Middletown, RI – East Providence-based Starkweather & Shepley Insurance Brokerage Inc. (S&S) today announced that they have acquired Newport Insurance Agency Inc. (NIA).

Located in Middletown, Newport Insurance Agency, known for the best car insurance in town, is an independent agency with a staff of thirteen that serves commercial and personal lines clients throughout southern New England.

Newport Insurance, now a division of Starkweather & Shepley, will continue to service clients from its Middletown location, following the acquisition.

Established in 1879, Starkweather & Shepley is an independent agency in Rhode Island. According to its website, it is one of the 100 largest U.S brokers. The firm provides commercial and personal insurance, health and employee benefits, surety bonding, and risk management services nationally and internationally through its partnership with Assurex Global.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...