995.
Glaser opened Macomb’s first American Family Insurance Agency the following month at 216 N. Lafayette St., which is now the location of Mosaic. Then the business moved two doors down to the former location of The Enchanted Florist. After years of renting, Glaser wanted to own his office space. In 2010, he purchased a former home that had been rezoned for commercial business at 926 E. Jackson Street.
A changing industry Based in Madison, Wisconsin, American Family Insurance began as Farmer’s Automobile Insurance Company in 1927.
“Herman Wittwer, the guy who started the company, sold insurance to farmers who only drove on country roads,” Glaser said. “Automobiles were just starting to become a thing and he knew people would need liability insurance.”
Besides providing vehicle insurance, which has grown from Model Ts to motorcycle, boat, camper, ATV and snowmobile coverage, the company offers property, life, commercial and farm insurance.
Glaser said increasing weather-related claims are the biggest change he has seen in the local insurance industry, particularly the last 10 to 15 years. He remembers instances of hail and wind damage by the date – February 28, 2011; March 17, 2012; April 8, 2020; June 29, 2023.
The increasing complexity of automobiles paired with distracted driving from cellphones also has driven insurance claims.
“A bumper isn’t just a bumper now. It’s a camera, it’s a sensor. A mirror is a lane-departure device,” he said. “These things are meant to keep the car safe, but when you do get in an accident, there’s more to repair.”
Distracted driving related to cellphone use, including texting, also has led to increased litigation in bodily injury claims.
Glaser said the value of insurance extends beyond the policyholder to the community.
“I don't think people realize the economic value of insurance products and what they put back in to the community,” he said. “Besides employing people, they support auto body shops that repair vehicles; contractors and lumber and other supply companies that do building repairs. I think body shops will tell you that almost all of their income comes from insurance.”
Career fulfillment
The “family” in American Family Insurance extends to the people who have worked with Glaser during his nearly 30-year career. Current staff members are Jeff Semonis, with 22 years of service, and Tami Clarke, who has been with the agency for seven years. Former employees are Larry Botts, Aly Corley, Jackie Foxall, Anna Gailbraith, Shelley Glaser, Tana Hennings, Jaymee Morris, Terri Nielson, Louella Peterson and Dana Wesley.
“I have a lot of gratitude for the people I have worked with and my customers,” Glaser said. “I’ve had many customers for years. Most are from Macomb, and McDonough and Fulton counties, but some are in Chicago and St. Louis. They started here and stayed with the agency after moving because they liked us, they trusted us and they wanted to maintain that relationship.”
The “retired” Glaser works 15 hours a week.
“Somebody asked me the other day how long I’m going to do this,” he recalled. “I said, ‘As long as I'm able and as long as they'll have me.’ We'll see what happens.”
Retired life
Having been grandparents for less than two years, the Glasers already have made many trips to their grandchildren near Chicago and in Pittsburgh.
“We’re able to travel and help them out,” Glaser said. “I can work from anywhere. This was part of the attraction of retiring. I know almost everybody I'm dealing with and they know me.”
One thing he can’t do from home is accompany his brother to appointments and procedures related to the lung transplant. The pair continue traveling to Chicago together. In that respect, the long-time insurance agent is providing long-term assurance fueled by love for his family.
