T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY State Farm Agent and Class of 2005 Marshalltown High School alum Tyler Stahlin, holding scissors, was joined by family members, staff and the Chamber Ambassadors for a ribbon cutting outside of his office at 8 E. Southridge Rd. on Tuesday afternoon. The office was previously managed by Phyllis Mazour, who retired last year.

With a young family and a strong desire to get more involved in the community where he grew up and still resides today, Class of 2005 Marshalltown High School alum Tyler Stahlin cut the ribbon on his State Farm Insurance agency office at 8 E. Southridge Rd. on Tuesday and celebrated a new chapter in his own life after previously spending over a decade at Emerson.

Stahlin spent two years at Marshalltown Community College (MCC) and then moved on to the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), but after graduating with a business degree in 2009, he was facing a particularly difficult employment market and decided to come right back home. His first job came with Independent Insurance before shifting gears, eventually landing at Emerson, but after almost 11 years, he realized he wanted to do something that offered him a better angle to be involved in the community.

When he found out longtime State Farm agent Phyllis Mazour was retiring, Stahlin expressed interest in taking over her office, and before long, a plan was in place.

“I’d been looking for an entrepreneurial opportunity as well, and this opportunity opened up. And it worked out,” he said.

He had to retake his exams, go through the interview process and go through an internship, but now, he’s ready to get to work with his four employees, some of whom previously worked under Mazour.

“To be able to give back to Marshalltown as a community. Obviously, we want to hopefully grow and be a place that people want to come and work at (and) create quality jobs here in town,” Stahlin said.

Stahlin and his wife Josie have three children — Daisy, 8, Francis, 6, and Oscar, 2. With his customer service background, he looks forward to providing the famous “good neighbor” coverage the insurance giant is known for.

The Tyler Stahlin State Farm office can be reached at (641) 753-3957. After he cut the ribbon with help from the Chamber Ambassadors, guests were invited to enjoy food and refreshments and stick around for a Business After Hours event.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.