ABOUT MR. PETERSON

I obtained my bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Azusa Pacific University.  After graduating, I went on to develop my career as a teller at Wells Fargo Bank and worked my way up to a manager position running the Arcadia branch for a few years.   It was my knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that helped my manager at the time get promoted to the Market Area Manager position, who then promoted me within 6 months.

State Farm Insurance was branching out from insurance and were looking to hire experienced bankers to help them launch their banking and investment division.  I made the jump to work as a State Farm Agent selling casualty insurance, health insurance, life insurance, opening bank products, and helping clients invest in mutual funds.  I saw this as an incredible opportunity to increase my earning potential and learn about .

Having an affinity for commercial insurance, I make my break to work in the insurance brokerage world where I represented over 100 various insurance companies to match my clients' needs with the most competitive solutions in the insurance market.  I spent 17 years building a $2 million book of business that spanned the following industries: medical, technology, hospitality, restaurant, film and television, construction, retail, and manufacturing.  The greatest gift from this experience was working with business owners, CEOs , and CFOs and learning about the intricate details of what made their businesses successful and what their current challenges were.  At the agency, we always worked as a team to create a well tailored plan of insurance that met their coverage needs and was competitive in pricing.

During COVID I saw an opportune time to complete my master's degree in Education from National University.  It was perhaps the most difficult year and a half of my life working a full-time job and being full time in college once again.  The decision was incredibly timed as the insurance brokerage I worked for had a purchase offer from an equity firm which was accepted.  Taking the retirement option in the sale, I transitioned to my career in education and coaching which is a goal that I had planned on for some time.  

I am looking to color the classroom education of Business & Finance learning with the incredible experiences I had in the banking, investment, and insurance industry.  It is a pleasure to bring real-world knowledge and experience into the classroom  so students know what to expect when they enter the workforce and how to be successful.