Audubon County Earns An “A” From This Insurance Agent
There wouldn’t be much you could do to convince Cynthia Heller to live somewhere other than Audubon, Iowa. She was born and raised here, married her high school sweetheart and settled here to raise their family.
While it was her husband Mark’s job that was the deciding factor for keeping them in the area, their overriding preference was to give their children the same opportunities they had growing up here - great schools and the small town community feel that’s more like an extended family.
“We wanted to raise our kids in the same environment we were raised in, where we didn’t have to worry about their education or their safety,” said Cynthia. “We know and appreciate the quality of life we have here.”
Cynthia has also been able to grow her own career in insurance. She has worked locally in the insurance field for the past 19 years and is currently employed by Community Insurance Agency in Audubon where she’s been for eight years.
Having both sets of parents in the same community also contributes to their quality of life, Cynthia acknowledges. However, she’s not so sure their children’s paths will lead them back to Audubon, though she is thrilled they have both chosen to stay in Iowa. Their daughter is married and lives in the Des Moines area, a one-hour drive from Audubon. Their son is graduating from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, where he majored in finance. His new job will be based out of Carroll, Iowa, only 30 minutes from Audubon but still in Western Iowa.
The reality of job prospects in the area is, in some respects, a “catch-22.” Since people in the area tend to build longevity in their jobs, there’s a resulting low turnover in positions. So, while employers benefit, opportunities may not arise for others to come into existing businesses for some time. However, Cynthia believes Audubon is moving forward.
“There are businesses in the area that still employ a lot of people,” she says. “And there are progressive people in town who are willing to spend money on progressive projects.”
Cynthia Heller has hope that more people will recognize Audubon and the small-town quality of life that she and her family have appreciated their entire lives. “If we didn’t enjoy living here, we wouldn’t have stayed this long!”
