Texas-based Higginbotham has acquired Blanton & Griffin Insurance Agency, a property and casualty brokerage in Valdosta, Georgia, the company announced June 16. The deal adds South Georgia market coverage and gives Blanton & Griffin access to broader carrier relationships, specialty programs, and in-house claims and legal resources.
Blanton & Griffin traces its roots to a 1985 merger of two local agencies founded by Lou Blanton and Archie Griffin. The firm’s insurance lineage runs back to 1920. It serves commercial and personal lines clients across South Georgia. Its accounts span construction, hospitality, nonprofit, and manufacturing, as well as contract surety for construction operations.
The agency has more than 30 staff members. In January 2025, it expanded its ownership group from three to seven. That brought a new generation of producers into the firm’s leadership structure.
Higginbotham Chairman and CEO Rusty Reid said the deal reflects his firm’s acquisition approach. Higginbotham targets agencies that share its values, then backs those local teams with resources to grow.
“Blanton & Griffin brings exactly the kind of local strength we look for,” Reid said. “They have a terrific reputation in South Georgia, a track record of service — and they have already brought the next generation into the agency in a meaningful way. We are excited to add resources around that foundation so they can keep growing.”
The deal follows Higginbotham’s April 2026 acquisition of Harmon Dennis Bradshaw, an independent firm in Montgomery, Alabama. Under that deal, Higginbotham integrated central resources while local teams retained day-to-day client responsibilities.
Ben Blanton, president of Blanton & Griffin, said Higginbotham’s employee-owned structure was a deciding factor.
“We knew the kind of fit we were looking for, and it wasn’t just about size,” Blanton said. “When we met with Higginbotham, we knew they could bring the scale, market clout and support we wanted — but they stood out because they are employee-owned, built to stay independent and committed to helping us grow without changing who we are.”
That preference for an employee-owned buyer sits against a market dominated by private equity. US agencies completed 695 mergers and acquisitions in 2025, down 12% from 787 in 2024, per OPTIS Partners. PE-backed and hybrid buyers accounted for 73% of all transactions that year.
The pool of independent buyers is narrowing further. Unique acquirers in the US dropped from 104 in 2024 to 95 in 2025, continuing a four-year decline tracked by OPTIS Partners.
Alongside expanded market access, Blanton & Griffin gains specialty programs, captive capabilities, and employee benefits resources for its clients.
Zac Henry, a producer in the 2025 ownership group, said younger agents risk losing client ties inside large national platforms.
“I’ve seen young people in this industry get pulled into larger systems where they become one small piece of something far away from the client,” Henry said. “Higginbotham gives us a different path. We get to stay rooted in South Georgia, keep serving the people and businesses we know and still work with the resources and reach of a national organization. We get to keep growing, without losing our place in the community.”
Higginbotham faced the same question in December 2025, when Indiana’s Synergy Insurance joined the firm. Synergy’s partners chose Higginbotham over PE-backed buyers for the same reasons, citing its employee-owned model and commitment to preserving local identity.
The deal lands as the pool of available independent buyers in the US continues to shrink, with sellers increasingly weighing cultural fit alongside financial terms.
