Grange Insurance's Doug Sharp on the joys of being a regional

Regional insurance companies–those with an established presence in a limited number of states–are often lauded by independent agents as being more focused, easier to work with and closer to the customer than some of the bigger national or global carriers. Grange Insurance, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, prides itself on its Midwest footprint and the fact that its only distribution stream is its more than 16,000 licensed independent agents at more than 3,000 agency locations.

Doug Sharp, vice president of agency relations at Grange, spoke with AA&B about the company’s distribution strategy, “Heartland” focus and how these attributes make Grange well positioned for growth, in good times and bad.