Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Heffernan Insurance Brokers is an independent, employee-owned brokerage placing commercial, personal, employee benefits, and financial insurance across 20+ specialty verticals for businesses and individuals nationwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersWalnut Creek, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Heffernan Insurance Brokers does
Heffernan Insurance Brokers is an independent, employee-owned insurance brokerage founded in 1988 and headquartered in Walnut Creek, California. The firm places commercial, personal, employee benefits, and financial products through licensed brokers and a growing digital self-serve channel called Quick Insure, and serves customers nationwide across more than 20 specialty verticals including nonprofit, construction, cannabis, aviation, pharmacy, religious organizations, janitorial, security, franchise, transportation, real estate, healthcare, technology, and marine cargo. Premium volume reached $2 billion in 2025, up from $600 million three years earlier, and revenue exceeds $200 million. Distribution combines traditional broker-led sales, the Quick Insure platform with third-party integrations (Nationwide pet, Thimble, Coversmart, Blue Cross Blue Shield Global, Propeller, InsureMyEquipment), a Heffernan Network of 800+ independent brokers, and a co-branded franchise channel.
Heffernan Insurance Brokers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Heffernan Insurance Brokers
- Legal name
- Heffernan Insurance Brokers
- Website
- https://heffins.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Heffernan Insurance Brokers is an independent, employee-owned brokerage placing commercial, personal, employee benefits, and financial insurance across 20+ specialty verticals for businesses and individuals nationwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Heffernan Insurance Brokers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Insurance Brokerage
- NAICS
- Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAA)
Keywords
Where Heffernan Insurance Brokers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Walnut Creek
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Heffernan Insurance Brokers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Insurance Brokerage Commissions: Traditional insurance brokerage earning commissions from insurance carriers for placing coverage. Revenue generated from new policy placements and renewals across commercial insurance, personal insurance, employee benefits, and financial services.
- Consulting Services: Fee-based consulting services including claims advocacy, risk management consulting, HR consulting, and loss control services. Company states over $1 billion in claims managed with 25+ years of claims expertise.
- Compliance Management Services: Third-party insurance compliance management services using AI-driven software for vendor compliance.
- Technology Solutions: Technology solutions including insurance technology platforms and software for risk management and insurance procurement.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Full-service insurance brokerage with personalized coverage |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Summer internship program compensation |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels11 records
Heffernan Insurance Brokers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Heffernan Insurance Brokers is an independent, employee-owned insurance brokerage that places commercial and personal insurance coverage with carriers on behalf of clients and earns brokerage commissions. The firm operates dedicated divisions for business insurance (commercial property/casualty, employee benefits, specialty lines), personal insurance (private client, family office, individual health, life), and financial/retirement services, supplemented by a self-serve Quick Insure digital quoting platform and niche practices in nonprofit, construction, cannabis, aviation, healthcare, transportation, hospitality, real estate, technology, religious organizations, and marine cargo.
Product overview
Heffernan Insurance Brokers operates as a large independent insurance brokerage offering a comprehensive, multi-channel insurance and financial services platform. The core offering consists of Business Insurance (commercial property, casualty, liability, and specialty lines), Health Insurance/Employee Benefits, Personal Insurance, and Financial Services/Retirement Planning. The company has developed a digital Quick Insure platform for fast quotes on personal and business coverage. Specialty practice areas include Aviation, Cannabis, Construction, Cyber, Healthcare, Hospitality, Marine Cargo (enhanced by PAC Global acquisition), Nonprofit, Private Equity/M&A, Real Estate, Technology, and Transportation sectors. The company maintains niche divisions like HeffDirect for small business and serves over 4,000 nonprofit clients through Nonprofits Insurance CHOICE. Service offerings include Claims Advocacy consulting with medical triage, AI-driven compliance management, and retirement services. Founded in 1988 as an employee-owned company with over $200 million in revenue, Heffernan has grown organically and through strategic acquisitions including Costello Insurance Associates, Calco Commercial, Achieve Alpha Insurance, Stitz & Associates, twentytwenty Insurance Services, and PAC Global.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HeffDirect: Small business insurance division of Heffernan Insurance Brokers, specializing in sectors like vape, medical spa, and cryotherapy.
