Today we’d like to introduce you to Russ Harshberger.
Hi Russ, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I learned some of my most enduring lessons about leadership far from a business-school classroom.
While attending the University of Montana School of Business, I found a summer job with the U.S. Forest Service on a Type 2 wildland fire crew. Early in my first season, the nearby Flathead Hotshots found themselves shorthanded after several crew members were injured while responding to the deadly Dude Fire in Arizona. I was invited to join the Type 1 crew as an alternate.
That opportunity became four seasons with the Flathead Hotshots, culminating in my serving as a squad leader during my final summer. On the fireline, conditions could change without warning. Success depended on preparation, sound judgment, teamwork, and the ability to remain composed when the consequences were real. Those lessons would follow me throughout my career, even as the settings changed dramatically.
After graduating in 1993, I moved to Santa Barbara, California, and accepted an entry-level position with Chicago Title. It was the beginning of a rapid education in business and leadership. By 1999, after changing companies, I had been appointed a division president for Stewart Title and asked to relocate to San Mateo County to launch a new operation.
I later returned to Chicago Title and relocated again to lead its Sonoma County operation. By 2006, however, my wife and I were thinking less about the next corporate opportunity and more about the life we wanted for our family. We decided to move to her home state of Oregon so our two-year-old son could grow up near relatives.
That family decision also marked the beginning of my life as an entrepreneur.
As one of Oregon’s earliest Snap Fitness franchisees, I opened clubs in Oregon City and Canby in 2007. In subsequent years, I expanded the business by acquiring existing clubs in Milwaukie and Albany. Running multiple locations taught me how to select and support managers, develop repeatable systems, and step back from daily operations without losing sight of the customer experience.
In 2010, a college friend invited me to purchase half of his school-fundraising business in Tampa, Florida. The company had three sales representatives, and he believed my experience building teams and operations could help it grow.
Over the next six years, we quadrupled revenue, expanded the sales organization eightfold, and added the infrastructure and systems necessary to support that growth. In 2016, we sold the company to one of our suppliers at a substantial premium to its 2010 valuation.
After remarrying in 2017, I took some time to enjoy life while continuing to oversee the fitness clubs. By 2019, I was ready for another challenge—one that would eventually become a new passion. I founded a health insurance firm dedicated to helping Medicare beneficiaries understand their options and make informed decisions.
Then COVID-19 arrived. The pandemic severely disrupted the fitness industry, and I sold the clubs over the course of 2020 and 2021. It was another major transition, but it also allowed me to devote my full attention to the Medicare business.
My commitment to service also extends beyond my professional work. I volunteer with Clackamas Rotary, where I previously served as board secretary and now serve as co-commissioner of the club’s annual golf tournament. Each year, the event raises approximately $45,000 to $50,000 for local nonprofit organizations. I value the opportunity to work alongside fellow Rotarians and apply the same lessons in teamwork, leadership, and relationship-building to strengthen the community I call home.
At first glance, wildland firefighting, title insurance, fitness clubs, school fundraising, and Medicare may appear to have little in common. For me, the connecting thread is clear. Each chapter has required me to evaluate changing conditions, earn people’s trust, build strong teams, and help others make consequential decisions.
My career has not followed a straight path. Its most important turns have often come from unexpected opportunities, changing circumstances, or decisions rooted in family rather than professional advancement. Today, service takes several forms—from helping seniors and newly retired people navigate the complexities of Medicare to working with Clackamas Rotary in support of local nonprofits. In that respect, the work brings me back to where my career began.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. COVID was a real gut punch. I had spent years building the fitness clubs and always assumed I would sell them when I was ready to retire. The pandemic changed that plan almost overnight.
After a state-mandated closure of roughly six weeks, we were relieved to reopen. But reopening came with extensive restrictions and sanitation requirements, and only about half of our members initially felt comfortable returning. The resulting income was nowhere near enough to cover rent and the clubs’ other ongoing expenses.
Eventually, I had to make the very difficult decision to sell the clubs. It wasn’t the timing or conclusion I had envisioned, and letting go of something I had worked so hard to build was painful. But the experience reinforced a lesson that has followed me throughout my career: you cannot always control the conditions around you, but you can decide how you respond to them.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Our focus is simple: we serve Medicare clients, and only Medicare clients. That specialization allows us to develop deep expertise instead of trying to be a jack of all trades. Medicare is complicated and constantly changing, so clients need someone who can explain their options clearly and help them evaluate which coverage best fits their individual circumstances.
What truly sets us apart, however, is what happens after enrollment. We don’t consider our work finished when a client selects a plan. We remain available in the years ahead when problems arise—whether that involves a billing issue, a prior-authorization denial, or a network change affecting a physician or clinic. Our clients have someone they know and trust to call when the system becomes difficult to navigate.
We offer both Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage plans because no single type of coverage is right for everyone. Our role is to explain the advantages, limitations, costs, and tradeoffs in plain language—not to steer every client toward the same answer. We think of ourselves as long-term Medicare consultants whose recommendations begin with the client’s needs.
Brand-wise, I am most proud of the trust we have earned. We have received more than 100 Google reviews, all of them five-star at the time of this writing, and a significant portion of our business comes from client referrals. Many prospective clients contact us already understanding our value because someone they trust has shared their experience.
Ultimately, we don’t want anyone to feel that they have simply been sold an insurance policy. We want each client to feel informed when making the decision and supported long after it has been made.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Based in the Portland, Oregon Metro area, we meet people within 60-90 miles where they are (their residence or a nearby coffee shop or restaurant), or, more popular these days, via video meeting. We also do community presentations during the fall Annual Enrollment Period. Scheduling an introduction call can be done through a variety of ways: call us at (503) 889-8839, email at russ@advantrustinsurance.com, click this calendar link to schedule a 30-minute phone call directly to my calendar: https://calendly.com/russ-138/30min, or access our calendar on our website, www.advantrustinsurance.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.advantrustinsurance.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdvanTrustInsurance
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/russharshberger/
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=advantrust+insurance+google+reviews&oq=advantrust+insurance+google+reviews&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigAdIBCDUwNzFqMGo0qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
