Business & economy, In the community

For Halcoms, community service is a part of business

With any major community effort in Ontario, a Halcom likely is involved somewhere.

There may be a Halcom serving on a volunteer board.

There may be a Halcom business sponsoring an event.

And there may be a Halcom signature on a donation to a fund drive.

For that civic involvement, Halcom State Farm Insurance was named Business of the Year by the Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce. Owners Brian and Fran Halcom accepted the honor at the chamber’s annual banquet on Friday, Jan. 10.

The event comes as Brian Halcom marks 35 years in the insurance business in Ontario.

His father started in the business in 1955 but Halcom had to start out on his own, with not a single client.

He grew up watching his father run his business, taking late-night calls and working to grow his business.

“I never wanted to be in the insurance business,” Halcom said.

Instead, he studied computer information systems and accounting, working in the accounting field in southern California. He then had enough of the California life and its long commutes.

On Jan. 1, 1990, he started his State Farm agency across from the U.S. Post Office in Ontario.

“I opened up the phone book and started dialing for dollars,” he said.

He remembers his first customer.

As Halcom tells the story, he was standing outside his small office, enjoying the sunshine when a man he knew walked by. He stopped to chat. They talked about the weather, about fishing.

And then Halcom asked if the man would like a free quote for insurance.

He wrote his first policy.

His father, who died in 1995, built an office where Brian Halcom initially rented space. His agency is still at the site, at 1031 S.W. 4th Ave.

By then, he had married Fran.

She was born in Baker City but moved to Ontario as a child. She eventually went to work in marketing for Sysco, the food supplier.

“We lived off my income for quite a while as we built our business,” Fran said.

She later joined the insurance agency, handling life and health insurance lines while also functioning as the office manager.

“Brian and I work very well together,” she said. “We’ve talked about it many times – how we’re lucky.”

Brian Halcom said building the business required close attention to customer service.

“Word of mouth is terrific,” he said. “That’s just how it works in a small community.”
One aspect that can be a challenge is explaining that insurance has limits, that it doesn’t cover every loss.

“You have to be honest with people. You have to be upright,” he said. “Sometimes you have to tell them things they don’t want to hear.”

Fran Halcom said of their customers, “we’ll go to battle for them. We treat them like family.”

As the business developed, Fran Halcom took on more volunteer duties. As a teenager, her first volunteer duty was as a “candy striper” at what is now Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Ontario.

She has since served on the hospital board and currently is on the Four Rivers Cultural Center board.

“Brian always says I say ‘Yes’ to too many things. I can’t help it,” Fran said.

She and her husband are determined to see Ontario improve.

“If we don’t try, we won’t have an Ontario,” she said.

Halcom remembers better days in Ontario, when the community was “the garden spot of the lower Treasure Valley. It still can be.”

He said that “the only way we can make the community better is to go to work together” on challenges.

Brian acknowledges he leaves the volunteer board slots to his wife while he runs the business.

“I do have a checkbook,” he quipped.

And the Halcoms put it to use regularly. They are practiced donors when it comes to considering requests for their money.

“We take a hard look at who is going to benefit,” he said. “We like to see as many people benefit that can from something.”

One project they are both involved in is the new softball complex at the Ontario School District.

Fran Halcom played softball in recreation leagues when she was growing up. Five of their six granddaughters have or still do play softball, winning college scholarships to do so.

“I’ve always loved softball,” Fran said. “That’s why I’m so driven to get this softball field done.”
Brian Halcom seems a big benefit for Ontario once the complex can be put to use. He bases that on their travels to other cities for softball.

“When we go to their tournaments, the crowds are amazing. You can just think how much the community benefits from that,” he said.

The Ontario complex, behind Ontario Middle School near downtown, will have two ball fields, indoor batting cages and a concession stand. More money is needed to finish the project, with an opening expected in 2026.

“If we’re going to do business in the community of Ontario, we’re going to support Ontario,” Fran Halcom said. “And it is good business.”

Maddy has been a fixture at Halcom State Farm Insurance in Ontario for 13 years. The company, operated by Brian and Fran Halcom, was named Business of the Year for 2024 by the Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce. (LES ZAITZ/The Enterprise)
Fran and Brian Halcom work together at Halcom State Farm Insurance, which was cited as Business of the Year for 2024 by the Ontario Area Chamber of Commerce. The company was formed in 1990. (LES ZAITZ/The Enterprise)

News tip? Send your information to [email protected].

WE CAN’T DO THIS FOR FREE – The Malheur Enterprise delivers quality local journalism – fair and accurate. We depend on support through subscriptions to deliver our reports. You can read it any hour, any day with a digital subscription. Read it on your phone, your Tablet, your home computer. Click subscribe – $7.50 a month.