Business Moves

East

McConkey Insurance & Benefits, Gallen Insurance Agency

McConkey Insurance & Benefits, an independent insurance agency based in York, Pennsylvania, has acquired Gallen Insurance Agency, located in Berks County.

According to Michael Harter, president and CEO of McConkey, the acquisition of expands McConkey’s geographic footprint and reinforces its mission to serve neighboring communities.

Gallen Insurance Agency has served Berks County since 1957. MConkey Insurance & Benefits was established in 1890.

Midwest

McGriff, Alternative Risk Resources

McGriff has acquired Alternative Risk Resources (ARR), a Wisconsin-based commercial brokerage firm that specializes in captive insurance.

The transaction expands McGriff’s presence in the captive insurance market with a firm that has been active in the industry for more than 25 years. The acquisition also broadens McGriff’s operations in the Midwest, representing the business’ first move into Wisconsin.

ARR will transition to the McGriff brand over the next six months. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

McGriff Insurance Services LLC is a subsidiary of Truist Insurance Holdings LLC, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Higginbotham, Community Insurance Group

Fort Worth, Texas-based Higginbotham has acquired Community Insurance Group, its first acquisition in Ohio. With this transaction, Higginbotham now has a presence in 16 states across the country.

For over a quarter century, Community Insurance Group has cared for clients in western Ohio, selling a variety of coverage lines, including personal, commercial, agribusiness, life and employee benefits.

The group is led by President Jeff Sargeant and envisions successful client relationships based on proven, valued solutions from highly trained and empowered agency associates.

Kapnick Insurance, Michigan Group Benefits

Kapnick Insurance, an insurance provider with over 75 years of experience, announced the acquisition of Michigan Group Benefits. This transaction represents a significant milestone in Kapnick Insurance’s growth plans, expanding their capabilities and solidifying their position as a trusted partner in the group benefits industry, the company said.

The acquisition will also expand Kapnick’s geographical footprint, as they will retain Michigan Group Benefit’s East Lansing office.

This strategic move allows Michigan Group Benefits to leverage Kapnick’s existing reputation, reach, and expertise to further enhance the offerings to their valued clients.

To ensure a smooth transition, key personnel from both Kapnick Insurance and Michigan Group Benefits will work closely together.

South Central

Novatae Risk Group, American Management Corporation

Novatae Risk Group has acquired the assets of American Management Corporation (AMC), a managing general agency based in Conway, Arkansas, on Sept. 1.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

AMC was founded over 60 years ago and has grown into a highly respected and specialized national agency. AMC began with a specialized insurance program for service stations and convenience stores, later expanding to fuel marketers. By developing a top-rated, nationwide program for service stations and then for fuel marketers, it allowed AMC to implement plans for aggressive growth.

Giordano Halleran Ciesla provided legal counsel, and Sica Fletcher advised Novatae. Mitchell Williams provided legal counsel to AMC on the transaction. No other advisors, diligence firms or legal counsel were disclosed.

With offices across the nation, Novatae Risk Group is a wholesale insurance distributor headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

Brightway, The Herron Family Agency

VeinTwain Herron, a Texas commercial real estate specialist, is opening Brightway, The Herron Family Agency in Cedar Park.

The agency offers customized home, flood, auto, boat, condo, renters, personal articles, RV, motorcycle, umbrella, commercial and life insurance.

Herron is a former paratrooper in the U.S. Army, where he spent seven years. Herron also served as a firefighter and holds certifications in paramedicine and carpentry trades.

One80 Intermediaries, Enviant

One80 Intermediaries, a specialty insurance broker headquartered in Boston, has acquired the assets of Texas-based Enviant from Euclid Program Managers.

Headquartered in Houston, Enviant is focused exclusively on providing a comprehensive suite of environmental products and services to a range of commercial clients. Enviant provides environmental casualty, site pollution and contractor’s pollution and professional insurance, and has been part of the Euclid Program Managers group of MGA companies since 2016.

Marsh, Berry & Company was the exclusive financial advisor to Enviant. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Southeast

King Insurance Partners, Hartley Insurance Services

King Insurance Partners, a brokerage based in Gainesville, Florida, has acquired Hartley Insurance Services.

