Sacramento-based Inszone Insurance Services has acquired Mena Insurance Agency, Inc., a 115-year-old independent agency in Polk County, Arkansas, deepening the national distributor's presence in the state and bringing one of the region's longest-running insurance institutions into its growing platform.
The transaction folds Mena Insurance's commercial, personal and benefits book into Inszone's multistate operation. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 1911 by H.G. McLafferty, Mena Insurance has operated continuously through four ownerships in the small Arkansas city from which it takes its name. It is currently led by P.T. Plunkett (pictured above), who has positioned the firm as a full-service shop spanning commercial, personal and benefits lines for clients across western Arkansas.
The agency's growth profile is unusual for the modern broking landscape. Mena Insurance has built its book entirely through word-of-mouth and community referrals over more than a century, operating without traditional advertising or even a website.
Its seven-person team carries more than 150 years of combined licensed experience, with several staff tenured at the agency for 40 years or more.
Plunkett framed the deal as a cultural alignment rather than a financial exit. "We have always said that we are an insurance agency, but first and foremost, we are in the relationship business," he said, adding that the seller had observed peers pursuing similar transactions before concluding that Inszone was the right partner.
"We wanted a partner that shared our service-oriented values and emphasis on community, rather than a rigid corporate environment," Plunkett said. He added that after growing purely through referrals since 1911, the agency is positioned to tap into the digital presence and back-office resources Inszone provides.
Inszone chief executive officer Chris Walters said the seller had become the go-to agency in its region. He described Plunkett and his team as operating with round-the-clock client dedication and producing the volume of an agency twice their size, and said the buyer would provide expanded resources to support continued operations.
The Mena Insurance deal lands amid a broader run of geographic expansion for Inszone. In April, the firm entered the Pacific Northwest through Arnold & Smith Insurance Agency, Inc., a 55-year-old Washington-based agency with offices in Belfair and Shelton, adding a book spanning manufactured homes, waterfront properties and construction-focused commercial accounts.
The same month, Inszone acquired Olathe, Kansas-based Insurance Resources Group, a full-service agency founded in 1996, in a deal owner Lora Ewbank tied to succession planning after 48 years in the industry. Walters said the transaction strengthened the buyer's Kansas presence with what he described as a versatile, client-focused team.
Inszone has pursued a multistate roll-up strategy across commercial, personal and employee benefits distribution from its Sacramento, California base.
