ESP was founded in 1969 by the late Mr. Robert Sanderson. Mr. Sanderson gave over forty years to the insurance business. He was one of the original managers who started the Hartford Offices in Nashville. ESP was purchased from him in 1988 by Mr. Bob Shupe. Previously, Mr. Shupe worked for the Nationwide Insurance Group for eleven years serving in several capacities including commercial group health and P&C trainer, District Manager and independent agent. ESP is now on annual retainer for nearly thirty public entities in Tennessee.
ESP specializes in public entity work, consulting on both employee benefits and property & casualty, including workers compensation and On The Job Injury opt out programs. ESP is the largest independent, public entity, “pure” consulting firm in Tennessee. ESP manages insurance property limits that are roughly worth nine billion dollars in replacement value, and benefits for over twenty five thousand lives. ESP is unique in that they do not sell insurance products nor do they take commissions from any insurance companies. This places them in a position to offer pure, unbiased advice and guidance.
ESP provides an 800 number, cell phone contact, e-mail and fax capabilities. They operate out of 2,100 square feet of modern office space in Brentwood, Tennessee, utilizing the latest computer hardware and software.
Bob Shupe, President of ESP
- 1988/Present – Employee Security Planning, Inc – President/CEO/Principle Consultant
- 1977/1988 – Nationwide Insurance Group Agent/District Manager/Commercial Group and P&C Trainer
- Fully licensed in all lines in the State of Tennessee
- Bachelor’s Degree from Belmont University
- Taught Life Underwriters Training Council
- Past President of The Tennessee Association Of Health Underwriters
- Past Region 5 Legislative Chair for the above organization covering seven South Eastern states
- Winner of the Middle Tennessee Association of Health Underwriters “Underwriter of the Year Award” for 2000/2001
- Has had several articles published including one in “Life Insurance Selling” related to ERISA and another in a recent issue of the National Association of Health Underwriters “Health Insurance Underwriters” magazine on the cost of health care and The Self Insurer (SIIA) on Medical Loss Ratio reform and Self Funded state mandates.
- Appointed to the international benefits committee established by the Self Insured Institute of America for 2009.
- Mr. Shupe is active both on the State and Federal level, meeting with elected officials and their staff to develop and draft positive legislation that supports the employer based distribution of health insurance
- Mr. Shupe was instrumental in bringing on-site medical concepts to his clients to lower the cost of healthcare trends saving millions of dollars in increased annual cost.
- Mr. Shupe authored a book in 2006 on the cost of health care in America called, “The Bitter Pill…Where did my benefits go?” More recently he has written a novel incorporating the history of Medicare and Medicaid into a brilliant suspense story entitled, “Ultimate Point of Vulnerability.”