Sunstar enters Northwest Arkansas market with office in Rogers

Little Rock-based Sunstar Insurance of Arkansas has opened an office in Rogers at 3333 Pinnacle Hills Parkway, Suite 410.

The Northwest Arkansas office will be led by Fred B. Stone, the retired chief executive officer of Rebsamen Insurance in Little Rock.

Sunstar Insurance of Arkansas has 22 employees with offices in Little Rock, Rogers, Jonesboro and Helena. Its parent company, Memphis-based Sunstar Insurance Group, was founded in 2012 by chairman and CEO Casey Bowlin and has rapidly grown to become the 56^th largest property and casualty insurance agency in the U.S., as ranked by the industry trade magazine Insurance Journal. With 269 employees, the company has more than $350 million in premiums placed on behalf of clients, represents virtually all the major insurance companies and writes insurance policies for commercial lines, personal lines, employee benefits and surety bonds.

“Northwest Arkansas is a thriving and exciting area,” said Stone, who has also held leadership positions at Regions Insurance. “Our goal is to establish an insurance firm that attracts the top talent and offers superior service to our clients.”

Andrew “A.B.” Meadors, CEO of Sunstar Insurance of Arkansas, said the company is thrilled to have Stone lead its expansion into Northwest Arkansas.

“Fred’s strengths and experience match up perfectly with the rapid growth in Northwest Arkansas,” Meadors said.

Meadors said the Rogers office will hire a few additional employees before the end of the year, and the company is “actively looking” for acquisition opportunities in Northwest Arkansas.