Trusted Choice · Big "I" Member Since 1991 · Beacon Ridge Since 1987
Independent Insurance · Westerville, Ohio · Since 1987

Personal. Business. Life. Twenty-two carriers. One agency.

Richard Halstead, CIC, CPCU · Emily Halstead-Garber, CIC, AAI · plus seven producers and three account managers.

TRUSTED
CHOICE
Trusted Choice Independent Insurance Agent
BIG I
Big "I" Charter Member IIABA since 1991
22 Carriers Represented
★ 4.8
GOOGLE
4.8 · 218 reviews Google reviews
What independent actually means

The captive agent is selling the company's appetite. We're selling yours.

An independent agency is appointed with multiple carriers. Each carrier has its own "appetite" — the kinds of risk it wants to write and the kinds it doesn't. When your renewal comes due, we don't just hand it back to one company. We shop the specific risk — your house, your driving record, your business class code, your specific liability exposures — across the carriers whose appetites fit.

A captive agent doesn't have that option. A State Farm agent sells State Farm. A Nationwide agent sells Nationwide. When the company's appetite changes — when they non-renew everyone in a flood zone, raise rates 22% in a single cycle, or stop writing teenage drivers in your zip code — the captive agent is along for the ride.

"Where a direct writer is beholden to the promotions and policies passed down from their leadership, they are limited to only what's available at that moment through their company. We're independent because the alternative is to sell whatever the home office tells us to sell." — Rich Halstead, CIC, CPCU · Founder
Captive Agent
Independent Agency
1 carrier
22 carriers
Fixed appetite
Full-market appetite
No shop at renewal
Renewal rotation
Stuck if rates spike
Re-shop or move

We're appointed with 22 carriers.

Personal lines, commercial, and life — across regional Ohio mutuals, national majors, and specialty markets.

Cincinnati Insurance
Travelers
The Hartford
Erie
Auto-Owners
Westfield
Grange
Donegal
Liberty Mutual
Progressive
Safeco
Nationwide
Acuity
BH GUARD
Encompass
MetLife
Foremost
Hagerty
Mutual of Omaha
Principal
The Standard
Auto-Owners Life
"We moved our HVAC business and our home onto Beacon Ridge last spring. Rich rewrote the commercial onto Cincinnati Specialty, saved us $11,400 a year on the GL alone. Same coverage, better Workers Comp. We hadn't even known we were over-insured on the captive side."
— Mark Reichert · Owner, Reichert Heating & Cooling · Westerville, OH
Our team

Five producers. Three account managers. One agency.

Richard Halstead

CIC · CPCU

Founder & Principal

Emily Halstead-Garber

CIC · AAI

Principal

James Connell

CIC · CPCU

Commercial Producer

Patricia Beauchamp

CLU · ChFC

Life & Benefits

Marcus Tao

CISR

Personal Lines

Linda Schramm

CIC

Commercial Producer

Jenna Whittaker

AINS

Personal Lines

Karen Brennan

CISR

Personal Account Manager

Meet the full team →
Commercial appetite

We write commercial across these industries.

A non-exhaustive list — but the verticals where our placement experience runs deepest.

Trades & Contractors

HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, general contractors. Heavy on GL, Workers Comp, commercial auto, and contractors' tools & equipment.

See coverage →

Restaurants & Hospitality

Full-service restaurants, quick-serve, bars, and small lodging. Liquor liability, business interruption, and spoilage coverages dialed in.

See coverage →

Professional Services

CPAs, attorneys, consultants, architects, engineers. Errors & omissions paired with the right BOP, plus cyber liability for the data exposure.

See coverage →

Retail

Boutiques, specialty retail, small chains. Product liability, business personal property limits sized to actual inventory, and theft coverages that actually trigger.

See coverage →

Manufacturing & Wholesale

Mid-market manufacturers, fabricators, and wholesalers. Product liability, equipment breakdown, and commercial property with replacement-cost endorsements that match the equipment.

See coverage →

Real Estate Investors

Single-family rentals, small multifamily, mixed-use. DP-3 dwelling fire policies, vacancy endorsements, and liability programs built for landlords with three to thirty units.

See coverage →
Get a quote

We'll call back within four business hours.

Tell us what you're insuring and how to reach you. A licensed producer will call back within four business hours during business days. No instant quotes, no email drip, no credit pull.

This is a lead form. We will not auto-generate a quote. A producer will call you back within four business hours.

Serving Central Ohio

From Schrock Road, across Franklin County and Delaware County.

Westerville · Columbus · Dublin · Worthington · New Albany · Gahanna · Reynoldsburg · Pickerington · Powell · Hilliard · Upper Arlington · Bexley · Granville · Plain City.

780 East Schrock Road
Westerville, OH 43081

Walk-ins welcome 8 AM – 5:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

After-hours emergency claims handled directly through each carrier's 24/7 line. See our claims page for the full list.