In 1921, State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company was founded. With three employees and a rented room in downtown Columbus, Ohio, Bob Pein set forth to tackle the inequities in the insurance industry. From the very beginning, State Auto advocated the independent agency system as the best approach to serving the needs of its policyholders. To this day, as hometown neighbors, local independent agents continue to provide efficient, professional and more personalized service than that of their competitors.