National Insurance Services

What National Insurance Services does

National Insurance Services (NIS) is a privately held insurance brokerage and benefits consulting firm founded in 1969 and headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The company specializes exclusively in providing employee benefit solutions to U.S. public sector organizations — including schools, cities, and counties — across more than 42 states. Its core offerings include employee insured products (life, disability, dental, vision), full benefit consulting services, retiree solutions (ICHRAs, incentive payouts, retiree medical assistance), and employer options such as cyber liability, property & casualty, and gap analysis. The firm has begun building technology-enabled consulting tooling through its MyWave Connect decision support and analytics platform, though its core capability remains human-led advisory work by subject matter experts.

NIS employs a sales-led, enterprise field sales model with dedicated account representatives serving as primary client contacts across regional offices. The firm operates as an insurance producer and earns revenue primarily through commissions paid as a percentage of premiums by carrier partners, supplemented by contingent and variable compensation (overrides, profit-sharing, premium finance fees, expense reimbursements, producer subsidies) and interest earned on premiums held until remittance to insurers. The firm emphasizes full disclosure of compensation to clients. Marketing is executed via a bi-weekly newsletter, blog content, social media presence, and a client login portal, all targeted at public-sector benefits decision makers.

The firm is led by President Hank Ehrsam and CFO David Norton, with a team of VPs spanning insured products, retirement income, sales, and partnerships. Operating status is active, and the firm has signaled continued investment in product breadth (cyber, P&C, ICHRAs, self-funding consulting) within its single-vertical public-sector focus, supported by a regional office network and a deep subject matter expert bench covering Health, Disability, ACA, 403(b), and HRA/HSAs.

Name

National Insurance Services

Legal name

National Insurance Services

Website

https://nisbenefits.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

National Insurance Services is a privately held insurance brokerage and benefits consulting firm founded in 1969 that delivers employee benefits, consulting, and retiree solutions exclusively to U.S. public sector organizations including schools, cities, and counties across 42+ states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Sector Employee Benefits Brokerage and Consulting

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Individual Health Insurance Brokerage & Distribution (FSAIAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vision Insurance (FSAIAHAB), Individual Supplemental Health (Hospital Indemnity, Critical Illness, Accident) (FSAIAEAD), Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance (FSAIAIAD), Basic Group Term Life (Employer-Paid) (FSAIADAA), Individual Disability Income Insurance (Non-Group) (FSAIAIAA)

Keywords

• Public sector benefits
• Employee benefits consulting
• Insurance brokerage services
• Retiree healthcare solutions
• Government group insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Brookfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commission: NIS receives compensation from insurers in the form of commissions paid as a percentage of the premiums due the applicable insurance companies. Commissions can vary by insurance company, by volume of business placed with that company or the profitability thereof, and other factors.
2. Contingent and Variable Compensation: Depending on State laws and the capacity in which the agency is acting, NIS may receive other forms of compensation from insurers, insurance intermediaries, premium finance companies and other vendors; such as contingents, overrides, profit-sharing, premium finance fees, expense reimbursements, producer subsidies, award trips, meetings and other incentives.
3. Interest on Premiums: NIS earns interest on premiums held until it is time to pay the applicable insurance companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Insurance Services is an insurance brokerage and benefits consulting firm that delivers tailored employee benefit solutions exclusively to U.S. public sector organizations. The company places life, disability, dental, vision, and ancillary coverage with insurance carriers, manages retiree benefit offerings such as ICHRAs and retiree medical assistance, and provides full-service consulting spanning benefits design, vendor negotiation, self-funding analysis, wellness, employee education, and ongoing administration.

Product overview

National Insurance Services offers a comprehensive suite of employee benefit solutions exclusively for public sector organizations. The core offerings include Employee Insured Products (life, disability, dental, and vision insurance) and Full Benefit Consulting Services. The product portfolio extends to Retiree Solutions (ICHRAs, incentive payouts, and retiree medical assistance), and Employer Options including Cyber Liability, Property & Casualty coverage, and Gap Analysis. These products are complemented by consulting tools such as MyWave Connect (decision support platform), Decision Support Tools, Wellness Programs, Employee Education, and Self-Funding Consulting. The company has operated since 1969, serving public sector clients across more than 42 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employee Insured Products

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OneDigital: OneDigital is one of the largest US employee benefits and HR consulting brokerages, with deep public-sector, education, and municipal clients; highly comparable to NIS in selling group benefits, consulting, and retirement solutions to mid-market and government employers.
• NFP Corp. NFP is a national insurance brokerage and consulting firm with strong public-sector and education expertise, offering group benefits, retirement, and P&C services to municipalities and schools — overlapping directly with NIS's core book of business.
• Hilb Group: Hilb Group is a mid-market US insurance and benefits brokerage that serves public-sector employers (municipalities, schools) with group benefits and consulting; highly comparable in scale, geography, and customer type to NIS.
• Conner Strong & Buckelew: Conner Strong & Buckelew is one of the largest US independent insurance and benefits brokerages, with a public-sector and education niche; serves school districts, counties, and municipalities in overlapping geographies with similar group benefits offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Gallagher is a top-5 global insurance brokerage and risk management firm with a substantial public-sector and K-12 education practice through its retail benefits division; competes with NIS for the same school district and municipal accounts across the US.
• Brown & Brown Insurance: Brown & Brown is a large US insurance brokerage with a dedicated public-sector and education segment serving K-12, municipalities, and government entities; directly comparable to NIS in core deliverable and customer base, though broader in geography and product mix.
• USI Insurance Services: USI is a major mid-market and large commercial insurance and employee benefits broker with a defined public-sector and education vertical; competes with NIS for placement of group benefits with school districts and municipalities.
• Hub International: Hub International is a large North American insurance brokerage with dedicated education and public-sector practices; comparable to NIS in serving school districts, municipal employers, and government entities across multiple states.
• Lockton Companies: Lockton is the world's largest independent insurance brokerage and operates meaningful public-sector, education, and government benefits practices; competes with NIS for large municipal accounts and K-12 districts.
• Marsh McLennan: Marsh, the world's largest insurance broker, operates a public-sector and education practice through Marsh & McLennan Agency; competes with NIS for the benefits and risk placement work of large municipalities and school systems.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NISBenefits
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-insurance-services
• Xx.com/NISBenefits

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 National Insurance Services