For Paige Allen Harris, family is what life is all about.

The place she calls home is rooted in family, and so is her line of work.

Thursday night, Harris was recognized as Community Leader of the Year at the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Membership Banquet.

Although many of her colleagues saw the recognition as long overdue, Harris could only say she was humbled. The evening also brought back memories of what her father built decades ago.

Harris grew up in Belhaven, and started a career in higher education at first, teaching for about 15 years in the North Carolina Community College System. In the early 2000s, however, she decided it was time for a change. Carowan-Allen Insurance sparked her interest.

“My father R.H. Allen Jr. actually started the agency in 1963 with one of his cousins; so it’s always been a family business,” Harris said. “It didn’t make sense to live in Washington and have a family business that I didn’t at least explore the idea.”

Harris’ brother Read began working at the insurance business in 1994.

Insurance turned out to be a perfect fit, and the transition from higher education was more comfortable than would be expected.

“Certainly it was a lot different from higher education. However, I found that a lot of the same skill sets for higher education teaching kind of transpired to the insurance industry,” Harris said. “If you’re doing your job as an insurance agent, you’re really educating people on what the choices are and giving them possibilities so they can make the right choice.”

Harris said it’s the clients she serves who keep her coming back every day. She enjoys hearing their stories, learning about them and helping them choose a plan.

Harris’ father passed away in 2002, but she and her brother continued to run the agency with his legacy in mind.

In 2015, a new business plan came to fruition. Local agent Michael Lee was looking to take the next steps in his career. Along with the Allen siblings, a new insurance agency was born, and so was a new kind of family.

Flatlands Insurance Group is rooted in family, and it’s also rooted in the customers it serves. The name itself is a partial nod to Harris’ father and a nod to the agricultural community.

“Our father, who again started the agency, had always referred to this area if we were out of town as, ‘Let’s go back to the flatlands,’” Harris said. “I get to work with two business partners who I like and admire more than just about anybody else in the world.”

Flatlands has three divisions: health and life; property and casualty; and crop insurance. Harris handles most of the business side, while Lee and Allen are the lead sales managers.

“At the end of the day, you helped somebody solve a problem. That’s a pretty good formula for a good day,” Harris said of why she loves her work. “It was something that my father who passed away a long time ago instilled in both Read and I: when you are given much, you need to give back.”

The business, located on West Fifth Street, is growing and thriving. Lee was also honored Thursday evening as Entrepreneur of the Year.

Rooted in family, Flatlands is built on a strong foundation, and all three founding agents hope to push it into the future. Harris said her award as community leader is not about her — it’s about the people who have supported her along the way.

“It was as much for my father and my family as it was for me,” she said.