History
In the aftermath of the insurance crisis of 1985, few insurance companies were willing to provide coverage for campgrounds and RV parks. The unavailability of insurance coupled with the high cost of premiums charged by the companies caused serious financial problems for the camping industry.
In 1989, with investments from privately owned campgrounds and RV parks, Evergreen USA was formed to guarantee insurance would be available to campground and RV park owners regardless of market conditions. Licensed by the State of Vermont, Evergreen USA is able to provide insurance coverage to campgrounds and RV parks nationwide under the Federal Risk Retention Act.
This act allows independent businesses and individuals within the same industry to band together, raise the necessary capital to form an insurance company, and provide liability insurance coverage to other stockholders. Evergreen USA's group is the outdoor recreation industry, which consists of privately owned campgrounds and RV parks, paddlesports operations, their owners, operators, employees and franchisors; campground and paddlesports associations, and their officers and directors.
Timeline of the "Evergreen Program"
- 1973 –After working in the insurance business for a few years, Oscar Hartford & Richard Hartford purchase the Cobb Winslow Insurance Agency in
- 1974 - Richard “Dick” Hartford insures his first campground. Richard is introduced to the Maine Campground Owners Association and starts a program exclusively for campgrounds and RV parks. This program exclusively for campgrounds and RV parks is the “Evergreen Program” and is underwritten by various insurance companies for the next twelve years.
- 1975 - Richard is introduced to the National Association of Campground Owners and RV Parks (now known as the Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds – ARVC) and expands his “Evergreen Program” throughout the
- 1986 – The “Evergreen Program” is being underwritten by St. Paul Insurance Company whose executives decide they will no longer insure campgrounds or RV parks. As Richard looks for a new insurance company to underwrite his program, he realizes that the camping industry needs a long-term stable solution for their insurance. Richard and twenty-five campground and RV park owners invest monies to create an insurance company – Evergreen Indemnity, Ltd. Evergreen Indemnity is formed in
- 1989 – Richard forms a second company, Evergreen USA RRG, Inc., with the backing of the camping industry. Evergreen
- 1992 – A.M. Best gives Evergreen Indemnity a rating of A- “Excellent”. This is a secure rating.
- 1996 – A.M. Best gives Evergreen USA a rating of B+. This is a secure rating.
- 1997 – The “Evergreen Program” becomes the “Preferred Insurance Provider” for the Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds (ARVC).
- 2001 – A competitor of Evergreen, Frontier Insurance, suddenly stops writing campgrounds, and Evergreen proves that it is achieving its goal to be a long-term stable insurance solution for the camping industry by stepping in to insure those campgrounds and RV parks that are left without an insurance company.
- 2003 – Evergreen hits a major landmark and now insures over 1,000 campgrounds and RV parks.
- 2005 – Evergreen writes paddlesports operations as part of its program.
- 2009 – Evergreen celebrates thirty-five years of providing insurance solutions for the camping industry and remaining the longest continually run insurance program for campgrounds and RV parks. Evergreen Indemnity celebrates this event by giving all their clients the “Evergreen Protection Plus” endorsement– providing, at no additional cost, over twenty property coverage enhancements.
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