About Ron Houser

Ronald W. Houser, President and CEO of Midwest Security Insurance Companies,
		BUSINESS: Midwest Security Insurance Companies, Onalaska, Wisconsin PRODUCTS: Group Health, Life, Dental, Annuity and Disability Insurance and self funded Health Plan Administration. FOUNDED: 1974 EMPLOYEES: 350

Ronald W. Houser

Raised with the spirit of hard work and determination, Ron Houser has become a prominent insurance and entrepreneurial figure throughout the Midwest. As founder, CEO and President of Midwest Security Insurance Companies, Ron has built an organization that has prospered in a dynamic industry, while competing against many larger, publicly held insurance and HMO firms.

Ron grew up on a farm outside La Crosse, Wisconsin amidst modest roots. After completing his service in the U.S. Navy, he obtained his insurance license while selling automobiles and working for The Thorp Finance Company. In 1967, he opened his own insurance agency in Milwaukee where he sold credit, auto and homeowners policies. During his tenure as an agent, he was intrigued with the challenge to build his own full-scale insurance operation. In 1974, he formed Midwestern National Insurance Corporation with 20 employees. In 1980, the Company began to sell health insurance plans to the small employer market. Through the years, Midwest Security has grown its health insurance business through product diversity, territory expansion and acquisitions. Several Third Party Administration acquisitions have formed the nucleus of a dynamic self-funded business. Midwest Security continues to offer a broad array of managed health care plan designs in markets throughout the Upper Midwest.

Another of Ron's chief business interests is the ownership and operation of a large commercial hog farm in Burlington, Colorado, something which relates back to his own farm roots. An avid pilot, Ron frequently flies between company operations to conduct business.

Among his many local and region-wide business associations, Ron serves on the Federal Reserve Bank Advisory Council on Small Business, Labor and Agriculture. He also serves on the Board of Directors for State Auto Insurance Company (Columbus, Ohio) and is an active board member of the Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation. He is an active sponsor of a variety of local initiatives and programs including Viterbo College's Scholarship Fund, The American Cancer Society and The Boys and Girls Club of Greater La Crosse.