Who is Marty Haynes?

 

A little bit about me…

I was born and raised right here in Lancaster, SC, the oldest of three boys, to Hal and Jean Haynes. Like most families in our community back then, mine worked at Springs Industries. It was a good, middle-income upbringing — though I’ll admit I didn’t fully appreciate that until I was older.

When I graduated in 1987, I knew one thing for certain: I wanted to build a life beyond the mill. What that life would look like, I wasn’t entirely sure yet.

So I took a leap. I’ve always loved jets, so in January of 1988 I left for San Antonio and Basic Military Training with the U.S. Air Force. Life has a sense of humor, though. I’d enlisted with a six-month wait before reporting — and you can probably guess where I spent those six months. Back at Springs Industries.

Anyone who’s served might remember the “Dream Sheet” — the list of bases you’d love to be stationed at. Mine was full of sunshine: every base in Florida and Hawaii. They call it a dream sheet for a reason. They sent me to Plattsburgh Air Force Base in upstate New York, about 17 miles from the Canadian border. That first winter, I about froze to death..

I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Serving taught me what it means to be a responsible man and to give something back to the country I love. I made friends I still have to this day. And here’s the part I’m most grateful for: if I hadn’t served when I did, I might never have come home and met Rachel.

Who is Kayla?

In March of 2001, Kayla B. Haynes was born, and our lives changed forever. If you’ve ever had a child, you know exactly the kind of love I’m talking about.

By then, I’d already spent eight years in the insurance business at Cigna Healthcare, learning the trade and discovering how much I cared about helping people through it. So when I started HFC Insurance about a year and a half after Kayla came along, I wasn’t starting from scratch — I was building on a foundation I’d worked hard to earn.

Owning my own agency also gave me a freedom most jobs never would have — the chance to be there with Kayla throughout the week. I’ll admit it: I logged a lot of hours at the Chick-fil-A playground.

For some reason, time speeds up once you have kids. Rachel and I watched Kayla grow into a beautiful young woman — a precious soul God blessed us with. In May of 2024, she graduated with her nursing degree. We have no doubt God will bless her work caring for and serving others for years to come.