The Top Insurance Brokers and Agents in the USA | Top Insurance Brokers and Agents

• Fifty-six percent of agencies say their No. 1 challenge is finding carriers that will maintain their commitment to their market, up from 31 percent in 2022. 
   

• The second most pressing challenge, at 49 percent, is “having carriers that are addressing new personal lines risks by adding new products, services, or coverages”. 
   

• Finding and screening job candidates with strong potential is the third most challenging issue at 46 percent.

He adds, “Despite these conditions, the best brokers are shining brightest. Due to their inherent qualities of providing clients with choice, hands-on approach to risk management and coverage solutions, and deep expertise, brokers are positioned for continued success.”

In addition, Lindsay Dress, executive vice president, RT Specialty – Dallas points to the top insurance agents and brokers dealing with the challenge of an accelerated hardening of the catastrophe-exposed marketplace. She explains what they have done to counter this and succeed.

“You must differentiate yourself by proactively and rapidly providing innovative and creative solutions to your clients for their unique needs. This comes from experience, which can only be achieved through the backgrounds and knowledge of a diverse team with clear minds and steady hands,” she says.

Standing out and making a mark, which IBA’s Top Insurance Brokers and Agents have done, is an arduous task as the industry has grown, with both agency and brokerage numbers increasing by 34 percent between 2014 and 2023.

Joshua Morey, president of The J. Morey Company, feels the hard market and economic uncertainty have been significant challenges in 2024, but also cites emerging risk factors related to:

• climate
   

• politics 
   

• diversity 

“Successful brokers/agents must think creatively around solutions to include better data insights, leverage technology, and keep the finger on the pulse of new emerging markets,” he says.

IBA’s readers rated their brokers and agents across six criteria with understanding the needs for coverage, fast and easy communication, and personalized service the most important. 

“An insurance broker’s priorities when serving clients revolve around being a trusted partner to both clients and the insurance carriers they represent. Client satisfaction, and carrier and partner collaboration, are the twin pillars that drive a broker’s success,” says Jones.

As an E&S casualty broker specializing in energy, construction, oil and gas, Alicia Calhoun, senior vice president at XPT Specialty, is one of IBA’s Top Brokers and Agents of 2024 and has earned a reputation for crafting creative solutions for tough-to-place risks.

This skill is lauded by Dress, who states that America’s top insurance brokers need creativity, endurance, and flexibility. 

“We must be creative to serve our customers in the E&S marketplace. We take tremendous pride in procuring placement options in catastrophe-exposed geographic regions for difficult classes of business, often with challenging loss history and unique business exposure needs,” she says. “Not everyone knows where or how to place insurance for the rare, unusual, or tough exposures. To properly execute, a cohesive team has to have the endurance and stamina to not only envision the creative solution but also to execute the strategy.”

This year marked a quarter of a century in insurance for Calhoun, who started as an independent retailer working directly with insureds, which laid the foundation for her current role.
 

“I don’t have a college education, but since coming into the industry, I’ve been a sponge. I’m always hungry. It’s never going to be enough because I want to leave a legacy”
Alicia CalhounXPT Specialty

“Building insurance programs, excess towers, and assisting in manuscription of insurance wording on hard-to-place risks has made me a valuable wholesale partner to my retail partners,” she explains. “As a broker, it is not only my responsibility to understand the marketplace but to also understand how coverage forms differ from one carrier to the next. My clients depend on my expertise and advice. In some cases, I am present in proposal meetings to explain how the programs that I engineer or orchestrate will respond.”

Being proactive in seeking additional areas of coverage sets a broker apart from their competitors. Proactively seeking additional coverage areas for clients is something that sets Calhoun apart.

“I am a firm believer that if you win on price, you will also lose on price. I consider it my duty to my clients to not only provide the best pricing available in the market but also the best terms and conditions,” she reveals. “I offer coverage comparisons and point out where there may be deficiencies or areas that an agent should consider extending additional coverage with higher limits.”

Again, this an attribute highlighted by industry expert Jones, who says, “In an increasingly complicated business and insurance environment due to the hard market, economic challenges, and evolving business and societal trends, advising on achieving the right balance between risk retention and risk transfer based on an individual client’s budget and risk tolerance is paramount.”

For firms to build and increase revenue, retaining and attracting new clients is essential.

“They build long-lasting, strong relationships with carrier partners and clients and constantly improve their sales and service processes by implementing technology, incorporating feedback, and adapting to ever-changing market conditions,” comments Jones.

