Higginbotham is an independent insurance brokerage firm founded in 1948 that provides businesses and individuals with insurance, financial services, risk management and employee benefit services.[1]
In addition to its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, Higginbotham operates in more than 87 offices in 16 states across the U.S. with approximately 2,700 employees. Higginbotham is ranked in the top 20 largest independent insurance brokerages in the U.S and is the largest based in Texas by revenue.[2]
History
Paul C. Higginbotham founded his namesake agency in 1948 after returning from military service in World War II. It started as a small personal insurance brokerage firm in Paul’s Riverside neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas.
Paul’s nephew, Bill Stroud, purchased the agency in 1962 from his aunt who inherited it when Paul died. Between 1968 and 1983, the firm moved four times to more central locations in Fort Worth to attract an increasingly diverse clientele.
In 1986, Bill hired Rusty Reid from American General Fire and Casualty Company to broker commercial insurance at Higginbotham. Three years later, Rusty became president and CEO at age 27. He implemented an employee ownership model to engage and reward employees in the company’s growth and established the firm’s Financial Services division to begin offering employee benefits.[3]
Higginbotham’s first geographic expansion occurred in 1998 with the opening of a second office in Dallas and was followed by several others in North and Central Texas. Then in 2007, the firm initiated an aggressive growth strategy, merging with like minded independent agencies that support its business model. As of 2023, Higginbotham has expanded its footprint to more than 87 offices spanning the U.S.[4]
Bailey Ave. Building in Fort Worth, TXRace St. Building in Fort Worth, TX
Baton Rouge, Bossier City, Lafayette, Lake Charles
Mississippi
Brookhaven, Hazelhurst, McComb, Ridgeland
Missouri
Branson, Springfield
New Mexico
Albuquerque, Las Cruces
Ohio
Avon, Sidney
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Tulsa
Tennessee
Chattanooga, Knoxville, Lebanon, Memphis
Texas
Arlington, Austin, Brownsville, Brownwood, Bryan, Cleburne, College Station, Corpus Christi, Cypress, Dallas, Ennis, Fort Worth, Friendswood, Granbury, Houston, Lubbock, Lufkin, McAllen, McKinney, Midland, Montgomery, Mount Pleasant, North Richland Hills, Odessa, Plainview, Plano, Port Arthur, Richardson, Portland, San Antonio, Sherman, Texarkana, Tyler, Universal City, Victoria, Waco, Weatherford, Wichita Falls[5]
The Higginbotham Community Fund is a donor advised fund that was created in 2010 in partnership with the North Texas Community Foundation. Grants are distributed to nonprofits throughout Texas that are recommended by employees and selected by a Higginbotham advisory committee.[6] The fund is financed by employee donations and pledges with a corporate matching component. As of 2023, the fund has raised $5,697,070 through employee and company contributions and given 1,839 grants totaling $4,508,877.
Honors and awards
Higginbotham has been recognized as an A+ accredited business by the Better Business Bureau of Fort Worth since March 1, 1990[7]
Rank #31 in the Business Insurance 2016 list of 100 Largest Brokers of U.S. Business based on 2015 revenue[2]
Rank #33 of the largest U.S. employee benefit brokers in a list published by Employee Benefit Advisor and Employee Benefit News[8]
Rank #24 in the Insurance Journal 2016 list of the top 100 property/casualty agencies[9]
Rank #10 in the Business Insurance 2013 Best Places to Work in Insurance[10]
April 2011 Rough Notes Marketing Agency of the Month[3]
Higginbotham was one of 35 independent brokers featured on the 2014 inaugural list of Elite Agencies published by Insurance Business America[6]
2014 Best Agency to Work For – South Central by Insurance Journal[11]
2015 Dallas Business Journal Best Places to Work in DFW[12]
2015-2016 Dallas Business Journal Healthiest Employers in North Texas[13][14]
2015-2016 Austin Business Journal Healthiest Employers of Central Texas[15][16]
17th Best Company to Work for in Texas in the large employer category of a list published by Best Companies Group in 2016[17]
Named a Platinum Level Fit-Friendly Worksite by the American Heart Association of Tarrant County in 2015 and 2016[18]
Received the Worksite Innovation Award from the American Heart Association of Tarrant County for our wellness program in 2016[18]
