Meet the Newport Agency – Murfreesboro

The Newport Agency located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee has deep roots in the Middle Tennessee market providing a wide range of insurance and risk management solutions to businesses and families across the region. The Newport Agency traces its beginnings to 1993 when it first began as a Nationwide affiliated agency and then became an independent agency in 2005. Today, the agency represents Erie Insurance Group in addition to several of the nation’s leading insurance carriers to round out its mix of carriers. This carefully curated group of insurance companies enables the agency to meet even the most complex personal and business insurance needs of its clients while providing the best possible value. The agency is very happy to be celebrating its 30th year in business serving their clients and the community.

The agency was founded by Terry Newport who serves as the President and is the primary producer for the firm. For a number of years, his wife Laura assisted with various duties as part of the team and has since stepped back from those responsibilities. Terry works with a group of dedicated insurance professionals who work to consistently provide exceptional customer service to customers. Terry and his team focus on providing clients with the right insurance solutions tuned to their specific needs as opposed to the “once size fits all” insurance products being offered by some in the marketplace today. Instead, he and his staff work to fully develop and understand the risk clients may be exposed to and seek to create smart solutions to counter the exposure. The agency always seeks to lower the total cost of risk to clients using intelligent strategies. Terry states, “we are proud that the average tenure of our staff exceeds twenty years of service”. As is the case in many industries, there is simply no substitute for experience.

The agency was originally located in the Hickory Hollow area of Nashville and moved to Murfreesboro in 2005 to better position the agency for the future in a town that was enjoying steady growth at that time. The move proved to be prescient as the agency was positioned early for what would become one of the most significant economic growth stories in Tennessee over the past twenty years. Terry states, “We knew Murfreesboro would be healthy market for us when we moved, but we never anticipated the rapid growth Murfreesboro has experienced in recent years.” He explains further, “We are grateful for the success being part of this community has provided to us over the years.”

Before starting his insurance career Terry served in the United States Army as a Helicopter Maintenance Specialist from 1979 to 1982 stationed at Fort Hood, Texas keeping U.S. Army aviation assets ready to go on the flight line for the 1st Cavalry Division and other units. After his service to the nation, Terry enrolled in college at Middle Tennessee State University and earned his bachelor’s degree majoring in finance.

Upon graduation he went to work for Chrysler Credit managing finance services to Chrysler dealerships across the region. He was then recruited by Allstate Insurance Company and joined the company as part of a management development program working in sales and underwriting. While at Allstate he had the opportunity to learn a considerable amount about the insurance business and developed a strong foundation for future development. It was at this point when he decided he wanted to become an insurance agent and own an agency, ultimately landing at Nationwide representing them as an agent.

Terry’s unique path to becoming a successful professional independent agency owner was informed by his diverse experience and his ability to adapt to changes in the marketplace. The sum of these experiences certainly strengthened his ability to weather the inevitable challenges of owning and operating an agency in a rapidly changing world.

When Terry and his wife Laura are not working in the agency, they enjoy spending time with their son Evan who is working on earning his Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Software with a minor in Entrepreneurship at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville. It is interesting to note that Evan is studying for his insurance exam this Summer and will be taking the exam soon. They also enjoy travelling together and mountain biking at locations across the country. In fact, they are just returning from a mountain bike trip in Maine. u