Meet Our Team
David, a native of Longview joined Gans & Smith in 1985 after starting his career as a claims adjuster with Sentry Insurance. David's background in claims and understanding his clients' needs made him a successful agent. He was named a Partner and Vice President at Gans & Smith in 1988 and President in 2012. David recently received the 2012 Chairman Award from the Longview Chamber of Commerce for his selfless and faithful contributions to the Chamber and the City of Longview. In 1993 David was named Independent Agents of Texas Young Agent of the Year. David has served on several companies agent panels. In 1996 David earned the designation Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and continues his education through annual conferences and seminars. David has dedicated himself to his profession and making Longview / East Texas a better place. David was Mayor of Longview, served 2 terms on City Council, Longview Partnership Chairman, Past President of Independent Insurance Agents of Longview, served on Independent Insurance Agents of Texas Board of Directors, coached League Baseball for over 30 years and League Soccer for 9 years. David is married to Susan and they have one son William. David enjoys travel, golf, and spending time with his family.
Kirk, returned to Longview in 1992 after graduating from Texas Tech University. Kirk began his Insurance Career in 2009 and joined Gans & Smith in 2012. He is active in the Longview community, as a member of First Methodist Church-Longview, Co-chair of the annual Friends of Asbury House Golf Tournament, active volunteer at the House of Disciples and Longview Chamber of Commerce. Kirk also coached youth baseball and youth soccer. Kirk is married to Lynne and they have 2 daughters. Kirk enjoys outdoor activities including golf, running, biking and all of the activities his family is involved with.
Born and raised in Henderson, Chrissy joined the insurance world in 2011 as a receptionist for a neighboring agency. After obtaining her license a few years ago, she moved up to a personal lines agent and transferred to our agency in May of 2017. Besides her work here at the agency, Chrissy works at staying involved with the community. She wears many hats such as being the Treasurer of the Rusk County Recreation Center and being the director of her church’s children’s ministry. Additionally, when she is away from the office, you can find her cheering for her son in his engagement of football, baseball, and gymnastics. She and her husband, Frank, take pride in their family so much so that they are beside themselves with joy as they have been set apart to foster a beautiful baby girl. When asked what she does with her spare time, she replied, “What’s that?” She then went on to state that she loves cooking for her loved ones, and has been known to share a mason jar or two of her famous salsa.
Julie Duke began her insurance career in 1997 when the bank started the agency as HCB Insurance Agency. She was a Personal Lines CSR from 1997 until she was transferred to Accounting in 2007. She has earned the Accredited Customer service representative designation in personal lines insurance. She is a member of Still Waters Cowboy Church. Julie has one son, two daughters and eight grandchildren. In her spare time she loves kayaking and camping with family and friends.
Cecilia Besson began her career in the insurance business at CFG Insurance in 2002. She obtained her Certified Insurance Counselor designation in 2016. Cecilia is a Commercial Account Manager at CFG Insurance. Cecilia is married to Brian and they have 2 teenage sons. She is actively involved in her church’s youth group and with her boys in all their activities. Cecilia enjoys cooking and being outside with her family kayaking, fishing and camping.
My name is Cheyenne Sanchez. I am a Henderson Native. I graduated from Tyler Junior College. I joined CFG Insurance as the administrative assistant in July 2017. One of the things I have found myself enjoying the most, is the constant changes of work in my position. I get to do a little bit of everything. When I am on my own time I am always with family or friends. I love the outdoors and riding around with my grandpa.