Cs Insurance Strategies

What Cs Insurance Strategies does

CS Insurance Strategies is a Chicago-headquartered commercial insurance brokerage and risk management consultancy serving more than 350 clients across ten US states, with an additional West Coast office in Los Angeles. Founded in 2009 when CEO Charles Smith acquired the Chicago branch of West Insurance Agency, the firm operates two primary service divisions — Commercial Property & Casualty brokerage and Group Employee Benefits — and has built particular depth in serving municipal, non-profit, human service, and charter school clients, alongside healthcare, financial services, real estate, and private enterprise customers ranging from start-ups to corporations with $85 billion+ in aggregate revenue.

The firm's core offerings are consultative rather than technology-led: risk management consulting and strategic planning (including cyber threat analysis and legal liability review), commercial P&C brokerage across property, general liability, commercial auto, workers compensation, professional liability, and D&O coverage, and group benefits administration spanning medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and corporate wellness programs. An HR Support Services add-on module handles enrollment processing, premium reconciliation, and COBRA/FMLA administration. The firm also owns My Health Method, a corporate wellness subsidiary developed in 2014. No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or API surface is disclosed; service delivery rests on licensed brokers holding professional designations such as ARM, CPCU, and CEBS.

The company makes money primarily through insurance carrier commissions and consulting fees on a recurring basis, with quote-based, monthly-billed pricing tied to client size, coverage scope, and risk profile. It executes a consultative, education-led go-to-market through direct brokerage relationships, website content, and referral-driven consultation requests, and now operates as a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Agency, LLC. Customer mix is hybrid by design — spanning government, nonprofit, and private enterprise verticals — with domain specialization in mission-driven and public-sector buyers acting as a key differentiator against larger generalist brokers.

Name

Cs Insurance Strategies

Legal name

CS Insurance Strategies Inc.

Website

https://csstrategy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CS Insurance Strategies is a Chicago-headquartered commercial insurance brokerage and risk management consultancy serving over 350 municipal, non-profit, healthcare, financial, real estate, and private-sector clients across ten US states, with a specialty in education-based, licensed broker advisory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Lines Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ), Nonprofit / Social Services BOP (FSAJAFAM)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Risk management consulting
• Group benefits administration
• Property casualty insurance
• Employee benefits consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: CS Insurance Strategies operates as a commercial insurance brokerage, earning commissions from insurance carriers for placing coverage for clients. The company brokers property & casualty insurance, group benefits, and related coverage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CS Insurance Strategies is a commercial insurance brokerage that places property and casualty, group benefits, and related coverage on behalf of clients, while providing complementary risk management consulting and HR support services. The firm operates two primary divisions — Commercial Property & Casualty and Group Employee Benefits — and serves municipal, private, and non-profit organizations through licensed brokers acting as intermediaries with insurance carriers.

Product overview

CS Insurance Strategies operates as a brokerage consulting firm offering a unified platform of risk management, commercial insurance, and group employee benefit solutions. The core offering consists of three integrated service lines: Risk Management Consulting & Strategic Planning (including risk assessments, cyber threat analysis, and legal liability reviews), Commercial Insurance Brokerage (covering property & casualty, general liability, workers compensation, and professional liability), and Group Benefits Administration (encompassing medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage). The company also provides HR Support Services as an add-on module for enrollments processing, premium reconciliation, and COBRA/FMLA administration. Additionally, the firm has developed My Health Method, a subsidiary wellness brand focused on corporate health improvement programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Risk Management Consulting & Strategic Planning

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 350 clients served across 10 states with clients ranging from start-ups to corporations with over $85 billion in revenue

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MATTER (Healthcare Incubator)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014My Health Method, a wellness company founded by Charles Smith, was accepted into MATTER, an incubator of entrepreneurs and industry leaders located in Chicago's Merchandise Mart, focused on creating products and services that advance the healthcare industry. This is a company Charles founded, not CS Insurance Strategies directly.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lockton Companies: Largest independent insurance brokerage globally, with significant commercial P&C, employee benefits, and risk management practices serving corporate and institutional clients across the U.S. Overlaps with CS Insurance Strategies on product line and target customer.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Large global insurance brokerage with strong middle-market P&C and benefits practices serving municipalities, non-profits, and education sectors. Comparable in product offerings and target segments, but at materially larger scale.
• MMA (Marsh & McLennan Agency): National middle-market insurance brokerage and the parent company of CS Insurance Strategies. Offers the same P&C, group benefits, and risk management lines and serves as the natural consolidator and infrastructure provider for CS Insurance Strategies.

Direct peers

• Brown & Brown, Inc. National commercial insurance brokerage focused on property & casualty, group benefits, and risk management for mid-market and enterprise clients. Closely aligned in revenue mix (commission-based brokerage) and customer base.
• Hub International: Middle-market commercial insurance brokerage with deep P&C, benefits, and risk management practices across the U.S., including significant Midwest presence. Directly comparable in customer segment (mid-market commercial) and product mix.
• Alliant Insurance Services: National commercial insurance brokerage with strong public-entity, nonprofit, and education sector practices. Closely comparable in vertical specialization (especially nonprofits and public entities) and P&C + benefits offering.
• USI Insurance Services: Middle-market commercial insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm serving businesses across the U.S. Comparable in client scale, service-line breadth (P&C + benefits), and go-to-market approach.
• NFP Corp: Middle-market insurance broker and benefits consultant with strong nonprofit, education, and human services practices. Directly comparable specialty verticals (nonprofits, charter schools) and employee-benefits focus.

Emerging players

• Acrisure: Tech-enabled commercial insurance brokerage built via roll-up of agencies across P&C, benefits, and specialty lines. Comparable in commercial brokerage focus, but differentiated by a heavier technology-enabled acquisition-and-integration model.

Regional players

• Mesirow Insurance Services: Chicago-based commercial insurance brokerage with strength in mid-market P&C and benefits across the Midwest. Directly comparable in geography, client segment (Midland-mid-market commercial), and product line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/csstrategy
• Facebookfacebook.com/CSStrategy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cs-insurance-strategies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cs Insurance Strategies