Burton & Company

What Burton & Company does

Burton & Company is an independent insurance agency founded in 1891 and headquartered in Martinsville, Virginia (legal entity: Burch-Hodges-Stone.com). The company serves Virginia businesses and families across three primary product categories: business insurance (auto, BOP, group health, group life, liability, property, umbrella, surety bonds), personal insurance (auto including ATV/boat/motorcycle/RV, health, property, life, umbrella), and specialty insurance (churches, contractors, construction, dental offices, farm and ranch, forestry, logging, sawmills, manufacturing, nonprofits, special events, and trucking). Burton & Company differentiates through deep specialization in Virginia-specific industries and high-risk verticals such as forestry, logging, construction, and trucking that standard insurers may avoid.

The agency operates on a commission-based revenue model, earning commissions from multiple insurance carriers for policies placed on behalf of clients. It distributes products through licensed insurance agents via phone (toll-free 888-652-1325), online quote request forms, and in-person consultations at its Martinsville office. The company maintains an active digital presence with a blog featuring 35+ pages of vertical-specific insurance content and social media accounts across Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Vimeo. Burton & Company employs approximately 11 people, is privately held with no external institutional funding, and is presumed to be founder- or family-owned based on the absence of any disclosed ownership changes or capitalization events.

The business model is relationship-driven and territory-bounded, with all operations and customers within Virginia. The technology posture is traditional: no proprietary platforms, no APIs, no AI/ML capabilities, and no mobile applications. Revenue is generated through carrier commissions on a recurring basis tied to premium volume, with pricing being quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company emphasizes a no-overselling ethos and claims advocacy as core value propositions.

Name

Burton & Company

Legal name

Burch-Hodges-Stone.com

Website

https://burtonandcompany.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Burton & Company is a Virginia-based independent insurance agency founded in 1891 that provides business, personal, and specialty insurance — including forestry, logging, trucking, construction, and church coverage — to Virginia businesses and families through licensed agents and digital channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Martinsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commission Revenue: Burton & Company generates revenue through commissions paid by insurance carriers for policies placed on behalf of clients. As an independent insurance agency, they represent multiple insurance companies and earn commissions based on premium volume written.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Burton & Company is an independent insurance agency that places business, personal, and specialty insurance coverage on behalf of clients through multiple insurance carriers. It earns commissions from carriers for policies written, operating with a relationship-driven sales model from a single Martinsville, Virginia office. The agency's portfolio spans standard commercial and personal lines as well as specialty verticals such as forestry/logging, construction, trucking, dental offices, farms and ranches, churches, and nonprofits.

Product overview

Burton & Company is a Virginia-based insurance agency founded in 1891, offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products and services across three main categories: Business Insurance, Personal Insurance, and Specialty Insurance. Business Insurance includes health, liability, property, auto, life, umbrella, business owners policies, and surety bonds. Personal Insurance covers auto (including ATV, boat, classic car, motorcycle, RV), health, property, life, and umbrella needs. Specialty Insurance provides niche coverage for churches, construction/contractors, dental offices, farms and ranches, forestry/logging/sawmills, manufacturing, nonprofits, special events, and trucking operations. The company serves Virginia businesses and families with tailored insurance solutions and does not sell coverage clients do not need.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Insurance Commercial insurance coverage allowing Virginia organizations to maintain business continuity in the event of disaster or liability, including auto, business owners, group health, group life, liability, property, and umbrella insurance.
• Personal Insurance Personal insurance coverage providing peace of mind and protection for individuals and families in Virginia, including auto, health, life, property, and umbrella insurance.
• Specialty Insurance Specialized coverage for Virginia industries with unique risks and liabilities, including church, contractor, dental office, farm and ranch, forestry, manufacturing, nonprofit, special event, and trucking insurance.
• Surety Bonds Bond services for businesses, particularly required on commercial and government-contracted construction projects to assure project owners that work will be completed.

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles10 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Erie Insurance Group: Regional property/casualty insurer built on an independent agency distribution model with deep Mid-Atlantic and Southeast presence. Highly comparable to Burton & Company's independent agency structure serving Virginia and adjacent markets with personal, commercial, and specialty lines.
• Cincinnati Financial: Property/casualty insurer distributed exclusively through independent agents across the Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic. Directly comparable to Burton's independent agency model with similar commission economics and multi-line product portfolio.
• Auto-Owners Insurance: Mutual insurer that distributes exclusively through independent agents in the Midwest, Southeast, and East Coast. Comparable independent-agency distribution model with multi-line commercial and personal coverage like Burton & Company.
• Donegal Group: Regional property/casualty holding company distributing through independent agents in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Comparable regional independent agency model with commercial and personal lines serving similar customer segments as Burton.
• Selective Insurance Group: Regional commercial property/casualty insurer distributed through independent agents across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Comparable independent agency distribution with similar small-to-mid commercial specialty emphasis.
• Hanover Insurance Group: Regional property/casualty insurer using independent agents across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest. Directly comparable independent-agency distribution model with personal, commercial, and specialty lines.
• Hiscox: Specialty insurer focused on small-to-mid commercial risks including contractors, dental practices, and other professional lines. Comparable specialty commercial focus to Burton's niche verticals, with a hybrid digital-plus-broker distribution model.

Broad incumbents

• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. One of the largest global insurance brokerages with significant retail and wholesale operations. Operates in the same insurance distribution category as Burton but at vastly greater scale, including specialty practices that overlap with Burton's logging, construction, and trucking niches.

Emerging players

• Next Insurance: Digital-first commercial insurer targeting small business customers (contractors, trucking, trades) with automated quoting and binding. Targets the same small commercial SMB customers as Burton's specialty book but via a fully digital channel.

Regional players

• Westfield Insurance: Regional mutual insurer distributing through independent agents across Ohio and the Midwest/East. Comparable regional independent agency carrier with similar commercial and personal line focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BurtonandCo1891
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCu15sCCfOvzsUMMnavS2Jog?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/Burton-Company-Insurance-247546565723322
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/25048529
• Instagraminstagram.com/burtonandcompany1891

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 Burton & Company