Hartley, with offices in Port Orange, Florida, was founded in 2012 by Paul Hartley. He will remain in charge of its operations, which focus on commercial lines, especially transportation customers.

Malcolm Chad King is CEO of King Insurance Partners, a rapidly growing brokerage/agency his father founded. King also partnered with First Florida Insurance Network in late 2022.

Oakbridge Insurance, Bishop-Durden-Hale Insurance Group

Oakbridge Insurance has acquired Georgia-based Bishop-Durden-Hale Insurance Group.

Bishop-Durden, which specializes in coverage for manufacturers, municipalities and schools, will keep its offices in Vidalia and Savannah. The firm was founded in 1996. Brian Bishop is the agency’s president and Nick Hale is vice president.

Atlanta-based Oakbridge, which has grown rapidly through acquisitions since it was founded in 2020, provides a partnership model for agencies seeking accelerated growth and access to capital, Oakbridge said.

Oakbridge Insurance announced in August that it had partnered with another Georgia agency, the Cole Agency in Montezuma.

Burns & Wilcox, Environmental Underwriting Solutions

Wholesale insurance brokerage Burns & Wilcox has agreed to acquire Alabama-based Environmental Underwriting Solutions, a wholesale broker specializing in complex environmental exposures, from Insurance Office of America.

The move supports Burns & Wilcox’s strategy of aggressively pursuing independent and specialized brokers, company President Danny Kaufmann said in the transaction announcement. Burns & Wilcox has offices around the country and is headquartered in Michigan.

EUS President Beth Linton will become vice president of Burns’ environmental brokerage, based in Atlanta. She will continue to oversee teams in Atlanta, Birmingham and Charleston, and will report to Blaise D’Antoni, executive vice president for the eastern United States at Burns & Wilcox.

Arthur J. Gallagher, Southern Insurance Group

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. acquired Columbia, Mississippi-based Southern Insurance Group LLC. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Southern Insurance Group provides commercial and personal property/casualty insurance coverages to clients in Mississippi and the Southeast U.S.

The Southern Insurance Group team will remain in their current location under the direction of Bumpy Triche, head of Gallagher’s Mid-South retail property/casualty brokerage operations.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Orion180

Orion180, one of the latest entrants into the Florida insurance market, has also begun writing homeowners policies in noncoastal areas of Mississippi and Alabama.

The policies will be written through the admitted insurer Orion180 Select Insurance Co., the Melbourne, Florida-based firm said.

The company will market its products through independent distribution partners in Alabama and Mississippi.

Its surplus lines carrier is Orion180 Insurance.

Ken Gregg is CEO of Orion180. He said the company plans to continue its expansion in 2023 and 2024, including into Indiana and Georgia, and that independent agents are invited to inquire at the firm’s website.

West

LP Insurance Services, Wasserman & Associates

LP Insurance Services LLC acquired Wasserman & Associates in Northern California.

Wasserman & Associates joins the LP Insurance Services Gold River/Sacramento, California, office.

Wasserman & Associates has been serving the Sacramento community since its inception in 1981, when it was founded by Rick Wasserman. The firm is focused on commercial insurance and risk services.

LP Insurance Services is headquartered in Reno and has additional Nevada offices in Carson City, Elko, Fernley, Las Vegas and Sparks. LP also maintains offices in Phoenix, Arizona; Gold River/Sacramento, Truckee, and Fresno, California; and Roswell and Portales, New Mexico.

Risk Strategies, Benefit Design Group

Risk Strategies acquired Benefit Design Group LLC in Portland, Oregon.

The purchase of BDG adds to Risk Strategies’ presence in the Pacific Northwest. It builds upon the firm’s previous acquisition of the Fournier Group, a commercial and personal lines retail insurance agency that is headquartered in Portland, as well.

Benefit Design Group is a retail agency specializing in health, life and retirement solutions, and is led by Joel Biernat and Dennis Warneke.

Boston-based Risk Strategies is a national specialty insurance brokerage and risk management firm with more than 100 offices.

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