- Nonprofits Insurance CHOICE
- Heffernan Religious Institution Programs (HRIP)
- Presbyterian*One*
- Port-A-Gard
- Carsmart Insure
- HIB Marketplace
Products and services
- Business Insurance Comprehensive commercial insurance programs covering property, casualty, liability, and specialized industry-specific coverages for businesses of all sizes, including niche practices in nonprofit, construction, healthcare, transportation, hospitality, food industry, real estate, technology, cannabis, aviation, and marine cargo sectors.
- Health Insurance / Employee Benefits
Quantifiable outcome
- 96-98% accuracy rate in policy checks and proposal generation using Fulcrum AI platform
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments12 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Heffernan Insurance Brokers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature6 records
Heffernan Insurance Brokers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.
- Stitch StudiocoreCollaboration with Stitch Studio to develop proprietary carrier appetite database with agentic AI workflows that showed approximately 50% improvement in placement success rates during testing.
- Semsee CorpcoreSemsee Corp powers HIB Marketplace, Heffernan's internal wholesale technology platform for accessing insurance markets.
- ComulatestrategicPartnership with Comulate, the revenue automation platform for brokers, to enhance operational efficiency.
- TrustLayercorePartnership with TrustLayer to automate insurance verification for customers, expanding the existing partnership originally established in 2023.
- The HartfordcorePartnership with The Hartford to offer Business Insurance for Independent Pharmacy Owners. The Hartford provides the insurance products while Heffernan serves as the broker.
- NationwidecoreNationwide pet insurance offered through Heffernan's Quick Insure platform, providing trusted and customizable pet insurance plans.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield GlobalcoreBlue Cross Blue Shield Global travel insurance offered through Heffernan's Quick Insure platform for short-term travel coverage.
- Employee NavigatorcoreEmployee Navigator is a comprehensive online benefits administration platform integrated into Heffernan's client access offerings, providing benefits administration, ACA reporting, integrated payroll, new hire onboarding, and HR management.
- PropellercorePropeller's Bond Portal for quoting, issuing, and purchasing surety bonds. Heffernan maintains licensing and product responsibility while Propeller provides the technology platform.
- InsureMyEquipment.comcoreInsureMyEquipment.com portal for camera equipment insurance quotes, binding, and policy printing. Premier online insurance portal for camera, sound, lighting, grip equipment and more.
- ThimblecoreThimble provides short-term general liability insurance quotes through Heffernan's Quick Insure platform for temporary business needs.
- CoversmartcoreCoversmart provides special event insurance quotes through Heffernan's Quick Insure platform for weddings, corporate gatherings, and private parties.
- Carsmart InsurecoreCarsmart Insure program provides Turo Host auto insurance coverage starting at $20 per month, offered through Heffernan's peer-to-peer car rental insurance page.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Heffernan Insurance Brokers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Brown & Riding: Brown & Riding is a privately held specialty insurance wholesale broker and underwriting manager focused on construction, casualty, marine, and excess & surplus lines. It is closely comparable to Heffernan's specialty placement capabilities and is a potential partner or competitor for niche accounts.
- Acrisure: Acrisure is a fast-growing, tech-enabled insurance brokerage that has built scale through an aggressive M&A rollup of retail agencies and specialty practices, mirroring Heffernan's growth playbook. Both compete for specialty producer talent and integrate AI tooling into brokerage workflows.
- Lockton Companies: Lockton is the world's largest privately held insurance brokerage, with strong specialty practices in aviation, construction, marine, and nonprofit — all areas where Heffernan competes. Both firms are employee- or partner-owned and emphasize client service over public-market reporting.
