El Dorado Insurance Agency, Inc.

What El Dorado Insurance Agency, Inc. does

El Dorado Insurance Agency, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned insurance brokerage founded in 1968 in Houston, Texas by Robert L. "Bob" Ring, Jr. The firm specializes in placing commercial coverage for industries that mainstream carriers avoid — primarily security guard firms, private investigators, alarm installers, executive protection specialists, process servers, fire safety contractors, security consultants, and janitorial services — operating under a positioning of "experts at insuring the hard to insure." Revenue is earned through standard brokerage commissions on a product stack anchored by Commercial General Liability and Workers' Compensation, with ancillary Commercial Auto, Commercial Property, EPLI, Fidelity Bonds, Umbrella coverage, and a PPACA-compliant Employee Benefits Solution for low-wage workforces.

The operating model relies on conventional agency infrastructure rather than proprietary technology. Distribution runs through direct phone sales (1-800-221-3386), a self-serve online Application Center enabling quotes in approximately 10 minutes, and referrals from state-level industry associations. Back-office systems include the Vertafore Client Portal for policy management, Certificate Hero for certificate retrieval, Simply Easier Payments for premium collection, and third-party administrators (Cornerstone, MeMD, Lyric Health) for benefits administration. No in-house underwriting engine, mobile application, AI/ML capability, or proprietary platform is evidenced. The Houston headquarters and Bakersfield, California branch (California Insurance License #OE59720, DBA El Dorado Security Services Insurance Agency) serve clients nationwide.

Customer acquisition is broad-based and SMB-heavy: a typical GL premium for a small security guard firm runs $3,000-$4,000 per year, varying by operations, contractual obligations, loss history, and management experience. The El Dorado/ASSIST/TBFAA workers compensation purchasing group (established 1993) leverages collective buying power and has paid dividends for 13 consecutive years; long-tenured carrier relationships with First Mercury/CoverX (since 1991), Texas Mutual, AIG, Progressive, The Hartford, Travelers, and Crum & Forster provide specialty capacity. Leadership remains in the founder's family — Bob Ring (CEO) with sons Josh Ring (President, UT McCombs) and Andy Ring (Vice President) — and no external institutional investment has been disclosed.

Name

El Dorado Insurance Agency, Inc.

Legal name

El Dorado Insurance Agency, Inc.

Website

https://eldoradoinsurance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family-owned insurance brokerage founded in 1968 in Houston, Texas, specializing in commercial coverage for hard-to-insure industries including security guard firms, private investigators, alarm installers, and fire safety contractors nationwide, with carrier commissions as its primary revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: El Dorado Insurance Agency operates as an insurance agency/brokerage earning commissions from insurance carriers for placing coverage. They represent multiple insurance companies and work to find the best coverage and pricing for their clients in hard-to-insure industries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

No source content was provided for analysis. The company's core offering cannot be determined from the supplied input.

Product overview

El Dorado Insurance Agency, Inc. is a specialized insurance agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products for hard-to-insure industries, primarily serving the security and protective services sector. The core offering consists of industry-specific insurance programs (Security Guard, Security Consultant, Executive Protection, Private Investigator, Process Server, Alarm Installer, Fire Safety, and Janitorial) built around Commercial General Liability as the foundation. These are supplemented by core commercial coverages (Workers' Compensation, Commercial Auto, Commercial Property, EPLI, Fidelity Bond, and Umbrella) and specialized employee benefits solutions (PPACA-compliant health benefits, telehealth). The company operates through an Application Center for online quoting and binding, a Client Portal for policy management, and maintains strategic partnerships with carriers including First Mercury Insurance Company, CoverX Specialty, and Texas Mutual Insurance Company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Claims managed from first file to resolution

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• El Dorado/ASSIST/TBFAA Workers Compensation Purchasing GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993Workers compensation purchasing group established in 1993 providing member savings through collective purchasing power, access to Texas Star Network healthcare, safety programs, loss prevention consultants, and 24/7 claims handling. Has earned dividends for 13 consecutive years.
• First Mercury Insurance Company & CoverX SpecialtycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1991Long-term carrier relationship established in 1991 for placing specialty insurance coverage for security industry clients. This partnership provides El Dorado with stable capacity for hard-to-insure risks in the security sector.
• Texas Mutual Insurance CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLeading workers compensation provider in Texas, insuring 40% of the Texas workers compensation market with over 62,000 business owners and 1.3 million workers. El Dorado leverages this relationship for workers comp coverage in Texas.
• Alarm Association of Florida (AAF)minorOthersIndustry association partnership for alarm installation industry
• ASIS InternationalminorOthersGlobal security industry association providing networking and professional development resources
• Associated Security Services and Investigators of the State of Texas (ASSIST)minorOthersTexas state association for security services and investigators; co-founder of the workers compensation purchasing group
• California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI)minorOthersCalifornia state association for licensed investigators
• California Association of Licensed Security Agencies, Guards and Associates (CALSAGA)minorOthersCalifornia state association for security agencies and guards
• Burglar and Fire Alarm Association of MichiganminorOthersMichigan state association for alarm industry professionals
• Texas Burglar and Fire Alarm Association (TBFAA)minorOthersTexas state association; co-founder of the workers compensation purchasing group

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Risk Placement Services (RPS): Specialty insurance wholesale broker and managing general agent focusing on niche and hard-to-place risks. Directly comparable as a specialty distribution partner leveraging carrier relationships to place non-standard commercial lines.
• Burns & Wilcox: National specialty insurance brokerage placing hard-to-place commercial risks across multiple niche industries. Highly comparable to El Dorado in serving underserved classes where standard markets decline coverage, with broader geographic reach.
• J. Smith Lanier & Co. Mid-market specialty insurance brokerage with industry-specific practice groups and multiple carrier appointments. Similar niche-focused brokerage model placing specialized commercial coverage.
• Heffernan Insurance Brokers: Mid-market specialty commercial insurance brokerage serving niche industries with dedicated practice groups. Comparable business model of placing hard-to-place coverage through multiple carrier relationships for underserved segments.
• Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. Commercial insurance brokerage serving mid-market and specialty clients across multiple industry verticals. Comparable specialty brokerage model with deep carrier relationships and industry-specific expertise.
• Brown & Riding Insurance Services: Specialty insurance brokerage and wholesale operation focused on complex, hard-to-place risks across niche industry verticals. Comparable to El Dorado in serving accounts that mainstream carriers decline.

Emerging players

• Founder Shield: Insurtech-focused commercial brokerage targeting niche and high-growth industry verticals with streamlined digital placement. Emerging competitor to traditional specialty brokerages like El Dorado in serving underserved commercial segments.

Broad incumbents

• Ironshore / Liberty Specialty: Specialty carrier (now part of Liberty Mutual) underwriting hard-to-place commercial classes. Adjacent as a carrier partner relationship and peer in the specialty insurance value chain.
• USI Insurance Services: Large national commercial insurance brokerage with property/casualty, employee benefits, and specialty practices. Comparable to El Dorado in serving niche commercial segments but at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
• CRC Insurance Group: Large wholesale specialty insurance distributor serving retail agents with hard-to-place commercial risks. Adjacent peer operating in specialty distribution with broader product set than El Dorado.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/eldoradoins

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 El Dorado Insurance Agency, Inc.