2022 40 Under 40: Chad Astle

Chad Astle’s road to become a first-time business owner landed him in the Queen City via Florida.

Astle, 33, is owner of the lone Geico insurance office in Springfield, for which he’s grown his staff to 12, an increase of over 70% since opening in 2018. Astle says he’s reached every milestone he set for the office, including full health insurance coverage for his employees. He previously accrued management experience in the insurance industry as vice president of operations for Florida-based Fiorella Insurance Agency, from 2014-18.

In the community, Astle is active in Sunrise Rotary Club and coaches youth sports.

First job? A blueberry raker. In the summer before sixth grade, my parents would drop me off in the fields to rake blueberries all day. I wanted to buy my own computer and succeeded at the end of the summer.

What did you learn the hard way? Never doesn’t always mean never. When my wife and I started dating, she told me if I wanted to be with her that we would never live anywhere but south Florida. Thirteen years later, we moved to southwest Missouri.

Favorite TV show/podcast/book? “The Walking Dead”/The Joe Rogan Experience/“Atomic Habits,” by James Clear.

Favorite local order? Lobster mac n’ cheese and filet mignon with bearnaise sauce and a twice baked potato from Char.