High Plains Insurors opens in Grant, bringing independent insurance options to region

A new locally owned insurance agency has opened its doors in downtown Grant, bringing decades of industry experience and a commitment to personalized service to residents throughout Perkins County and the surrounding area.

High Plains Insurors LLC officially opened June 1 at 224 Central Ave. in Grant. Owned by husband-and-wife team Richard and Tarra Terry, the independent agency offers a full range of insurance products, including home, auto, farm, commercial, health, life, annuities, long-term care and Medicare coverage.

For Tarra Terry, returning to Grant to build her own agency is both a professional milestone and a homecoming.

“We chose Grant because it’s home,” Terry said. “I am so excited to be working full time back in Grant. This whole area is so special to us. There is nowhere like western Nebraska. The people here are honest, hardworking, good-natured and genuine.”

As an independent agency, High Plains Insurors represents more than 20 property and casualty carriers and more than 20 life and health insurance carriers. Terry said that allows her to tailor coverage to each client’s specific needs rather than fitting clients into a single company’s products.

“We’re an independent insurance agency that combines strong coverage options with service that genuinely cares,” Terry said. “We make insurance easier to understand and make sure our clients are truly protected through a responsive, relationship-focused approach, and we don’t disappear after the policy is written.”

Terry brings more than 15 years of insurance experience to the business. A 1998 graduate of Ogallala High School, she later earned an associate degree in math and science and an accounting certificate before beginning a career in financial services. She eventually found her niche in the insurance industry, obtaining licenses in property and casualty, life and health insurance and later earning her Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow designation.

Over the years, Terry developed expertise in commercial insurance while continuing to help families protect their homes, vehicles and financial futures.

Her philosophy, she said, centers on helping clients protect what she calls their “good life.”

“I love helping people protect their future,” Terry said. “Whether it’s a young person just starting out, a growing family, a farmer, a business owner or someone preparing for retirement, insurance is about protecting what matters most.”

Richard Terry’s background provides another layer of practical experience for the agency. Raised on a farm outside Grant, he spent years working in trucking, construction materials, equipment operation and tire service before owning and operating a tire business in Grant for a decade.

Although he will continue working at Eastern Sky Tire Shop in Madrid and will not be involved in daily operations initially, he is licensed to sell property and casualty insurance and plans to assist the agency during evenings and weekends.

The Terrys, who will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary later this month, said they have spent years building businesses, remodeling homes and tackling challenges together.

“We’ve raised two amazing young men that we’re incredibly proud of,” Terry said. “We’ve remodeled four houses together and are finishing our last rental home. We work pretty well together, for the most part, and we’ve learned that tackling life together is easier than trying to do it alone.”

Opening the agency was not originally part of Terry’s plan.

“I thought it would be impossible,” she said. “Richard had been telling me for years that I could do it, but there is a lot to getting an agency started.”

Terry planned to remain where she was in order to continue helping clients. Then, after what she described as significant prayer and reflection, she felt called to take the leap.

“I woke up one morning and just felt like God spoke to me,” Terry said. “He told me to trust Him, trust Richard and pick up my mat and go. How do you argue with that?”

Like many new business owners, the Terrys said one of the biggest challenges has been transitioning from two incomes to one while investing in a startup business.

“Starting an agency from scratch means 100% commission,” Terry said. “There is no salary. Just hard work. But I know it will all be worth it in the end.”

Terry said one of the biggest misconceptions consumers have about insurance is believing all policies are the same or that insurance should cover every possible situation.

“Insurance is a contract between an insurance company and an insured,” she said. “You only have the coverages listed in that contract. That’s where a good agent comes in. A good agent understands that contract and makes sure you have the coverages you want and need.”

She encourages consumers to look beyond price alone when selecting coverage.

“You have to trust your agent,” Terry said. “A good agent is worth their weight in gold. Do they call you back? Do they review your policy every year? Do they offer multiple lines so they can help with all your insurance needs? Life changes, and you need an agent who can walk through all stages of life with you.”

Looking ahead, the Terrys hope to grow the business while maintaining a strong focus on personal relationships and community service.

Their long-term goal is to serve the region for decades, eventually expanding the agency and creating local jobs.

“Success is being able to help as many people as possible,” Terry said. “To be an agency that people can trust.”

If there is one message Terry hopes the community takes away from the new business, it is that clients will never be treated as numbers.

“I won’t sell someone a product just to sell it,” she said. “If I suggest something, it’s because I see a need. You see a lot as an agent. You see how insurance can truly help a family when they have a claim, but you also see what insurance didn’t do because it wasn’t purchased. That’s probably the hardest part.”

The community is invited to attend High Plains Insurors’ Grand Opening on June 12 at 224 Central Avenue in Grant. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. “Richard and I would like to personally invite you to our insurance agency’s grand opening, we hope to see you there,” Terry said. 

High Plains Insurors is located at 224 Central Ave. in Grant. Following its grand opening celebration on June 12, office hours will be Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with the office closed during the noon hour and after-hours appointments available.

More information is available by calling 308-352-6158, visiting highplainsinsurors.com or emailing highplainsinsurors@gmail.com.