Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Alyse Kreiss brings customer service experience to First MainStreet Insurance
Alyse Kreiss
FAIRFIELD — Alyse Kreiss is an insurance agent at First MainStreet Insurance in Fairfield, which locals might know by its former name of Gamrath-Doyle Insurance.
As a commercial account executive, Kreiss is responsible for selling insurance and managing accounts. She specializes in commercial insurance, and her work runs the gamut of selling insurance to municipalities to school districts to mom-and-pop startups.
“We can do all kinds of insurance such as liability, auto, property, crime and more,” she said.
Kreiss was born in California but grew up in Southeast Iowa. She went to Pekin for most of her schooling but graduated from Fairfield High School in 2008. After high school, she attended AIB College of Business in Des Moines.
“I always thought of my mom as someone I wanted to be like, so I wanted to get into business management,” Kreiss said, referring to her mother, Maxine Bigelow-Myers, who today works for AERON LifeStyle Technology. “She’s always worked in a customer service position, and I grew up doing trainings with her.”
Kreiss’s first job was with Wells Fargo Financial. It was a baptism by fire for someone who was fresh out of high school, since the job required her to inform a client that they had been denied an unsecured loan, while trying to get them to refinance their home or automobile.
“At 18 years of age, there is no harder job than denying someone a loan,” Kreiss said. “I learned a lot of customer service skills from that. I learned a lot about empathy, and understanding the truth behind what people are asking for.”
After those few years at Wells Fargo, Kreiss moved back to Southeast Iowa and started work at Faircast Inc. She worked in the business’s customer service division, working closely with the vice president of sales and learning about manufacturing. After that, she transitioned into the insurance industry.
“I feel like the root of every business is customer service whether it’s internal or external,” Kreiss said. “Everybody wants to be treated with respect.”
Kreiss said the most rewarding part of her job is learning about her clients and they things they value.
“I want to learn about what they want to protect, and to assure them that they are protected,” she said.
Kreiss said that, unlike her job at Wells Fargo, she doesn’t have to tell her clients “no,” because she can always help them find a contract that is right for them.
“Insurance is a tough market this year,” she said. “When people see a major increase in their premiums, it gives us a chance to see what we can change in their coverage to make it more affordable.”
When Kreiss is not at work, she likes to spend her free time traveling, visiting the beach in South Carolina, performing community service and spending time with her family.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
