St. Petersburg insurance company partners with Texas firm

Stahl and Associates of St. Petersburg, a Florida insurance firm, has partnered with Higginbotham, the largest independent insurance, financial and human-resources service company headquartered in Texas, according to a news release from both companies.

The plan is to grow the combined business in the Sunshine State, the companies say. 

Higginbotham will celebrate its 75th anniversary this year, and the Texas company desires to "look to the future with a program of strategic growth, bringing on board agencies and teams that enjoy sterling reputations in their local markets and share the same energy, culture, values, and commitment to service as Higginbotham."

Founded in 1983 by Bob Stahl, Stahl and Associates grew from six employees to what it says it is the largest privately held commercial insurance firm in Florida. It provides single-source service for clients in a range of industries including construction, manufacturing, nonprofit, social service and health care.

"We could have done a deal with virtually any company," says Stahl. "But it was important to get it right. We're the largest privately held agency in Florida, but we're still a community-based organization, and our team is like a family. We've got a culture where everybody pitches in and helps each other. So, I knew I had to look out for our team as well as our clients. … It was a perfect fit."

Along with the benefits for his team, Stahl will share the Higginbotham resources and capabilities with clients.

"Laws and regulations are changing constantly," says Stahl. "With Higginbotham, we have access to a dedicated compliance team to keep us and our clients on top of everything. They have a financial analysis team for renewal workups, and a communications team. They even have a wellness team — and their director of wellness used to work for NASA."

Employee owned, Higginbotham, of Dallas-Fort Worth, was established in 1948.