20 under 40: DAVID GINGERICH

Favorite quote or saying, why?

“God promises to make something good out of the storms that bring devastation to your life.” -Romans 8:28. This is very relevant in my life right now. I lost my mom to cancer in March, and as hard as it is to not have her here to talk to about life and bounce business ideas off of, it has strengthened many of the important relationships in my life. And that is the beauty that comes from something that just plain hurts.

Community or professional highlights:

Community: Active member of Covenant Grove Church. Active member and board member of Modesto Rotary. President of the St. Luke’s board of directors, a nonprofit that treats patients that are uninsured. Board Member of the Modesto Chamber of Commerce.

Professionally: Spent 8 years in Marine Corps, traveled the world, which played a pivotal role in why I believe it is so important to give back. It also gave me a great foundation of leadership skills that transferred into civilian life. I was president of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Central Valley for two years, my professional organization that advocates for our clients and the products we sell. This year is my 10th year in the insurance business and I’m very proud of how I have and continue to serve my clients with their insurance needs.

Your life changed when:

Five major things that changed my life. 1. Giving my life to Christ. This has had the biggest impact on my life. I have a long ways to go but He is continually changing how I love and care for people, how I spend my time and money, and how I serve. 2. Marrying my wife Nicole. We met in college/career ministry at our church and became friends that grew into dating and then getting married. We just celebrated our 5th anniversary and it’s been an amazing 5 years and I look forward to many more. So thankful she said yes to being my wife! 3. Being a father. Asher, who is 3, and Anson is 9 months. It just changes how you live your life. You pay more attention to what you are doing, what you are saying (Asher is a little parrot) and why you are doing it. My wife and I never thought we could love these two little people so much and our so blessed by the laughter they bring us. 4. Becoming a Marine. Serving our country and being prepared to defend it was so important to me. It also opened my eyes to all the good all the branches do in the world. I was a part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, that led a relief effort in The Philippines, after a large mud slide wiped out a whole village. This was one of my proudest moments as a Marine. I was also very proud to be promoted to staff sergeant meritoriously. 4. Purchasing Gingerich Insurance from my parents. My parents built a great business that always operated on the fact that: A. It’s God’s business so we need to honor God in the way we conduct it(that doesn’t mean I’m perfect or don’t make mistakes). B. Apply the Rotary 4 Way Test to it. Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? C. To help as many people as possible, even when some parts of my business are very much less than profitable. This keeps in line with my belief of doing the right thing when no one is looking.

What do you want people to know most about you?

That I’m a passionate about helping people. Whether it’s mentoring young adults at church(I was blessed to lead our college/career group for 6 years), helping organizations that help combat human trafficking, finding ways to make our community better for families and businesses, and helping solve complex issues in the insurance world. Fun Fact: I’m also very proud of the fact I summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

What do you like most about living here?

I love that it is a family friendly community. I love seeing how many people strive to make Modesto and the surrounding areas better instead of just whining how bad Modesto is. Do I have to remind people that we have a top 15 doughnut shop, Mr. T’s? We have some amazing philanthropic people here that invest both time and money to make positive change happen here and now.

Why is community involvement important?

Well this has been pretty much answered in my previous answers but it is critical for people to not give in to apathy and get involved in some way. I do get very tired of hearing how bad Modesto is from so many, yet so many of those same people aren’t trying to make a difference. What if every person in our community gave just one hour a week to serve? Picking up trash, painting over graffiti, mentoring children or young adults, volunteering at The Boys and Girls Club or Youth for Christ? How would Modesto look then? I think it would look much more like the city we want it to be. I choose to be a part of Rotary to be a part of that solution but there are so many other ways as well. If you only take one thing away from this please find a way to serve in some capacity and raise your kids to have that a part of their DNA as well. That’s how we change our city, county, country and the world.

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 10:22 AM with the headline "20 under 40: DAVID GINGERICH."