Employee Spotlight: Melissa Sustarich

Melissa Sustarich is a Personal Lines Account Executive for Hub Mid-South. She started her insurance career at an agency in Anchorage, Alaska (InsuranceMart) in January 2000, by chance, thinking she would just give it a shot and see how she liked it. She became licensed in P&C and Life & Health there.

In January 2005, Melissa decided she was done with the cold weather in Alaska, and it was time to move somewhere south and try something new. Her intention inmoving to Nashville was to go back to school to pursue a career in the medical field. She applied for a job at The Crichton Group to just get her through school. Within a month or two of starting at The Crichton Group she decided that this is where she was meant to be and what she was meant to be doing.

In January 2005, Melissa decided she was done with the cold weather in Alaska, and it was time to move somewhere south and try something new. Her intention inmoving to Nashville was to go back to school to pursue a career in the medical field. She applied for a job at The Crichton Group to just get her through school. Within a month or two of starting at The Crichton Group she decided that this is where she was meant to be and what she was meant to be doing.

Melissa started as an Account Manager in the CORE department of Personal Lines in September 2005 and was promoted to Account Manager III in 2017. She then moved to the Private Client Unit shortly after that in 2018. In January of 2022 she was promoted to Account Executive. Melissa has completed several designation programs in the past 22 years including CISR, CIC, CPCU and API and is currently working to obtain her CPRM designation.

Melissa is married with two children, Corina (19) and Ava (7). Her husband was her middle school crush from Alaska. She reconnected with him in July 2011. He and Corina (daughter) moved to Nashville in 2012 and they were married in 2013. In 2014 they had Ava and then in 2019 Melissa formally adopted Corina. Both girls have danced competitively for the past several years so that has kept them super busy. Now they are down to just one dancing as the other has graduated high school and is now in college at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

Getting to know Melissa:

Q. What lead you to a career in insurance?

A. I was working in the finance department at a car dealership putting in a lot of late hours and a guy who worked for a local insurance agency often came to the dealership to write policies for those purchasing cars but did not have insurance. We had several conversations and he mentioned that his wife was the office manager of the insurance agency he worked for, and they were hiring. I agreed to meet with her to see what it was all about and ended up accepting a job.

Q. If you weren’t working right now, What would you be doing?

A. I would be baking! I love to bake for my family and friends and have been expanding my horizons with fun birthday cakes and other treats.

Q. What is one goal you have for 2022?

A. My main goal this year is to prove myself in my new role as Account Executive and exceed everyone’s expectations, including my own. I look forward to working with producers this year and cultivating new relationships and referral sources.

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