Thursday, 11 June 2026 09:15 AM
Company Update
Annual, agency-wide event dedicates a full week each year to the five core values behind the firm's client relationships, employee experience, and community giving across Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, and Ohio
CARMEL, IN / ACCESS Newswire / June 11, 2026 / WalkerHughes Insurance, an independent insurance agency serving individuals, families, and businesses across Indiana, Missouri, Illinois, and Ohio, is marking the fifth year of Values Week, an annual company-wide tradition for the entire team to refocus on the core values that guide how it serves clients, supports one another, and gives back to local communities.
Held every year since 2022, Values Week dedicates each day to one of the agency's five core values - Support Team Success, Seek to Understand, Show You Care, Pursue a Solution, and Put Others First - through team activities, peer recognition, and a daily community or team initiative. The week closes each Friday with a charitable giving component, a deliberate expression of the agency's belief that serving others is a practice, not a slogan.
"What we offer clients is guidance, responsiveness, and someone who genuinely cares when something goes wrong, and that only exists if the culture behind it is real," said Benjamin Schoettmer, CEO of WalkerHughes Insurance. "Values Week is how we protect that culture on purpose, year after year. It's one of the most important investments we make."
A tradition built to keep values from becoming background noise
Values Week was implemented in 2022 by Stephanie Marsh, WalkerHughes Insurance Director of Engagement, who has organized it every year since. The program grew out of a simple concern familiar to many growing companies: that stated values can quietly fade into the background once the pace of daily work takes over.
"It's easy to write your values on a wall and then let the day-to-day take over. Values Week exists so that never happens to us," said Marsh, "Every year I get to watch the whole team step back, reconnect with why we do this work, and find new ways to live these values better than the year before."
Measurable community impact
What began as an internal refocus has grown into a measurable community and employee program:
The agency's Volunteer Time Off (VTO) program launched during the first Values Week in 2022 and provides every full-time employee with eight paid hours to volunteer during the workday.
Community giving has expanded each year and has included meal kits for local food pantries, children's book drives, and birthday bags for children in foster care.
The most recent Values Week featured a digital donation drive benefiting Riley Children's Health in Indianapolis and St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Relationships over transactions
WalkerHughes Insurance attributes its client retention and client experience not to its policies but to the relationships behind them - whether a client trusts that the person on the other end of the phone cares what happens to them. Agency leadership describes Values Week as a recurring reminder of that purpose and says that, five years in, the team still sees significant room to grow.
About WalkerHughes Insurance
WalkerHughes Insurance is a founder-led independent insurance brokerage headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, serving individuals, families, farmers, and business owners across Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. The agency offers personal lines, commercial lines, and employee benefits, built on a relationship-first approach to understanding each client's specific needs. Learn more at walkerhughes.com.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Fishering
WalkerHughes Insurance
(314) 917-5260
[email protected]
SOURCE: WalkerHughes Insurance