When she visited the Summerville area, Sarah Beem saw the potential of its growth and wanted to be a part of it.

Beem is originally from Greenville. She previously worked in property management and the equine show circuit for eight years, which she left to pursue starting her business.

While living in Greenville she saw what happened to the city when BMW was established; Greenville became one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.

When space for her business became available in the Cane Bay area, she was so unsure of starting in that location, but learned Volvo was coming and predicted Summerville’s growth would be just like the booming Greenville area.

She decided to proceed with setting up shop as the Sarah Beem State Farm insurance agency in Cane Bay. The business opened in August 2015.

“I wanted to get in early so I could grow with our community,” she said. “I can’t say it was easy waiting, however, what kept me going was knowing it would pay off.”

It first proved to be a little daunting; Beem said the biggest but best challenge she has faced has been the location of her business.

And then she was right – her location selection paid off.

“We started here in Cane Bay when we were lucky if we saw someone walking by,” she said. “Now we are in the middle of a growth boom.”

Beem has a passion for helping people. She alluded to something her grandfather told her: “Do something that you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Her dream career came to fruition when took the opportunity to work for State Farm, and she has never looked back.

State Farm was founded in 1922 by George Jacob Mecherle in Bloomington, Ill. as a way to provide farmers in Illinois auto insurance at competitive rates.

In 1942 State Farm became the number-one auto insurance company in the country.

Beem has a similar goal with her own office: her five-year goal for the office is to be locally known as the go-to insurance company.

“Our mission is to create a successful office environment by empowering ourselves and customers through proactive learning and meaningful conversations,” she said.

The Sarah Beem State Farm office provides auto, home, property, business, life and health insurance to clients. 

Not only does her agency insure Cane Bay residents; it also offers the same services to Nexton, Carnes Crossroads, Goose Creek, Moncks Corner and Charleston residents.

She said one thing her business offers that most residents do not know about is that they enjoy giving back to the community — whether it is volunteering their time or giving to different non-profits to help others in need, such as Meals on Wheels of Summerville or the Cane Bay YMCA, both of which the office has been heavily involved in.

She said one thing that sets her team apart from competitors is that her team is actually bilingual.

“Our team goes above and beyond for our clients,” she said.

Sarah Beem State Farm has several clients who speak only Spanish and without the office being bilingual, the team would not be able to help these customers. Beem said her team will meet with clients and keep flexible hours since they know not everyone is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Our team goes out of our way to meet with our clients and to educate and guide them through the insurance selections, helping fill the gaps that most don’t see,” she said. “I personally have had times when I have been called in the middle of the night due to a catastrophic loss in the home of our clients and we are able to go right to the client to prove them with a check when this is a covered loss.”

She has a lot of favorite customer experiences, so it is hard to choose one. She recalled a time when a client had just purchased a health insurance policy and a week later he fell out of the third floor of a parking garage.

“We were so thankful that we had helped him prior to this accident,” she said.

Beem is certified in CPR. Beyond her office hours, she is still very active in equestrianism: She has more than 25 years in equine training for dressage and hunter jumper sports. She also enjoys deep sea fishing and the aquaculture of coral.

Sarah Beem State Farm is located in Cane Bay at 1724 State Road, Suite 4B and can be reached at 843-879-0349.