To many of us in the South and Midwest, the red, white, and blue logo of Shelter Insurance represents a symbol of familiarity. For those of us insured elsewhere – or not insured at all – that’s all it is: a recognizable sign that blends with all the other symbols, signs, and logos that make up the world around us.
Rarely do we stop to consider the stories that make such symbols significant to other people. And yet, things change as time goes on, making change, ironically, one of the most consistent things we experience. The result is that the things most familiar to us become more and more noticeable. Their persistence sets them apart in a world of never-ending changes, making what was once background noise an outlier that can’t be ignored.
Shelter Insurance is the perfect example of this, an emblem of the power of familiarity.
And as the world becomes more automated, people like Steve Harp take it upon themselves to stay authentic, not sacrificing the quality of their care for the quantity of convenience.
Steve Harp started his professional career as a Springdale policeman. He did this for six or seven years, taking to the streets as a patrol officer.
In 1981, an opportunity came to Steve through the district manager of MFA Mutual Insurance Company. He refused the offer because he greatly enjoyed his work at the local police department.
Later that year, however, his perspective was bound to change. After a three-day manhunt brought in officers from across Northwest Arkansas, which began with the death of an officer and one being injured, his convictions led him to reconsider. Seeing the ways in which the lives of people close to them were affected, he did not feel he could continue for the sake of his family.
He was thinking especially of his newborn son, named Justin.
Taking all of this into account, he put away the badge, reconnecting with the district manager at MFA to take the job. Shortly after, MFA Mutual Insurance Company changed its name to Shelter Insurance. This change signaled a new beginning for both the company and the Harp family, establishing what would become a legacy.
Steve quickly found success as an insurance agent. In 1983, he was invited to Munich, Germany, for an award trip attended by the top 10% of agents. He was named rookie of the year.
Steve accredits his success to the importance of loyalty. If you treat people right, they stay with you. One of his go-to sayings is, “Price is only an issue if value is absent.”
As Justin grew up, he began to show interest in following his father into the insurance business. But before that, he was a baseball player.
In 1998, the Springdale Bulldogs won the state championship in baseball with Justin Harp at first base. He went on to play baseball for Labette Junior College in Kansas.
After completing his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas, Justin joined his father at Shelter Insurance.
Inside Steve Harp’s Shelter Insurance office in Springdale, the walls are lined with plaques from awards the father-and-son duo received in their two decades working together. There’s something to be said for the strength of relationships built on helping others.
The beauty of such relationships is that their impact isn’t confined to those directly involved – it radiates outward, reaching everyone around them. Which makes the loss of someone at the heart of such a relationship all the more devastating.
In 2022, Justin became ill.
Steve had intended to hand over the business to his son. When Justin passed the following year, the loss was almost unbearable. The Harp family wasn’t sure how to go on.
Up until that point, Hunter Bewley – Steve’s grandson and Justin’s nephew – had planned on attending medical school to become a doctor. After his uncle passed, he had a change of heart.
Hunter went to his grandfather, explaining that he wanted to fill his uncle’s shoes and help with the business instead. Steve remembers the encounter well, expressing that his initial reaction was one of hesitation.
“He always wanted to be a doctor,” Steve said. “But he’s very smart, and we decided to hire him – within a month, he knew more than I did.”
Steve and Hunter have since become a team of their own, a duo reflecting past years of a father-and-son operation. Steve noted that the business will become Hunter’s when he decides to retire, a fulfillment of his original desire to hand it over to Justin.
In acknowledging how central family is to their business, Steve and Hunter make it their mission to extend this loyalty to their clients. A small way they do this is by handwriting birthday cards.
“We send about ten-to-twelve birthday cards a day, and I handwrite them all,” Steve said. “I think it’s a personal touch that people don’t see much anymore.”
Steve also highlighted the importance of having a local insurance agent. As the world becomes increasingly computerized, there is a risk of losing the connection that takes place when sitting down with one another, shaking each other’s hand, and looking each other in the eye.
There is assurance, too, in knowing the person on the other side of a phone call, or at least knowing that it is a person, rather than an artificial voice.
“I think it’s better to have a local agent,” Steve concluded. “It doesn’t have to be us, but we sure want it to be.”
The quality of care – understanding personal needs (for not everyone needs the same coverage, Steve reminded me), being present with clients in their darkest hours, and seeing clients for who they are as individuals – make the difference between life insurance, and what Steve calls “love insurance.”
Together with his grandson, Steve Harp shows our community that love is capable of transforming familiarity into something special, and a business into one big family, through all of life’s hardships.
To many of us in the South and Midwest, the red, white, and blue logo of Shelter Insurance represents a symbol of familiarity.
… as the world becomes more automated, people like Steve Harp take it upon themselves to stay authentic, not sacrificing the quality of their care for the quantity of convenience.