Fort Worth-based Higginbotham has added California to its footprint.
Higginbotham, one of the largest independent insurance firms in the U.S., has completed partnerships with two California insurance centric financial services firms that serve the corporate and affluent individual client marketplace: Paradigm Strategic Insurance Services, LLC and The Gilbert Group. This marks Higginbotham’s entrance into California, adding another state to the firm’s footprint.
Higginbotham operates more than 40 offices in its Texas home state, Oklahoma, Georgia and New Mexico. It is entering new markets by partnering with other independent insurance firms that broaden its portfolio. Its leaders align with firms that bring additional products, services and industry expertise to strengthen Higginbotham’s single source solution for midsized businesses and individuals, according to a company news release. The decision to enter a new market is driven by a partner’s capacity to enhance services.
“We choose the partner, not the place,” said Higginbotham Chairman and CEO Rusty Reid. “We’re focused on finding the right fit from an operational and cultural perspective first and foremost. That’s why we have such a high success rate, not only with the longevity of our partnerships, but also with the growth of those practices. A business connection in California put Paradigm and The Gilbert Group on our radar, and it was a good opportunity to round out our offering to our corporate and individual customers nationwide.”
Higginbotham was introduced to Paradigm and The Gilbert Group through its relationship with NKSFB, LLC, a business management firm in Los Angeles serving the entertainment industry. NKSFB engages Paradigm and The Gilbert Group as service providers for its clients.
The partnerships establish a specialty practice at Higginbotham for executive benefit and business exit strategies along with individual life, health and disability insurance for high net worth individuals and the emerging affluent, according to the news release. Paradigm and The Gilbert Group will draw on Higginbotham’s resources to begin offering its corporate clients employee benefits, property/casualty and event cancellation insurance and its individual clients home, auto and other liability insurance.
Managing Principal of Paradigm, Joel Solomon, ChFC said, “Having Higginbotham’s product offerings and expertise creates a highly synergistic impact for our corporate and individual clients.”
The Gilbert Group CEO Dennis Gilbert said, “We are very excited about what Higginbotham brings to our clients.” Solomon and Gilbert will lead the combined practice, operating as Paradigm Gilbert Consulting Services LLC and Paradigm Gilbert Insurance Services LLC, both Higginbotham Companies