The core values emblazoned on the wall at American Safeguard Insurance include principles like take initiative, take care of each other, and if something needs done, just do it. These values are not just decoration or a sales pitch to potential clients, but the way ASI employees approach every day.
When an elderly couple suffered a flat tire and learned they did not have roadside assistance, ASI surety agent Grant Webb wasted no time in going out to assist the clients in the heat of summer to get them back on the road.
“We are a family-oriented office,” Webb said. “If my grandparents were out there and had a flat tire, I would want someone to go and help.”
The same applied when Webb drove a part to a client in Bryant or when he and Bryan Sims transported sandbags for Conway residents during massive flooding in 2019. Those values don’t just apply to ASI clients, but to one another on staff. It has enabled ASI to experience tremendous growth since its founding in 2010.
What began as a staff of seven employees has more than tripled in size to 26. In addition to a new, state-of-the-art location on Bob Courtway Drive in Conway, ASI also offers its services through an office in Mountain Home. Agent and partner Jason Smith attributes that growth to his staff.
“We are only as successful as the people we have, and we have really good people,” Smith said. “The way we retain those people is to have a good environment, a good culture where they feel supported. When things come up and our employees need to be away, that’s what they need to do. We will figure out what is on their desk.”
The staff was one of the main reasons ASI decided to build a new location, in order to provide an experience difference from a typical insurance office.
“We feel like we’ve grown from a smalltown agency to a top, regional agency,” said ASI agent and partner Jeremy Davis.
ASI now serves businesses and clients in 28 states. Even though ASI continues to grow, its direct relationships with clients are not collateral damage.
“We still have close relationships with our clients,” Tori Martin, personal lines staff member, said. “When they call us, it’s typically on our cell phones. When things happen, we are going to go to bat for them and make sure they are taken care of.”
Its commitment to serve clients is what ASI believes sets itself apart from other agencies.
“We tell our clients, we don’t want your business for two years,” Webb said. “We want to grow with them and provide a service for them for a long time and be there for them.”
ASI has also set itself apart from competitors with niche specialties, such as non-emergency medical transportation, aviation, automotive transport, oil and gas, energy and construction, as well as a separate surety bond division called Bond America.
“We knew early on we wanted to specialize in areas, and those areas really found us,” Smith said. “We will continue to identify those opportunities and niche markets.”
For more information on American Safeguard Insurance, visit americansafeguardins.com.