Behind the Shield - Shelter Insurance

Shelter Executive Vice President Dan Clapp is the chairman of the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety for 2021. Clapp and IIHS President David Harkey join the podcast to talk about what the IIHS is, how Shelter is utilizing the data from the Institute, and trends that will have effects on the insurance industry.

With the ability to move with speed and flexibility like never before, Shelter is implementing the Shelter Cloud Center of Excellence to find ways to utilize cloud based products with precision. What this means for the Shelter workforce is that it's going to help you do your job and get products to you faster. The group managing the Shelter Cloud Center of Excellence joins the podcast to give us the basics and what it means for you now and in the future.

Alexandria, Louisiana agent Ray Schrock talks about what he's done to make him one of the most successful agents at Shelter Insurance. He talks about business practices and what his "secret sauce" is to being successful.

Shelter Insurance is unlike many companies because it views each person as a valuable contributor rather than just an employee. This company wants to celebrate its employees and the accomplishments of each. The current platform used to nominate and highlight employees is outdated and run its course. With the work and feedback from employees, Shelter has developed a new appreciation platform to match exactly what employees want. Paul LaRose and Stacye Smith have overseen the entire project and stop by the podcast to give the details about what it is and how employees are going to love it.

It's not uncommon for there to be multi-generations of families working for Shelter. It's an amazing company with great benefits. However, there's something else attractive about Shelter. One family talks about what that is and why they're on their third generation of Shelter workers. This family ranges from employees to agents to retirees. You'll be amazed at how many members of their family is or has worked at Shelter.

If 2020 has taught us anything about Shelter, it’s that even in a year with losses, Shelter is as strong as ever. There are many reasons for that and one of the largest is that we are a mutual company. Shelter Reinsurance employee Lisa Gardi has presented on the benefits of being a mutual company at several conferences and talks on the podcast about what it means to be a mutual company and the benefits it brings to not just business, but to its workforce too.

Shelter's workforce is diverse with expertise, experience, and background. Every agent and employee has a unique story about how they got to Shelter and Jeff Jacke from the Topeka Branch is no different. He talks about how his life and career has been shaped by him being a Division 1 college athlete. He still uses the things he learned then to excel in his career today.

Terri Stambaugh with the Life Company gives details on the development of its new system. This system will set Life up for the future by making agents and employees more efficient and have the ability for real-time information. It's definitely considered a game-changer.

Barbara Trachsel joins the podcast to talk about her idea about what an internal social media network could do for employees and agents at Shelter. She breaks down personal stories how at a previous job the internal network helped people in a tough situation and also how it helped create even more of a community feel to the company. She knows that could be the same for Shelter.

A group of recently hired Shelter Insurance workers talk about their great ideas to keep the top talent coming to the company by changing the hiring process. These ideas led them to being chosen as winners of a contest focused on improving the future of Shelter.

You can see their video submission to the contest here: https://youtu.be/D3vYIoWTmbA