- Burns & Wilcox: Burns & Wilcox is one of the largest specialty insurance wholesalers and managing general agents in North America, with deep expertise in aviation, marine, construction, and excess & surplus lines. It is a relevant peer for Heffernan's specialty placement and wholesale brokerage capabilities.
- Hub International: Hub International is a large private insurance brokerage owned by PE sponsor Hellman & Friedman, operating across commercial, personal, and employee benefits lines via a rollup strategy. Like Heffernan, Hub emphasizes regional hubs with specialty practice overlays and is a direct competitor for mid-market accounts.
- USI Insurance Services: USI is a privately held, employee-owned insurance brokerage with a similar ownership structure, mid-market commercial focus, and growing specialty practice mix to Heffernan. Both firms emphasize employee ownership, producer equity participation, and US-wide rollup M&A.
- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Gallagher is one of the largest publicly traded insurance brokerages with a broad commercial and specialty practice mix, including construction, aviation, and nonprofit verticals that overlap directly with Heffernan's niche practices. Both firms pursue aggressive tuck-in M&A strategies across the US brokerage landscape.
- Alliant Insurance Services: Alliant is a privately held specialty insurance brokerage with a similar mix of construction, real estate, healthcare, and nonprofit practices, and pursues comparable tuck-in M&A. It is a direct competitor for specialty producer talent in California and the Western US.
Broad incumbents
- Marsh McLennan: Marsh is the world's largest insurance broker and a subsidiary of Marsh McLennan, serving enterprise and mid-market clients across all major specialty lines including aviation, marine, construction, and cyber. It competes with Heffernan for larger accounts but operates at vastly greater scale and global reach.
- Aon: Aon is the second-largest global insurance and reinsurance broker, with broad specialty capabilities including aviation, marine cargo, construction, and M&A advisory — overlapping with Heffernan's specialty practices. It competes for large enterprise accounts and provides scale-driven carrier access.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Heffernan Insurance Brokers social profiles
Digital presenceHeffernan Insurance Brokers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Heffernan Insurance Brokers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Heffernan Insurance Brokers subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries11 records
Heffernan Insurance Brokers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Heffernan Insurance Brokers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A11 records
Investments5 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Heffernan Insurance Brokers
What does Heffernan Insurance Brokers do?
Heffernan Insurance Brokers is an independent, employee-owned insurance brokerage that places commercial and personal insurance coverage with carriers on behalf of clients and earns brokerage commissions. The firm operates dedicated divisions for business insurance (commercial property/casualty, employee benefits, specialty lines), personal insurance (private client, family office, individual health, life), and financial/retirement services, supplemented by a self-serve Quick Insure digital quoting platform and niche practices in nonprofit, construction, cannabis, aviation, healthcare, transportation, hospitality, real estate, technology, religious organizations, and marine cargo.
Is Heffernan Insurance Brokers a public or private company?
Heffernan Insurance Brokers is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Heffernan Insurance Brokers founded?
Heffernan Insurance Brokers was founded in 1988. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Heffernan Insurance Brokers based?
Heffernan Insurance Brokers is headquartered in Walnut Creek, United States, in the North America region.
How does Heffernan Insurance Brokers make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Insurance Brokerage Commissions are the primary driver. The others are consulting Services, compliance Management Services and technology Solutions.
Who are Heffernan Insurance Brokers's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Brown & Riding, Acrisure, Lockton Companies, Burns & Wilcox, Hub International, USI Insurance Services, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and Alliant Insurance Services. Broad incumbents are Marsh McLennan and Aon.
Does Heffernan Insurance Brokers have an API?
No public API is recorded for Heffernan Insurance Brokers.
What industry is Heffernan Insurance Brokers in?
Heffernan Insurance Brokers's product category is Commercial Insurance Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEADAJ, Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines), with a secondary code of FSAEADAA, Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage. Its NAICS code is 52421 and its SIC code is 6411.