About the Author
Mr. Shupe entered the insurance industry in 1977 as a finance and insurance agent for a local automobile dealership. The next year, 1978, he was hired by the Nationwide Insurance Group as a full line agent. During his tenure he was also a district manager and commercial employee benefits and commercial property and casualty trainer. During his final years with Nationwide, Mr. Shupe was a leading independent producer for that company. It was during those years that he attained much of his technical knowledge about insurance.
In 1988 he had the opportunity to purchase a small consulting firm that worked primarily with public entities; counties, cities and public utilities. The original company had seven clients. Today there are over forty and ESPinc is the leading independent insurance consulting firm in the state of Tennessee, working with public entities. The firm consults on groups with lives totaling more than 25,000 and property values approaching five billion dollars. Mr. Shupe is known throughout the public insurance carrier market as a respected, unbiased consultant. It was in the bloody financial trenches with these clients that Mr. Shupe came to realize that something had to be done about the unsustainable cost increases in health care.
Mr. Shupe has also taught Life Underwriters Training Council Courses and been an instructor for many industry seminars. He is a long term member of the National Association of Health Underwriters, a national organization of over 20,000 insurance professionals, and has served as the Regional Legislative Chair for seven southern states. Mr. Shupe has been awarded the prestigious Tennessee Underwriter of the Year Award and has the respect of hundreds of his peers.
In addition to his other responsibilities, Mr. Shupe is a much sought after speaker on the subject of health care costs. He has spoken in several states and is constantly scheduling other events concerning this very timely and controversial subject. He has been the key note speaker on the platform with CEO's from several major carriers and recently testified before the Pennsylvania State Legislature regarding failed Tennessee legislation related to national health care initiatives.
This is Mr. Shupe's third book. You can find other works by searching www.wheatmark.com.
Mr. Shupe is also very involved in his church and is a past Moderator of the Nashville Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. He is an active elder at his church and Minister of Music, serving in that position for over forty years. He is a graduate of BelmontUniversity, the father of two children, two grandchildren, and the husband of Valerie Shupe for the past forty years.