Tom joined the agency in 1996 and purchased it from his parents Brian and Florence Gifford in 2009. He holds the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation with an emphasis in commercial lines insurance. He also earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Tom now serves at the agency on a part time basis. Tom sold Gifford Insurance Agency, Inc. to long time employee Michael Beck in the summer of 2021. Tom’s main duties in his part time work include helping with larger commercial renewal meetings and giving any guidance to Michael in agency management if needed. Tom has shown amazing courage over the last 3 years as he has fought cancer and is now feeling well and enjoying life day to day.

In Tom’s semi-retirement he loves spending as much time as possible with his wife Michelle and their three girls. Tom loves to travel with this family, kayak, ride bicycle and go on walks. Tom especially loves traveling to the Black Hills in South Dakota annually to go on several hikes and enjoy the western landscape.