EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants expects organic growth to come in below its recent average this year as softer insurance rates weigh on revenue. Heading into 2027, the brokerage is looking to win more business from existing clients and use its construction expertise to pursue infrastructure work, including data centers.
CEO Steve Denton (pictured) told Insurance Business he expects EPIC to finish 2026 with organic growth of 5.5% to 6%, compared with a five-year average of 7%. He estimated that market conditions were shaving about a percentage point off growth but rising exposures across EPIC’s client base are helping offset softer rates.
“At 6% organic growth, we’d be about two percentage points above the average for our peers across public and private companies,” Denton said. “That may be a point below our historical average, but I think it’s very sustainable. I don’t see challenges that would push it lower in the coming years.”
Looking ahead, Denton expects continued softening across many commercial insurance lines. In property, the relief has been most pronounced for catastrophe-exposed accounts, including coastal properties with heavy flood exposure. EPIC is canvassing insurers for better terms on large programs where several carriers share the risk.
On the casualty side, large fleets remain among the hardest accounts to place. Denton said brokers can look at where clients can afford to retain more risk and consider structures that increase the retention after a loss.
“If you can raise retentions for certain auto exposures or structure the program so the retention goes up after one or two losses, you can buy excess coverage at a lower cost by reducing the carrier’s exposure to first-dollar claims,” he said.
Driver training and vehicle monitoring also give fleet operators evidence of their safety practices and what happened when an accident occurs.
Read more: Why brokers say commercial auto is "an absolute nightmare" in California
Cyber is the emerging risk Denton puts at the top of his list for 2027. As clients use more AI, he is watching how their cyber policies respond, including whether carriers add exclusions for AI-related risks.
“Looking at our clients’ vendor relationships and their contractual relationships with their technology partners is really important and a big part of what we’re doing,” Denton said.
About 80% of EPIC’s property and casualty business is now specialized by client industry, according to Denton, and the brokerage has retained about 94% of client revenue in recent years.
Construction shows how EPIC is trying to grow within existing accounts. The firm brought its scattered surety practices under central leadership so construction clients could get consistent support.
Denton sees room to take that expertise to commercial clients outside construction. Employee benefits, which account for about 20% of EPIC’s revenue, offer another way to expand relationships that began with P&C placements.
In real estate, EPIC has grouped smaller accounts into portfolios and used captives and risk control to take them to market more like larger clients. Real estate portfolios and transportation and logistics are also among EPIC’s strongest areas of growth this year. The brokerage has also recruited teams to extend an auto dealer practice that had been concentrated in the Northeast and California.
Looking to 2027, Denton sees an opportunity to bring EPIC’s infrastructure expertise to private equity clients investing in data centers. The firm is also investing in energy and natural resources, where he sees overlap with its work in construction and engineering. In senior living, EPIC aims to expand beyond its program for smaller facilities.
Read more: Data center power demand is outpacing the grid tenfold, and new risks follow
“Eight years ago, I would have described us as a middle-market company organized more by geography, maybe 20% specialized,” Denton said. “Today, about 80% of our property and casualty business is specialized by client industry.
“The reason we continue to grow organically is because of our focus on our clients’ industries, and bringing products, expertise and risk management tools across that.”
