The Agent's Agent New Insurors CEO Rep. Ron Travis will Bring an Agent's Mindset Back to the Association
Ron and his wife Laura enjoying time on their farm in Dayton
"I love the insurance industry," is a statement we've heard multiple times from Ron Travis since he accepted the role as CEO of Insurors of Tennessee. It's a statement you can believe too, as Ron has spent over 35 years working for this industry as an agency owner and as a State Legislator serving on insurance committees. But insurance isn't his only love, and as you get to know him you'll quickly learn that after his family, the state of Tennessee ranks high on the list as well.
Building an agency from scratch was difficult business, and he'll tell you that those first few years were tough. "Every day I'd open up the phone book and start calling," he recalls. "You might call seven people and get six 'nos', but that seventh one would let you quote it." With his sales skills, efforts in the community, hard work and sheer determination, Ron was able to begin building a solid book of business. He hit the $1 million mark after 5 years in business.
A native of Dayton, Ron grew up working on his Papaw's farm hauling hay and cleaning the barn. It instilled a sense of hard work in him from an early age, which would serve him well in life. "It also instilled in me that I didn't want to be a farmer," jokes Ron. His parents, Doc and Jo Travis, worked hard as well – Doc as director of personnel for Robinson Manufacturing, and Jo as a purchasing agent for TVA. Ron and his brothers, Tim and Mark, would also find time to play, and baseball became another love of his. He would go on to play the sport at Rhea County High School, where he was also on the golf team and was later voted as "Mr. Rhea County" by his peers. After high school, Ron attended Tennessee Tech and then went directly into the workforce. He started out his professional life at La-Z-Boy Manufacturing in 1974. He worked his way up to a supervisor's role before finding his true calling as an insurance agent. "My uncle Jack was an insurance agent and told me about an opportunity with Nationwide Insurance to open a location in Rhea County. I've always been a 'salesman', so I jumped at the chance," Ron says. So, in 1983, he opened a brand new agency with Nationwide and got to work on his new career. 4
Ron and Laura with their friends Gov. Bill Lee and former Gov. Bill Haslam
Over time, he grew the agency even further, eventually opening six locations across East Tennessee and writing more than $10 million in direct written premium. He is a former Nationwide Insurance President's and Champion's conference qualifier in multiple years, and helped develop a staff that was churning out business and helping clients protect their homes, families and businesses. The Tennessee Insuror
