EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants has acquired Korotkin Insurance Group, a fifth-generation independent brokerage based in Michigan with more than a century of operating history.
The deal gives EPIC its first significant presence in Detroit and builds on the firm's existing Grand Rapids office, with KIG serving as an anchor for continued Midwest expansion.
KIG brings established specialty practices in for-hire transportation, family entertainment centers, real estate and fitness franchises, alongside private client and small business coverage. Emily M. Korotkin, Jeffrey S. Belen, JJ Reifler, Kyle Fenton and Matt H. Warsh join EPIC as managing principals.
Tom O'Neil, vice chairman of EPIC, credited KIG's longevity as evidence of its strength.
"KIG represents exactly the type of organization we look for as we continue building EPIC, a firm with deep expertise, longstanding client relationships and a strong presence in its market. Their longevity is a testament to the strength of the business and the trust they've built with clients and their community," O'Neil said.
Meanwhile, Emily Korotkin said the decision to join EPIC came down to culture and resources.
"EPIC's culture, resources and expertise made the decision to join the firm clear. Together, we'll be able to expand opportunities for our employees, deepen the capabilities available to our clients and continue building on the foundation of trust and service that has driven KIG's success," Korotkin said.
This deal reflects a broader change in how EPIC is running its acquisition strategy. Insurance Business reported earlier this year that EPIC restructured its senior leadership team, creating a dedicated managing director of M&A role and expanding chief financial officer Frank Mammaro's mandate to include oversight of acquisitions alongside finance and operations.
That infrastructure buildout suggests KIG is arriving into a more formalized integration process than EPIC's prior, more ad hoc acquisition approach, relevant context for agency owners evaluating EPIC as a potential acquirer.
The KIG deal also illustrates a specific pattern EPIC has followed in the Midwest. EPIC's Grand Rapids presence itself traces back to the acquisition of West Michigan-based Johnson-Gallagher, a commercial lines and personal insurance agency, giving the firm a regional base it is now expanding south and east into Detroit through this transaction.
Taken together, the two Michigan acquisitions show EPIC building statewide density rather than treating each deal as standalone.
For independent agency owners in Michigan, KIG's deal illustrates how EPIC is positioning itself in the state: anchored in two major metro markets, with a leadership team that includes five KIG principals staying in place, and a stated intent to expand employee benefits and complementary solutions into KIG's existing commercial client base.
For retail brokers who have worked alongside KIG on shared accounts, the practical change is that KIG's clients now have access to EPIC's national carrier relationships and specialty resources, which may affect how complex or multi-state accounts in KIG's specialty niches, particularly for-hire transportation and fitness franchise coverage, get structured and placed going forward.
