Searcian inducted into Arkansas Insurance Hall of Fame

Jim House of Searcy was among five inducted into the Arkansas Insurance Hall of Fame on Oct. 17.

The AIHOF was created in 2015 to "identify and honor distinguished insurance industry professionals with strong ties to Arkansas who exemplify innovation, social responsibility, leadership and professional excellence; have made broad encompassing and lasting contributions to advance the role of insurance in society; and have significantly impacted the lives of many Arkansans."

House was born in Alicia, Ark., and graduated from Walnut Ridge High School in 1959. He graduated from Harding University with a degree in business management in 1966. He spent his first year after college with Firestone in its management training program in Memphis. However, after visiting with a college friend, he learned that Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield had a job opening in Searcy.

He began his career with ABCBS in August 1967 as a sales representative. He realized health insurance was entering a "new beginning in delivering insurance coverage for medical needs" and that led to 39 years with the organization. His new job was to persuade employers, with 5-500 employees, to offer ABCBS Group Health Insurance to the employees. His territory included White County and four other counties, which contained the cities of Conway, Beebe, Bald Knob, Hazen, Brinkley and a few other small towns.

The Group Insurance plan would be at a lower cost than single sales, and it could be payroll deducted out of employees' wages. House said the concept was fairly new and led to changes over the next 10 years for hospitals, doctors, employers, employees and their families.

After three years, House was chosen for "The Sales Rep of the Year" award for his performance in 1971. He completed his Certified Health Consultant designation from Purdue University and was promoted to regional sales manager in 1973 based on his successes and growth with ABCBS over the prior seven years.

He was then promoted to general state manager in 1976 based on his performance. When he took the position, he required that all of his sales managers achieve their Certified Health Consultant designation. The purpose was to prepare them for the changes that would take place in the HMO and PPP contractual programs, as well as the cafeteria plans, over the next 10 years.

In 1980, he was promoted to the vice president of marketing at ABCBS and completed his Chartered Life Underwriter designation in 1985. At that time, he began building a life agency that could package life insurance with health insurance. It wasn't long before House and his team developed a wholly owned life insurance company, USAble Life, to package the health and life insurance together.

House was named executive vice president of ABCBS and president of the New Life Company in 1985. Under his oversight, USAble Life merged with numerous other BCBS companies across the U.S. That led to the establishment of insurance agencies with over 3,000 representatives licensed to sell USAble Life products packaged with various BCBS health products in those states. These multi-state affiliations "leveraged innovation in product development and sales strategies by creating solutions to meet each market's needs." Between 1990-2000, USAble Life became licensed in 48 states and still had the "A" rating with AM Best.

House joined or participate in civic clubs and charities along the way. He has served the Lions Club and Optimist Club in Searcy. He served the Rotary Club and the Junior Achievement Program that loans volunteer workers to attend student classes and explain their jobs in the Little Rock area. House was on the Harding University President Council for 20 years and was named Harding University distinguished alumni in 1990. He also served as an adjunct professor for Harding and taught sales and marketing classes in 1988-89. He also served on the Wyldewood Children's Camp's Board as chairman for four years.

House retired from ABCBS and USABLE Life Insurance at age 66. He has served as chairman of Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Unity Extended Care Hospital Board, Searcy Planning Commission and currently serving on the Searcy Advertising and Tourism Promotion Commission. He has owned The Course at River Oaks Golf Club in Searcy for the past 14 years.

House also spends a lot of time with his 10 grandchildren, wife, Sue Howerton, whom he married in his last year in college 1965, and his three children (Matt, Ashley, and Jordan) who all are Harding graduates. The couple will celebrate their 60th year anniversary in 2025. They attend the Downtown Church of Christ, where House served as a deacon for 35 years.

According to the AIHOF, House has been a "leader in the health and life insurance industry over the past 40-50 years. His impact on the success of ABCBS, its subsidiaries and customers will continue to be realized for generations to come."