Meet Bob Norton! President of the insurance division for the Norton Agency, who has lived in Hall County his entire life. Bob graduated from Georgia Tech and came back to Gainesville to work for the family business.
“…I talked to my father about it…he told me that if I wanted to come home I needed to go into the insurance side of the business because at 22 years old it would be hard for me to convince someone to buy the single largest thing they’ve ever bought in there life as real estate. So, I went into the insurance business because my dad sort of directed me to that,” Bob said.
We want to thank Bob for taking a few moments with us to tell us more about his life and love of Hall County.
Question: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County?
Answer: “My favorite restaurant in Hall County might be The Collegate. I can remember going there when I was a little kid, it hasn’t changed much. The burgers are the greatest burgers in the world and it’s just a nice, comfortable place to be.”
Q: Who’s the most interesting person you’ve met in Hall County?
A: “So, the most interesting person I’ve met in Hall county is Wendell Stark. He’s not from here, he chose to come here. He’s made a lot of money over his life and he’s so down to earth.”
Q: If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: “You know I’ve always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon, I’ve seen pictures of it, it just seems so cool. I’d like to go to the top, walk to the bottom, and I’d really like to go on the river. It seems like maybe a bucket list for me.”
Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: “My wife hates my favorite movie. My favorite movie is ‘Saving Private Ryan.’ It was so realistic and I have this endearing, special place in my heart for the military. And to watch those people go through meant so much to me and so it sticks in my mind, its the greatest movie I’ve ever seen.”
Q: What advice would you give to a crowd of people?
A: “Lately the advice I’d give a crowd of people is, patience. It seems like the world is just too fast and everybody’s in a hurry to do something. Whether it’s traffic or politics, we just need to slow down.”
Q: What might you be doing this Friday night in Hall County?
A: “You know this Friday night, I don’t know what I’m gonna be doing in Hall County, but I do know that I’m going to be with my family, Friday is a family day and whatever it is we’re gonna be doing it together.”
Q: What are your three favorite bands or musical groups?
A: “You know, I love music. I think my three favorite bands probably are Coldplay, Dave Matthews and then Zac Brown. They all seem to be storytellers in their music and that’s what I like about them.”
Q: What was your first job?
A: “When I was 14 my first job in Hall County was to work at the old Royal Theatre. It is now the parking lot between the collegiate and the high tower. I still have scars on my arm from the popcorn machine, when I was trying to serve popcorn. That is probably the most nostalgic place for me, it made such an impression on me to work in my first job.”
Q: If you could have lunch with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
A: “So, if I could have lunch with one person dead or alive it would probably be, President George W. Bush. The reason is because, he sat in the highest seat in the land when the tragedy of 9/11 happened. I would love to be able to ask what lead up to that and what took place after that. I think if there was  a seat at the table after to join us, it would be Abraham Lincoln. The reason is because, again that’s one of those periods in our history that seemed to be so traumatic for everyone, whichever side of the fence you sat on. To be able to hear the back stories and what was actually going on politically in those times would be really interesting.”
Q: What do you love most about Hall County?
A: “What I love about Hall County is its proximity to everything else that is cool. Like I can go to Atlanta, the mountains, the lake, or the mall. It’s so cool that we are so close to all the things that I like to do.”
Q: What will you do when you retire?
A: “I get asked a lot what I’m going to do when I retire. My dad is 89 years old and has retired, but not really stepped back from anything. So, in five to 10 years I see myself doing exactly what I’m doing now. I love what I do and I don’t think that I want to do anything differently.”
The Faces of Hall County is a project to showcase the amazing people that live or work in our community. If you would like to nominate an interesting person to be featured please email babernathy@gonorton.com.