Relation Insurance Services has acquired the assets of Mid-State Insurance, a Mequon, Wisconsin agency offering commercial, employee benefits, and personal lines coverage, extending the Chicago-based brokerage's existing Midwest presence.
The transaction took effect March 31. Terms were not disclosed. The announcement came July 28, four months after the deal closed.
Founded in 1986 as an independent life and health agency on Milwaukee's North Shore, Mid-State expanded into a full-service, multi-line operation by 1989. The agency's own description of its business states it mainly services clients throughout Wisconsin and northern Illinois, with lines spanning business and commercial insurance, employee benefits, home, auto, life, and health coverage.
Joe LaBarbera, president of Mid-State Insurance, said the decision came down to operational alignment and shared values. "We're excited to join this growing team that shares values and enables us to enhance our services and offerings to our clients through additional resources, capabilities, and national scale," he said.
Tim Hall, chief executive officer of Relation, said the company plans to expand its Wisconsin presence through the Mid-State team.
The Mid-State acquisition is among the first completed by Relation under its new ownership. In January 2026, Boston-based private equity firm BayPine acquired Relation from Aquiline Capital Partners, which had backed the brokerage since 2019. BayPine cited continued mergers and acquisitions as a priority alongside talent recruitment and specialty capability development.
Since Aquiline's 2019 investment, Relation has completed more than 100 acquisitions. The company operates more than 90 offices, employs roughly 1,350 people, and serves over 230,000 clients across commercial property and casualty, employee benefits, personal lines, and wealth management.
The deal adds a Wisconsin presence at a moment when national agency deal volume has contracted sharply. North American insurance agency acquisitions fell to 292 in the first half of 2026, down 15% from a year earlier, according to OPTIS Partners figures. That is the lowest first-half total in seven years.
Relation has been running parallel expansion tracks in 2026 alongside the Mid-State deal. The company also acquired California crop insurer Crop Rx in May and added several specialty lines executives in July.
