ANDY BARTLING, FIC, LACP Community Ties Bring Success to This Advisor

Andy Bartling’s extensive work in his community has enabled him to dramatically grow his business.

By Mark Briscoe

For A ndy Bartling, FIC, LACP, 34, involvement in his community began as a necessity and evolved into a passion.

As a college intern for Modern Woodmen, Bartling reconsidered his plans to become an accountant, overcame youthful bouts with shyness, and discovered his career calling as an insurance and financial services professional.

“It was through that internship that I realized that I really liked the human interaction,” he said. “My favorite part of the day was when clients came in to see me, and I realized that’s exactly what this career is.”

Upon graduation, he became a Modern Woodmen producer full-time in Rapid City, South Dakota. And while he enjoyed the human interaction, it wasn’t always easy to find clients to interact with.

“I knew a bunch of broke college kids who had either no want or no budget for what we do,” he said. “I knew I needed to meet more people and I needed to meet the right people. For quite a few years, I really focused on networking. I tried to get really involved in my community, whether it was through our fraternal programs that we have with Modern Woodmen or networking through the Chamber of Commerce.”

Relationships The Right Way

Networking, for Bartling, is not just about making connections. He feels it is important to build genuine, meaningful relationships.

“I saw other people who I felt did it wrong,” he said. “They’re just glad-handing or they’d say, ‘Hi, I’m Andy. Here’s my business card. This is what I do.’ You’d see those people at a networking event one time and they’d never come back because they didn’t get anything from it.”

The relationships Bartling builds run much deeper. They have led to both personal enrichment and career success.

“I got married a few years ago and there were a lot of people at my wedding that, if it weren’t for this career, I would have never met,” Bartling said. “Those relationships that you build just naturally progress to opportunities for those people to become clients. The community involvement has really led to my ability to grow my business quite dramatically.”

As an insurance and financial services professional so keyed in on involvement, it’s not surprising Bartling has been very active in NAIFA since he joined in 2009. He has held several local and state leadership positions and is currently the president-elect for NAIFA-South Dakota.

“NAIFA has helped my career a lot,” he said. “It didn’t take me very long, going to just a few NAIFA meetings, to figure out, hey there are a bunch of really smart people here that have been successful for a very long time, and if I want to make it in this career, these are the types of people I need to hang around.”

The Importance Of Being Genuine

Professionally, Bartling enjoys working with clients who are as varied as the people he meets in his community outreach, from young families to retirees to small business owners. His practice offers them individually tailored service, creating unique financial plans including life insurance, health insurance, retirement planning and investment components.

A Necessity Becomes A Passion

Today, Bartling’s Modern Woodmen practice is thriving, but he hasn’t backed off on his community ties. He remains active in the Rapid City Chamber of Commerce and serves on its advisory board. He is a past chapter president, a current member of Business Network International and a board member for the Elevate Rapid City public/private economic development partnership.

Bartling also participates in six local chapters of fraternal organizations, organizing and running the chapters, along with his wife Katie, and helping with their community charity events. He works with the Lions Club to raise funds for Black Hills Works, a social services organization, and is a sponsor of Rapid City’s annual Guns-n-Hoses blood drive that encourages the public to give blood through a donation challenge issued to local firefighters and police officers.

He approaches client relationships the same way he does networking. He avoids the superficial in favor of meaningful bonds.

“People can tell if you’re being genuine very quickly,” Bartling said. “As long as you’re doing the right thing and you have their best interests in mind, you’re going to have success. Because then it’s just a matter of getting in front of enough people.”

And that’s no problem for a professional with a passion for networking and community involvement, even if, in the end, it’s not just about business, but also about doing the right thing.

“I heard somebody say one time, ‘Community involvement is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in our communities.’ And that has always struck me,” Bartling said. “It’s something I’ve always remembered, so I guess I’m just trying to keep my rent paid.”