Bolton & Company

What Bolton & Company does

Bolton & Company is a Pasadena, California-based insurance brokerage and risk management firm founded in 1934, operating across three California offices (Anaheim, Pasadena, Santa Clara) with 101-250 employees. The firm provides business insurance, employee benefits, small business insurance, personal lines insurance, retirement plan solutions, wholesale insurance, wealth management, and financial diligence services to mid-market and enterprise clients organized across 16 specialized industry verticals including Healthcare, Construction, Technology, Energy, Manufacturing, Marine, Financial Institutions, Life Sciences, Private Equity, and Native Nations.

The company's revenue model is commission-based brokerage supplemented by fees for specialized services such as benefits administration, retirement plan solutions, wealth management, and financial diligence. Distribution is multi-channel: enterprise field sales teams serve mid-market and large commercial accounts with dedicated service managers; a wholesale insurance operation distributes to retail agents needing specialized or excess and surplus lines coverage; and self-serve digital channels serve small business and individual consumers (under the IMA Private Client brand). Go-to-market is relationship-driven, with industry specialization as the primary segmentation lens rather than product or company size.

In 2024, Bolton merged with IMA Financial Group and began transitioning to a unified IMA brand, integrating teams, migrating email domains, and expanding the product portfolio through sub-brands (IMA Private Client, IMA Retirement, IMA Private Wealth, IMA Diligence). The company remains private with no public financial disclosures, and its stated focus is continuity of client service teams and insurance programs through the integration. No proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed in available source material.

Name

Bolton & Company

Legal name

IMA Financial Group, Inc.

Website

https://boltonco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bolton & Company is a Pasadena, California-based insurance brokerage founded in 1934 that provides commercial insurance, employee benefits, retirement, wealth management, and financial diligence services to mid-market and enterprise clients across 16 specialized industry verticals, now operating under the IMA Financial Group brand following a 2024 merger.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Insurance Brokerage and Risk Management

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Captive Insurance Advisory & Management (FSAEADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Broker-Dealer Affiliated Wealth Advisory (FSAEABAB), Fee-Based Advisory (FSAEAAAM)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Employee benefits administration
• Risk management services
• Retirement plan solutions
• Wholesale insurance distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage and Risk Management Services: As an insurance broker, Bolton & Company generates revenue through commissions earned on insurance products placed with carriers. Additional revenue streams include fees for specialized services such as Employee Benefits administration, Retirement Plan Solutions, Wealth Management, and Financial Diligence services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bolton & Company is an insurance brokerage and risk management firm that places commercial and personal insurance coverage with carriers, earning commissions on placements. It also delivers fee-based services spanning employee benefits administration, retirement plan solutions, wealth management, and financial due diligence for mid-market and enterprise clients across 17 industry verticals. Following its 2024 merger with IMA Financial Group, the combined entity operates under the IMA brand with California offices in Pasadena, Anaheim, and Santa Clara.

Product overview

Bolton & Company offers a unified portfolio of insurance and financial services. Following its merger with IMA Financial Group, the combined organization provides Business Insurance, Employee Benefits, Small Business Insurance, Personal Lines Insurance, Retirement Plan Solutions, Wholesale Insurance, Wealth Management, and Financial Diligence services. These offerings span from commercial and business coverage to individual wealth management and retirement planning, representing a full-service insurance and financial advisory operation serving multiple industries including construction, healthcare, technology, real estate, energy, and more.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IMA Private Client: Personal Lines Insurance
• IMA Retirement
• IMA Private Wealth
• IMA Diligence

Products and services

• Business Insurance
• Employee Benefits Employee benefits brokerage and administration including health insurance, retirement plans, and other workplace benefit programs for employers seeking to attract and retain talent.
• Small Business Insurance Specialized insurance products and risk management services designed for small business needs, accessed via self-serve digital channels.
• Personal Lines Insurance Individual and personal insurance products (such as homeowners, auto, and umbrella) for consumers, distributed through the IMA Private Client brand.
• Retirement Plan Solutions Retirement plan design, administration, and advisory services for employers and plan sponsors, delivered through the IMA Retirement brand.
• Wholesale Insurance Wholesale insurance brokerage and excess & surplus lines placement serving retail insurance agents and brokers who require specialized or non-admitted carrier capacity.
• Wealth Management Private wealth management and advisory services for high-net-worth individuals and executives, delivered through the IMA Private Wealth brand.
• Financial Diligence Financial due diligence and analysis services supporting M&A, investment, and transaction decisions, delivered through the IMA Diligence platform.

Segments15 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Brown & Brown, Inc. Large US insurance brokerage and risk management firm with comparable vertical specialization and multi-channel distribution (direct, wholesale, and personal lines). Competes head-to-head with Bolton/IMA for middle-market and specialty commercial accounts nationwide.
• Lockton Companies: Largest privately held independent insurance brokerage in the US with deep industry specialization and global reach. Comparable as a private, employee-owned broker competing for the same large middle-market and enterprise commercial accounts.
• USI Insurance Services: Privately held US insurance brokerage and consulting firm organized around industry verticals with combined P&C, employee benefits, and retirement offerings. Direct competitor in the middle-market segment with a comparable product portfolio to Bolton/IMA.
• Alliant Insurance Services: Privately held US specialty insurance brokerage with a vertical specialization model and strong West Coast presence that directly overlaps Bolton/IMA's California franchise. Comparable product mix spanning commercial, personal, and employee benefits.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. One of the largest US insurance brokerage and risk management firms with deep multi-vertical specialization and a similar combined insurance, benefits, and risk-management offering. Directly comparable as a top-tier US broker competing for the same mid-market and enterprise clients across the verticals Bolton/IMA serves.
• Hub International Limited: Privately held US insurance brokerage with a strong middle-market focus and multi-vertical industry specialization. Closely comparable business model combining direct brokerage, wholesale, and benefits services, and a frequent competitor for the same mid-market and enterprise accounts in the West.
• AssuredPartners: Privately held US insurance brokerage built through aggressive M&A with a multi-vertical, multi-segment model similar to Bolton/IMA. Directly comparable as a consolidator in the middle-market space that competes for the same regional specialty accounts.

Regional players

• Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. Privately held California-based insurance brokerage with deep Bay Area presence that directly competes with Bolton/IMA's Santa Clara office for the same Silicon Valley technology and life sciences clients. Highly relevant regional peer for the Northern California segment of the franchise.

Broad incumbents

• Aon plc: Global professional services firm offering insurance brokerage, reinsurance, and risk advisory across the same verticals Bolton/IMA serves. Incumbent competitor for the largest commercial and benefits accounts in California.
• Marsh McLennan: Global insurance brokerage and risk advisory giant that competes with Bolton/IMA for the largest enterprise accounts and sets the benchmark for carrier relationships. Relevant incumbent peer given the combined entity's stated intent to win enterprise business in California and the Pacific Northwest.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/boltoncompany
• YouTubeyoutube.com/imafinancialgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/boltonco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ima-financial-group-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Bolton & Company