New Member Profile: Vantage Point Insurance
Meet Richard Sweet, owner of Vantage Point Insurance.
Where and how did you get your start?
I got started in the insurance industry as an Allstate agency owner. I had that business for about two years before becoming an independent agent, which provided my customers with better options. My background is in mechanical engineering and business management, where I spent the majority of my career working in the wood products and waste/recycling industries, working with industry leaders to design, build, and operate facilities around the world.
What should the community know about Vantage Point Insurance?
Vantage Point Insurance is an independent insurance agency. We have access to specific carriers who have tailored products designed exclusively for almost any class of business, as well as your personal needs like home, auto, and umbrella insurance. Our model lets us work with multiple carriers and provide the best insurance for you at the best price we can find.
This model also lets us find a carrier to address your specific coverage needs. People change, businesses change, needs change, and carriers change – and we have the ability to change with them. This leads to the best insurance program at the best price. That’s what we call value.
Richard and his dog Niko, a Pudelpointer
What makes Vantage Point Insurance unique?
Our approach isn’t just to quote and hope for the best. We focus on finding the right solution for you and/or your business. For businesses, we take a total cost-of-risk approach that often lowers a company’s overall cost of its insurance plan, as well as the cost of doing business. We have programs in place to work with many types of businesses, from startups to larger, middle-market clients, to help them manage their liability, workers comp, medical, and supplemental insurance programs. For your personal insurance such as home and auto, we work with the top insurance companies to find you the best value for the coverages you need.
What is the most difficult business problem that you’ve had to solve?
Most insurance agencies sell you an insurance plan. Our goal is to work with businesses to reduce their total cost of risk. The biggest challenge comes when a business is unclear what that means. Most businesses focus on what they do really well – selling and supporting a product or service they provide to their customers. What they may not realize is that their operations are creating a higher cost of doing business. This is where we come in. We have the experience in operations, risk management, and business to help them find and reduce that cost.
What do you like most about your work?
Insurance has given me a way to work with customers to find ways to help them be more successful; whether that is helping them find the right resources to grow their business and/or helping them reduce their total cost of risk so they are more profitable. Solving problems for others often results in huge financial savings for them, while we still get paid for something they already have in place with their insurance programs.
Richard exploring with his son, Cayden
Do you have any advice for others?
Focus on what you do best and use that skill to serve others. If you do this you will be successful in life and business.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I love exploring, and have traveled the world for work. Getting to know people and businesses around the world has been very rewarding. I am excited to be part of the local community and growing my business by helping others be successful.
Vantage Point Insurance provides auto insurance, home insurance, life insurance, event insurance, business insurance and more. Solutions for both personal and business needs. Serving all of Oregon.
