| In the late 1940's, the dream of two well respected men in Walnut Ridge was to open an Insurance & Real Estate Office. D. Leonard Lingo, a well known attorney (Ponder & Lingo, Attys), and Robert H. Smith, Sr., a prominent farmer & banker, opened the doors of Lawrence Agency in 1948. Lawrence Agency, Inc. had its beginnings & shared offices with Ponder & Lingo Law Office in downtown Walnut Ridge at the corner of N.W. 2nd & Walnut Street in the Bridges Building. Later Lawrence Agency moved into a portion of the First National Bank on West Main Street, where it remained for many years. As the Agency grew, they moved back into the same office in the Bridges Building that they had previously occupied. As the years progressed, the Agency incorporated & a 2nd generation of the family joined the Agency. In 1968, Ted Coker took over as Manager of both the Insurance & Real Estate. His wife, Martha (Lingo) Coker, joined the Agency as a licensed Real Estate Broker in 1978. She obtained her GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute) several years later & served as State President of the Women's Council of Realtors in 1987. As the Insurance & Real Estate business grew, there was a need for more room, & in 1987, the office relocated to their present location at 124 West Main Street. The 3rd generation, Ted & Martha's son, David Coker, joined the Agency with both insurance & real estate licenses. Several years ago David became Manager of the Insurance Department & Ted remains the Principal Broker in the Real Estate Department, with Martha as Executive Broker & Real Estate Office Manager. Several years ago, the Agency was able to purchase the office building adjoining theirs & now the original office handles all the insurance & the new building is the central location for real estate. At the present time there are 3 other Realtors, in addition to the Coker family- Sarah (Mrs. Chris) Harper; Brenda ( Mrs. Larry) Singleton & Jean (Mrs. David) Baltz. Lawrence Agency, Inc. is proud to be a member of the following: * National Association of Realtors (NAR) adhering to a strict Code of Ethics * Arkansas Realtors Association (ARA) serving on several committees the past 14+ years * Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, with Martha & David both past presidents * Professional Insurance Agents of Arkansas (PIA) with Ted & David both past State Presidents |