"We're merging our separate agencies into three locations," Chris said. "As our company has grown, we've gotten the chance to have more family involved."

As part of the merger, both Chris and his father, Reiny, have resigned as agents with Farmers Insurance, effective July 1. They are now operating their own independent insurance agency.

"We came to the realization that in a small community it's hard to work with only one company," Chris said. "When you only have one company, you have to force people to fit a particular plan. It's like making a round peg fit in a square hole."

Now, their company will have licensures with more than 30 companies. Chris will continue to run the Pine River office, which they have expanded and remodeled.

"It's much more customer friendly," he said.

The Pine River office is also retaining all of its original staff, many of whom have been there for more than 10 years.

Chris' brother Matt is currently overseeing the Brainerd branch, which they purchased from Lee Dittmer in Brainerd, an independent insurance agent for almost 30 years. According to Chris, they purchased the Brainerd office "Because the acquisition provided the agency with much greater flexibility to meet the needs of families in the rural area served by the agency."

Reiny will still operate the Little Falls office, along with Chris' brother-in-law Cory.

"There's no such thing as leaving the business behind," Chris said of the family involvement in the company. "It doesn't do much for Christmas gatherings."

The merger is not without its setbacks. Because Chris resigned from Farmers Insurance, all of his current clients' policies must stay with the agency. They will now be working with an agent out of Pequot.

"The most difficult part is having to make that break," Chris said. "We were worried that [our clients] would feel abandoned."

Yet both Chris and his wife feel that the move is the right thing to do, not only for the customers, but for the community.

"We're much more capable of handling a typical Pine River home," Chris said. "I'm confident that the changes we've made will benefit our clients."

"The business is so family-centered," said Tina Hanneken. "And they grew up as a farming family, too. It fits the communities of Pine River and Little Falls."

Chris and his five siblings were raised on a farm south of Brainerd. After being denied a loan to build a new dairy farm, Chris' father started looking for other means of supporting his family. His great aunt was a Farmers Insurance agent and introduced Reiny to the district manager. He began working as an insurance agent in 1983.

Chris went to college to be a mechanical engineer with no intention of being an insurance agent. Halfway through college, he decided that the direction he was heading would lead him to an urban setting - a place he didn't want to be. Soon after, he was approached by the district manager of Farmers Insurance about joining the Pine River agency. In 1995, after earning his degree, Chris started at what was then the Leonard West agency in Pine River. Upon West's retirement, Chris took over the agency.

Chris is excited about the changes to come. "Hopefully, we'll look back and see that this was one of the best decisions we ever made," he said.