For Calhoun, providing a bespoke service is paramount. “Personalization has gotten away from us due to technology, but it is so important. Technology has greatly improved certain workflows, but it will never replace a person. Email is great for documentation, but there is nothing more that says ‘I care’ than picking up the phone to discuss.”

She continues, “People want to know they matter, whether you are trying to sell insurance or have your groceries properly placed in a grocery bag by a smiling employee. Personalization matters – it’s that simple.”

Dress expands on why this approach is so critical. “To no one’s surprise, not every playbook goes 100 percent according to plan, so being able to pivot and reorganize the ask in an effort to deliver a competitive outcome for the client is mission critical.”

Calhoun leads a team of five from her base in Houston, instilling a robust culture that drives them to deliver. She says, “Whether we’re able to help an agent find a solution or retain a renewal, it’s about finding a way for us to win as a team.”

In such a relationship-driven business, transparency is an important factor. 

“I like to work with people who are like-minded and are as transparent with me as I am with them. Sometimes they could be a competitor, but that’s fine, because there’s plenty of business to go around,” she explains. “I’m not going to be the person for every retailer. I don’t work with everyone because I can’t be fit for everyone. I’m a realist, but very passionate. That’s what’s made me successful.”

Due to market volatility for multiple years, insureds have been seeing year-over-year consistent rate increases, scaling back of coverage and capacity, as well as increased retentions in the property space. According to Dress, the key to dealing with this situation is working together and embracing a team mindset.

“We are devoted to procuring competitive outcomes to our retail agent and broker clients by viewing every single piece of insured business, whether it be renewal or new, with a fresh set of eyes and new strategy, contemplating a variety of solutions, including restructure, alternative retentions, and splitting out required coverages as needed. While time consuming, this approach has continued to be hugely successful in an unpredictable and transitional market.”

And she adds, “It takes full dedication from the broker and a deep bench of equally committed teammates who trust one another.”

This is echoed by Calhoun who has led her team to gradually build their book and be able to pivot when necessary.

“I have trained them from the ground up. We want to find ways to seek solutions for our clients. I’ve been with XPT for four years and I’ve had the ability to build a book that it might take some brokers 10 to 15 years,” she explains. “I’ve done it strategically, one deal at a time.”

The Top Insurance Brokers and Agents in the USA | Top Insurance Brokers and Agents

• 
  Alicia Calhoun
  XPT Specialty
   
  

• Alex Kaplan
  Amwins
• Alison Green
  Capitol Special Risks, a division of Specialty Program Group
• Alka Manaktala
  IOA Insurance Office of America
• Ana Regina Myrrha
  American Insurance Point
• Anthony DeVito
  Gateway Specialty Insurance
• Chase Carlisle
  Acrisure
• Chip Renno, CIC, ARM, CRM, CPIA
  Snellings Walters Insurance Agency
• Corey Platt
  Arthur J. Gallagher
• Dave Wilson
  JM Wilson
• David McKinnon
  FBBInsurance
• David W. Clausen
  Coastal Insurance Solutions
• Edward Nagel
  Acrisure
• Eric Richter
  Western Pacific Insurance Network
• Evan Aldrich
  CRC Group
• Garet Marr
  Franklin Street
• James Singleton
  The Glatfelter Agency
• Jeffrey Cunningham
  UCPM
• John Puetz
  Marsh
• Joseph Messina
  Maximum Independent Brokerage
• Karen Worcester-Wood
  Worcester Wood Insurance Services
• Karl Henley
  SeibertKeck Insurance Partners
• Kim Slater
  Strong Tower Risk Management
• Kirk Aguilera
  The Liberty Company Insurance Brokers
• Marcus Eagan
  Eagan Insurance
• Michael Malinowski
  EHD
• Michael Ondik
  Ondik Insurance Agency
• Mike Peplinski
  Harding Brooks Insurance Agency
• Mitchell Brown
  United Risk Advisors
• Nick Kohal
  ARMR Brokerage
• Paul Jackson
  RT Specialty
• Paul Steele
  Martin & Zerfoss
• Phillip Masi
  AssuredPartners
• Rick Smith Jr.
  Jencap Specialty Insurance Services
• Robert Hughes
  APEX
• Robert Weber
  Rainprotection Insurance
• Sara Johnson
  Gibson
• Sean Greene
  Morrison Insurance Services
• Shantelle Cabir
  Newfront
• Stefanie McLeod
  Monarch E&S Insurance Services
• Steve Love
  Solepro
• Tony Bozzuto
  Bozzuto Insurance Services
• Trevor Gilstrap
  AssuredPartners
• Whittak Sun
  Comparion Insurance Agency
• Will Denbo
  Commercial Insurance Associates