Home » Crawford Insurance consolidates operations with AssuredPartners

Crawford Insurance consolidates operations with AssuredPartners

BELLEVUE, Ky. – Crawford Insurance has consolidated its operations with Florida-based AssuredPartners in a transaction that will keep the Crawford name and allow the Crawford family to remain in charge of the insurance agency that Lou & Joan Crawford founded more than 60 years ago in their Bellevue home.

The staff and operations will continue to be directed by the Crawford family and the consolidation allows the company to expand the services and offerings that it offers to its customers. The Crawford partners will become equity owners in AssuredPartners.

“Our partnership with AssuredPartners presents a unique opportunity for our business to join a quality organization led by insurance-industry veterans that will provide more value to our customers,” said Steve Crawford, one of the agency’s owners.

“This move will allow us to take our operations to the next level while maintaining our constant focus on our clients and their insurance needs,” said Jim Crawford, another owner. “Our industry is in a state of transition. Vast changes are coming, including changes resulting from the federal government’s new healthcare reform legislation. This transaction allows us to fully prepare for and equip our talented team with the resources it needs to assist employers and individuals in this changing landscape.”

“The bottom line is that this change will allow us to continue our focus of taking care of our clients and taking care of our employees with added opportunities and resources to take our company and services to the next level,” said owner Penny Crawford Cook.

Terms of the consolidation were not disclosed. The Crawford family said that the decision to consolidate its operations with AssuredPartners was not an easy one but felt comfortable making the move because AssuredPartners’ model allows well-run agencies to continue to manage the company and continue to serve their customers and employees in the same manner that led to their success.

Mike Crawford said AssuredPartners recognized the strength of the Crawford name and never sought to change the name of the business. “People know our company and they know our name,” Mike Crawford said. “It is important to us that the Crawford name remain on the agency that our mother and father started as a family business more than 60 years ago.”

“We are very pleased to welcome the Crawford operations to the AssuredPartners team,” said Tom Riley, president and chief operating officer of AssuredPartners. “The Crawford family has built a quality insurance agency with a great reputation in Kentucky and Ohio. We are honored to partner with them as we continue to grow in the Midwest and nationally.”

Crawford customers said the company — and the Crawford family — are known for their customer service, fairness, integrity and expertise.

Fort Thomas, Ky., resident John Bardo has been a Crawford client since 1989. As a young child, he recalled the Crawford family helping his mother, a single parent, obtain affordable insurance for his family.

“They provide fantastic service,” Bardo said. “The Crawford family has always taken care of me. They are reliable, trustworthy, and do a great job. I know when I deal with them they are going to be fair.

“My boat recently caught on fire,” he said. “Mike called me right away, assured me everything was going to be okay, followed up with me, stood by his word, and did everything he said he would do.”

Tom Rechtin, the owner of Tom Rechtin Heating & Air Conditioning Co. Inc. in Bellevue, has been a commercial insurance client with Crawford for nearly 40 years.

“We’ve always been pleased with Crawford Insurance,” Rechtin said.  “They truly go above and beyond what is required. I first started working with Lou Crawford in the mid-1970s. We knew each other because we were both Boy Scout leaders.

“I’ve continued to work with Lou’s children as they carried on with the business,” Rechtin said. “We have all of our insurance with them, liability, health insurance, even our 401k.”

About Crawford Insurance

Founded in 1951 by Lou Crawford as Lou Crawford & Associates, the Crawford family-owned and operated insurance agency employs 35 people. The agency offers commercial insurance, personal insurance, and individual and group benefits, including an array of medical benefits and retirement and financial planning.  Crawford Insurance has grown from its modest beginnings in the Crawford home on Eden Avenue in Bellevue to its current location at 179 Fairfield Ave. in Bellevue. The company also operates an office in Maysville, Ky. All five of Lou and Joan Crawford’s children joined their parents in the business – Sharon, Mike, Steve, Penny, and Jim.

About AssuredPartners Inc.

Headquartered in Lake Mary, Fla., AssuredPartners Inc. is a portfolio company of Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR. AssuredPartners invests in property and casualty and employee benefits brokerage businesses across the country. From its founding in March 2011, AssuredPartners has grown to approximately $180 million in annualized revenue and continues to be one of the fastest growing insurance brokerage firms in the United States.