Gorst & Compass is a wholesale insurance broker and managing general agent based in Woodland Hills, California. The firm places specialty coverage through retail agency partners across the country. It has built its reputation on deep roots in the California excess and surplus lines market.
Website: gorstcompass.com
Head office address: 5850 Canoga Avenue, Suite 650, Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Founded: 1968, by Harry W. Gorst
Company type: privately held wholesale broker and MGA
Business focus: wholesale distribution of specialty property, casualty, and personal lines coverage
Regions served: all 50 states, with a concentrated presence across California and the western US
Harry W. Gorst started the business in 1968 to underwrite personal article floaters, a niche corner of personal lines coverage. The company grew from there into broader personal and commercial lines work. A few milestones mark that growth:
That 2016 merger brought binding authority and brokerage operations under one roof. The combined structure still shapes how the company operates today, giving it both underwriting authority and open brokerage market access.
The broker works across a wide range of specialty lines, placing risks with more than 100 insurance carriers. Its offerings include:
This breadth lets retail agents bring the firm a wide mix of hard-to-place risks rather than working with several narrower specialists. The company works with both admitted and non-admitted markets, depending on the underwriting profile of each account.
Insurance Business America named Gorst & Compass a 5-Star Wholesale Broker and MGA for 2026, an honor based on ratings from the retail brokers it serves. The firm has now earned that recognition for five straight years, with its president speaking about its growth and technology investments in earlier coverage of the award.
The recognition reflects consistent service ratings from the retail brokers who place business through the firm, rather than a one-time honor. For a look at other awards and special reports, check out IBA’s Best In Insurance page.
California’s excess and surplus lines market gives the firm a natural advantage, since the state is one of the largest E&S markets in the country. It has used that position, along with its binding authority and brokerage divisions, to serve retail partners across admitted and non-admitted lines alike.
Gorst & Compass has also leaned into technology to speed up quoting and placement, using data tools and carrier connections to move submissions through faster. That focus on efficiency, paired with decades of underwriting experience, has helped the firm build long-standing retail relationships well beyond its home state.
Check the news section on this page for the latest updates on Gorst & Compass.
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