Higginbotham is an employee-owned insurance, financial, and HR services firm based in Fort Worth, Texas. The firm was founded in 1948 and has grown from a single neighborhood agency into one of the largest independent brokers in the United States. It serves businesses and individuals through a single-source model and a national network of offices.
Website: higginbotham.com
Head office address: 500 W. 13th Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102
Founded: 1948, Fort Worth, Texas
Founder: Paul C. Higginbotham
Company type: private; majority employee-owned
Business focus: insurance, financial, and HR services for businesses and individuals
Regions served: nationwide, with a base across the South, Southwest, Southeast, and Midwest
The company began in 1948 when Paul C. Higginbotham opened a small agency in the Riverside neighborhood of Fort Worth. Rusty Reid became CEO in 1989 and introduced a broad-based employee-ownership model that still shapes the firm today. Under Reid, the company expanded well beyond Fort Worth into a coast-to-coast network of offices. Growth since then has paired organic expansion with partnerships and acquisitions. Key milestones include:
The employee-ownership model gives staff a direct stake in results. Higginbotham credits that structure for its long record of organic growth and steady partnership activity.
The firm works as a single source for insurance, financial, and HR needs. Its teams serve small businesses, national enterprises, and individuals across several areas:
A signature Day Two Services program backs each policy with year-round support. Its Employee Response Center also gives benefits clients a dedicated line for enrollment and claims questions. This service-first approach sits at the center of how the company works with clients and carriers.
The brokerage ranks among the largest independent, employee-owned firms in its field. It grows through a dual strategy that pairs organic growth with partnerships and acquisitions of like-minded regional and specialty firms. The company says it treats risk management as a built-in part of service rather than an add-on. Its long-term direction points to continued specialty expansion and deeper client service across new markets.
Higginbotham has earned recognition from Insurance Business America for its growth. It was named to the IBA Fast Brokerages 2026, which lists the fastest-growing US brokerages based on revenue growth. The list recognizes firms that grew revenue by more than 15% in a single year.
Higginbotham's David Fishel on AI and the impact on the next generation of talent
Meet the 96 young professionals shaping the future of insurance across the United States
Employee ownership wins out over private equity as Turbeville joins Higginbotham in South Carolina
The Valdosta firm expanded its ownership ranks before going to market
Texas firm to snap up a six-office Ohio benefits firm next month
