From Football to Insurance A
Winning Team
By Jennifer McDaniel
W
hen Zac Dickey and Brannon Green considered
opening an insurance agency in Pittsburg, Zac
knew he needed to go to his grandfather for
advice.
For Dickey, his grandfather was the definition of the
American dream, so it only made sense to pick his brain.
Years earlier, the father of six had an idea for his own
business. But with little money, he traded the family’s
pickup truck for a lathe. While machining parts during the
day, the aspiring businessman worked the night shift at a
local gas station to help make ends meet.
Two more kids, and a few clients later, the business took
off. Today, it employs 50 people, including Zac’s father,
who’s been there more than 25 years.
“When I was talking to my grandpa about this, he said,
‘You only fail if you don’t try,’ and he was really excited for
us,” Dickey said. “For someone to live the true American
dream, he was so excited to see us try to succeed at our
American dream.”
And it was that excitement that helped convince the two
former college football standouts to take the leap and start
their own agency earlier this spring.
16
A native of Pittsburg, Zac graduated from St. Mary’s-Colgan
High School with honors before pursuing a collegiate
football career at Oklahoma State University and Fort Scott
Community College. Eventually, he went on to Pittsburg
State University, where he took on the role of starting
quarterback in 2010. A year later, he led the Gorillas to a
national title during his senior season.
After graduation, he worked as a medical sales consultant
in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas before establishing
himself in the insurance industry. But after spending
more than three years in the field, Zac teamed up with his
friend Brannon Green to open Next Generation Insurance
Family.
Born and raised in Altamont, Brannon graduated
from Labette County High School in 2010. Following
graduation, he played football at Fort Scott Community
College for two seasons and later transferred to the
University of Oklahoma, where he finished his college
football career as a starting tight end.
After earning his degree, he worked as a construction
project manager in Houston. But after an opportunity to
return to southeast Kansas emerged a few years later, Green
took a marketing representative position with Federated
Mutual Insurance Co. in Pittsburg.
KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER | May - June 2017 |