West Des Moines, Iowa — Homesteaders Life Company President-CEO Steve Lang announced today that veteran industry leader Steve Shaffer will become the company’s Chief Operating Officer effective October 1. A thorough search commenced when Lang vacated that position upon succeeding Graham Cook as Homesteaders’ CEO on March 1 of this year.
Shaffer is a well-known and influential executive in the funeral and cemetery business, whose experience and track record is a solid match with Homesteaders’ longstanding commitment to customer success and promoting the value of funeral service.
“Steve has the combination of financial, operational and funeral industry experience to further strengthen our already deep executive management team,” said Lang. “Homesteaders is an insurance company that is really in the funeral business, so our leaders must collectively possess insurance, financial and funeral service expertise to ensure the success of both our company and our customers, and to protect the security of our policy owners.”
Shaffer says joining Homesteaders is a natural progression in his 27-year career. “This is a rare opportunity for me to join a company with an unparalleled commitment to our profession and a longstanding commitment to the success of funeral homes,” he said. “Homesteaders is well-positioned to continue its strong tradition of growth, profitability and financial strength, and I am excited for the chance to broaden its dominant position as a provider of products and services that promote and support advance funeral planning and end-of-life expenses.”
In 2010, Shaffer co-founded and served as President-CEO of Foundation Partners Group, LLC. He led an organization created to combine the best aspects of conventional end-of-life care with new ideas and technologies that enabled families to plan, prepare, acknowledge and share the purpose of a life. He was a co-founder and CFO of Keystone Group Holdings, Inc. between 1996 and 2010. Shaffer has served as a Funeral Service Foundation Trustee since 2010 and will serve as 2014-15 Board Chair.
Homesteaders Life Company provides products and services to promote and support the funding of advanced funeral planning and end-of-life expenses. Visit homesteaderslife.com to learn more.
