He’s no Grinch: New insurance guy pays for kids to see show for free

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The new guy knows how to make a good first impression, and as far as the kids are concerned, he’s no Grinch.

Jeremy Rogstad won’t be Charles City’s new State Farm Insurance agent until Jan. 1, but he’s already making a contribution to the community.

Rogstad is buying tickets for all children coming to the 1:30 p.m. matinee showing of the movie “The Grinch” on Sunday, Dec. 9.

“I just wanted to make sure that kids who may not have the opportunity to come because of the cost of a ticket are able to come,” Rogstad said. “Kids can have a way to come for free now.”

Rogstad is in the process of moving to Charles City from Lake Mills. He will be giving up his State Farm agency in Northwood and taking over the Charles City agency, located at 717 Kelly Mall, from Tom Rouse, who is retiring.

The Charles Theatre was already planning to have a special Sunday matinee showing of the movie on Dec. 9, and Rogstad said when he called theatre manager Karen Youngerman to see if she was interested in doing something, it just fell into place.

“I support the movie theaters in Northwood and Lake Mills,” Rogstad said. “I like doing things that support the local community.”

The movie “The Grinch” will run from Dec. 7-13 at the Charles Theatre. All other showings will be at the usual 7 p.m. start time.

Rogstad, originally from Lake Mills, has been with State Farm for nine years and said he hopes there will be a seamless transition when he starts operating the Charles City shop on Jan. 1.

“Not many changes will be involved. My wife and I are excited to be coming to the community,” Rogstad said. “We will become involved in the community.”

Tom Rouse and his wife, Gail, are retiring to care for their grandkids, while the other employees at State Farm will stay. Rogstad said he and his wife, Stacie, will run the office almost identically to how Tom and Gail have.

“She really helps me on the backside, taking care of a lot of the marketing and other miscellaneous stuff that needs to be done,” Rogstad said of Stacie. The two have been married for 20 years, and have four children ranging in age from 8 to 17.

Rogstad said the family has acquired living arrangements and has been in contact with the school to get the kids enrolled. He said the school is the most important building in any small town.

“Whether its the Catholic School or the Charles City schools, all of them are important, and that’s where I’ll put a lot of focus on,” Rogstad said.