History

Since its inception in 1859, Shove Insurance, Inc. has been a cutting-edge agency, offering the best protection available at an affordable price. Located now at 376 Newport Ave. in East Providence, the agency moved from its longtime Pawtucket headquarters on East Avenue, after forming an alliance with Troy, Pires & Allen Insurance, Inc. The alliance demonstrates Shove Insurance’s continued growth and more than 150-year tradition of providing complete lines of personal and business insurance.

Isaac Shove established the insurance agency, which was sold to George Parker Sr. in 1910. The Parker family operated the firm for more than 70 years before it was purchased by William J. “Bill” Hunt, current co-owner and president, and two former employees. About five years ago, David Francis, co-owner and vice president, bought out the ex-employees and now works with Bill to carry on the tradition of offering exceptional service and affordable insurance policies.

When calling Shove Insurance at (401) 431-9200, people should ask for Bill or David. They work with more than 50 agents, underwriters, claims adjusters and customer service representatives, many of whom are fluent in Spanish, and have access to policies with more than 35 insurance companies.

 

Who We Are

 

William Hunt

The president of Shove Insurance, Inc. is William J. “Bill” Hunt, known throughout Rhode Island because of his many professional and civic affiliations. Bill started working at Shove in 1971, after graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

A past president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island, Bill is a certified charter property casualty underwriter and was on the Insurance Company Agents Advisory councils for Shelby Mutual, National Grange Mutual and the Hanover Insurance Co.

Bill was president of the board of directors of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of  Commerce in 2005, Previously, he served as president of the former Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce and the Pawtucket Jaycees. In 1986, he brought his extensive sales and insurance background to Washington, D.C., where he served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business.

He has been chairman of the board of trustees of Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island in Pawtucket since 2009 and is a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Pawtucket, which he led as president in 1982-83. Bill has been on the board of directors of the YMCA of Pawtucket for many years and served as its president from 1987 to 1989.

Bill was the Kiwanis Club’s Pawtucket Citizen of the Year in 1992 and the YMCA of Pawtucket’s Volunteer of the Year in 1992. He was the leader of the Rotary Club’s Group Study Exchange Team that traveled to Sweden in 1996 and a member of the team that went to Belgium in 1976. In addition, he was named a Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow in 1991.      

Bill, who resides in Portsmouth with his wife, Ellen, is ready to meet all of your personal and business insurance needs. Contact Bill at (401) 431-9200 or whunt@shove.com.

 

David Francis

The vice president of Shove Insurance, Inc. is J. David Francis, who is a 30-year veteran of the insurance industry. A native of Pawtucket, David is a graduate of St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket and the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, where he majored in insurance and earned a bachelor’s of science degree.

After graduating from URI and serving in the military, David entered the insurance industry, going to work for the former M.J. Gallagher Insurance Agency in Pawtucket. He went on to form a company called Insurance Specialists Ltd., and then he became a partner in the Shove Insurance Agency.

A resident of nearby Seekonk, Mass., David continues to be involved with the communities in which he lives and works. He is chairman of the Seekonk Finance Committee and serves as the board’s liaison with the Library Board of Trustees and the Police and Fire Departments. David is co-founder of Doorways Inc., a food pantry established in 2001 to service Seekonk, and continues to volunteer for the organization in his capacity as president.

In addition, he is a member of the Pawtucket Lions Club, the Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island Corporation Board and the Pawtucket Boys & Girls Club board of directors. He has received the Boys and Girls Club of America’s National Service to Youth Award, was named by the organization as an Outstanding Partner in Philanthropy and was honored by the City of Pawtucket with a Service to Youth Award.  

David was president and state director of the former Pawtucket Jaycees, member of the board of directors and Presidents Club of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, which is now known as the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, and a longtime baseball coach in the Darlington American and Seekonk Little Leagues.

David is past president and board director of the Stonehurst Manor Condominium Association in Conway, N.H., a member of the Pawtucket Country Club and Bonnet Shores Beach Club and past member of the TK Club. 

David is also dedicated to his clients and helping them obtain the insurance protection they need. Contact him at (401) 431-9200 or jdfrancis376@shove.com.