Brown & Company Insurance Services, an employee benefits and individual life and health insurance agency in College Station, Texas, has combined with Higginbotham, an insurance, financial and HR services firm ranked as the 20th largest independent broker in the U.S. Brown & Company becomes Higginbotham’s second branch in College Station and deepens Higginbotham’s presence in the greater Houston area, where it now has five offices total. The deal gives Brown & Company added products, services and resources to serve its clients.
Higginbotham is strategically growing to expand its footprint and increase its service capability by selectively partnering with other independent agencies with strong reputations in their local markets, a desire to keep growing by tapping into Higginbotham’s single source solution and a similar cultural match.
Brown & Company focuses on middle market employers and individual clients. By joining Higginbotham, Brown & Company has increased resources and service capabilities including enhanced compliance, administration, wellness, communications and HR support as well as the ability to provide property and casualty insurance to clients.
Brown & Company dates back to 1978 when it opened as Richard S. Smith & Associates. Principals Sharon Brown and Bryan Brown joined the firm in 1984 and 2002, respectively. In 2006, they purchased the agency, forming Brown & Company Insurance Services.
Higginbotham Managing Partner–Houston Koby Hackradt said, “We entered College Station by starting our own office, and we’re building our name by engaging with our community. However, we’ve found that partnering with an established agency goes a long way toward rounding out our services and making our single source solution available at the local level. Our partnership with Brown & Company will fuel our long-term growth in College Station.”
Bryan Brown noted, “We’ve had a trusted professional relationship with Koby for over 20 years, so he was influential in our decision to partner with Higginbotham. After discussing with Koby and other partners their abilities to better support clients and employees, we knew Higginbotham was the best fit for us. We’re excited to have the additional resources to assist our clients achieve their goals.”
Brown & Company’s eight-person team will remain in place, and Sharon Brown and Bryan Brown will continue overseeing the agency’s operations.