Insurance.
Exciting stuff, huh? Probably not for many of us.
More likely it’s just another bill to be taken care of and ignored for the next 30 days, just one more expense on the monthly ledger. And it usually is just that. That is, until something goes horribly wrong. Then, insurance might be the difference between a slight inconvenience and major trouble, and having the right kind and level of insurance can make a world of difference.
Enter Justin Ross and Treasure State Insurance, a fast-growing insurance brokerage here in Missoula whose job it is to demystify the tangled web of insurance, be it auto, business, homeowner’s or renter’s, and to make sure folks are set up with the policies they need should the unexpected come to pass.
“I mean, insurance is insurance. I think it's just as important as doing your taxes,” Justin says. “We're protecting your assets, your homes, some of the most valuable things you own. I think that's the biggest thing. Most people, in my experience, don't understand insurance, and so they trust us as the expert, if you will, to kind of guide them and help them.”
While a big part of Treasure State Insurance’s business is helping clients to be prepared, another of Justin’s roles is to be present for the community when things do go wrong and folks have to enter into the labyrinth of policies, deductibles, exclusions, liabilities, and limits. Treasure State’s lack of affiliation keeps them nimble, able to keep their neighbors’ wellbeing front and center without the demands of the bottom line.
“[July 2024] was a huge shock to people, when we had that major windstorm,” Justin says. “We got an influx of new clients because they found out that they weren’t accurately insured. They were having to fight the insurance carriers, who don’t really have their best interests in mind; it’s a business for [the carriers]. So having an independent insurance agent that can go to bat for you, to stand on your side and help you, I think is really important.”
“With all the carriers we’re appointed by, there’s not a single carrier that I work with that I wouldn’t insure myself through,” he continues. “I think that’s also important: where we’re placing you is an accurate coverage for your personal needs.”
Given the ambivalence many people probably feel about your average insurance agent, the fact that we have someone here in town who looks out for “your personal needs” is a sign that there just might be someone in the industry who really cares. It’s an industry that’s easy to mischaracterize when insurance is, again, largely unseen apart from a deduction made every four weeks out of necessity.
“When I first started, I think one of the biggest things for me was getting away from the thinking people have that insurance is like a ‘used car salesman’ kind of job,” Justin says.
For Justin, it’s the face-to-face, everyday interactions with people that really make the job, and it’s not something you’re going to get with a major corporation. Treasure State Insurance, on the other hand, sits in a small, unassuming office space on SW Higgins Avenue, and you can walk right in and talk to them.
“It’s easier to come to our office and sit here and have a conversation and actually go over your personal needs than call GEICO,” Justin says. “And when something happens, good luck. I think that’s what keeps us busy, is that people still like that personal interaction. We’re in the neighborhood, we have relationships with these people.”
“You know, with AI and things like that coming around so quickly and evolving,” he continues, “I’ve had this conversation with a lot of people in the industry: ‘when are we going to become irrelevant?’ And everybody has the same answer: it’s not going to happen. Because nobody understands insurance, they still want to talk to somebody, they still want to see our face.”
You can’t separate Treasure State Insurance from Missoula. The company was born here, and it’s the town’s tight-knit vibes that make the kind of operation Justin runs here seem almost as much a community service as a business.
“It still is what I would consider a small community,” Justin says. “I’m very old-fashioned in the way I do business. If you take care of people, they’ll take care of you. The proof is how fast we’ve grown; it’s just that we’re taking care of people and they’re telling people. The word of mouth and the community support has been great. Being a family man here in town and living here almost 20 years, it’s important to us to do our best to take care of people. Again, these are peoples’ businesses, these are peoples’ homes. They have a lot wrapped up in that.”
“We're protecting your assets, your homes, some of the most valuable things you own."
“I’m very old-fashioned in the way I do business. If you take care of people, they’ll take care of you."