Derek Loadholtz

I began my career with State Farm in 1985 working in various areas including Operations and 10 years as a State Farm Claim Adjuster. I worked in several different offices in Jacksonville and later transferred to Tallahassee to continue my claim career which fortuitously included handling claims in the Suwannee, Hamilton and Lafayette county areas. I traveled all over the country during catastrophic claim events including tornadoes, floods, hail storms and hurricanes. One of my most memorable catastrophe assignments was arriving in Los Angeles, CA 2 days after the 1994 Northridge earthquake and assisting homeowners with their homeowner/earthquake claims. My claim experience gives me a unique perspective on assisting our customers in protecting their property and assets as I dealt daily with people who had experienced a loss that was unexpected and many times life changing.

I hold several national insurance industry designations including CPCU, ChFC , and CLU designations. I'm a member of NAIFA, the Suwannee County Chamber of Commerce, and the Rotary Club of Live Oak. I graduated from Jacksonville University with a B.S. in Business Administration.

I enjoy vegetable gardening, offshore fishing and keeping my grandfather's 1948 John Deere tractor in working condition. I still use it to plant sweet corn and watermelons on his farm which is still in the family.

My wife Debra is an integral part of the office team and business operation. She started began her career at the State Farm regional office in Jacksonville in 1981 and later transferred to Tallahassee when I transferred as part of a claim reorganization. She enjoys growing flowers, baking and fishing.

We have two daughters Kaitlyn & Morgan. Kaitlyn is a registered nurse; she and her husband recently moved from Washington state to central Florida so that he could return to manage his family's construction business. They have adopted several rescue dogs and own a number of dachshunds. Morgan works in finance; she and her husband live in Hamilton County where he works on his family farm in addition to growing his v ideography business. They have 5 dogs, chickens, 2 miniature donkeys and enjoy their rural lifestyle.