Financial Benefit Services (FBS) of Richardson, Texas, an independent employee benefits firm specializing in the Texas public school market, has rebranded as Higginbotham Public Sector following a two year, mutually beneficial relationship with Higginbotham, the largest independent insurance, financial and HR services firm headquartered in Texas and one of the top firms in the country.
In 2023, Higginbotham celebrated its 75th anniversary. In 2024, Chairman and CEO Rusty Reid looks to the future with this new program of strategic growth, evolving the collaboration with FBS into a fully synergistic business relationship with an eye to expansion in public sector markets beyond Texas.
“We are thrilled to bring FBS fully under the Higginbotham brand umbrella as Higginbotham Public Sector,” said Reid. “FBS is the leading benefits broker for public schools in Texas, and they built that market by offering specialized services and technological innovations that other brokers just don’t have. For the last two years, our firms have joined forces to serve both the benefits and commercial insurance needs of that market. Now under the Higginbotham name, that synergy can expand beyond our state’s borders.”
FBS Managing Partner Kyle James shared Reid’s excitement for the future: “We have years of experience on the public sector side and creative tools that no one else is using like a proprietary online enrollment system, a smartphone app that’s tied to the platform, text notifications, and a range of engagement and educational features. Now that we’re Higginbotham Public Sector, we can go into Higginbotham offices in all these other states and show people what made us so successful in Texas and what we can do in their public sector markets as well.”
FBS Executive Vice President of Operations Nick Phillips noted that the smooth working relationship the two firms already enjoy reflects their shared commitment to customer service:
“We work with a lot of insurance carriers, so we see mergers and transitions all the time and know how negatively impactful they can be. But we’ve been with Higginbotham for two years and our transition has been seamless. No matter how many moving pieces we’re managing, there’s always someone at Higginbotham we can call. That tells us that they share our understanding of customer service. They know that it means focusing on the ongoing relationship and not just looking for the next sale.”
FBS Managing Director and Chief Sales Officer Coby James expanded on that theme adding, “We have several clients that are coming up on their 20th year with us. So when we say customer service, we’re talking about service to real, long-term partnerships. And that service mentality comes from our employees as well. We’re so proud of the way they take ownership of their accounts and really work to build those relationships.”
Kyle James concluded, “It’s important to us that those long-term clients — and all our clients — understand that our services and our people are not changing just because our name is changing. Our people are the real reason we have such a high retention rate with our clients. We’re not changing anything there.
