What Brownyard Group does

Brownyard Group is a national insurance program administrator founded in 1950 by William H. Brownyard and headquartered in Bay Shore, New York. The company designs, underwrites, and distributes ten specialty liability insurance programs targeting niche industries that are underserved by standard commercial insurers, including security guard services (Brownguard), private investigators and security consultants (PI Protect), alarm installation and monitoring (SIREN), pest control operators (PCOpro), lawn care and landscaping (GroundCover), wildlife control (CritterPRO), beauty salons and spas (SASSI), cosmetics manufacturers and distributors (FOUNDATION), libraries (By The Cover), and cemeteries, crematories, and funeral homes (Memorialpro). The programs are written through A.M. Best A+ rated nationally recognized carriers on an admitted basis in most states, with limits up to $10–$11 million depending on the program, and minimum annual premiums ranging from $325 to $10,000.

The company operates a B2B2C distribution model, selling exclusively through independent insurance agents and brokers who submit applications on behalf of clients. The technology stack is a conventional insurance program administration platform: quote-based underwriting with direct program-manager access, simple application workflows, and ePayPolicy-integrated online premium payment. There is no proprietary AI or ML capability. Brownyard Claims Management, Inc. (BCM), a wholly-owned subsidiary founded in 1993, provides in-house claims handling and loss prevention across all programs; Invision operates as an affiliate claims investigation and risk management company.

Brownyard generates revenue primarily through commissions and fees on insurance premiums placed through its carrier partners across the ten specialty programs. The company is family-owned across three generations (William H. Brownyard, Bryan Brownyard, and current leaders Torrence, Sean, and Ryan Brownyard) with no external investors, no public listings, and no disclosed funding. The company is licensed and writing business in all 50 U.S. states, employs 11–50 people, and reports an average employee tenure of 17 years. In 2025, Brownyard completed a 75th-anniversary brand refresh including a new logo, updated colors, and a redesigned website.

Name

Brownyard Group

Legal name

W.H. Brownyard Corporation

Website

https://brownyard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Brownyard Group is a family-owned national insurance program administrator that designs and distributes ten specialty liability insurance programs through independent agents and brokers, serving niche industries including security, pest control, salons, and cemeteries across all 50 U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Commercial Liability Insurance

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business BOP (Main Street) (FSAJAFAA)

Keywords

• Specialty insurance programs
• Program administration
• Commercial liability insurance
• Niche industry insurance
• Insurance underwriting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bay Shore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Premium Revenue: Brownyard Group generates revenue through insurance premiums collected from policyholders across its ten specialty insurance programs. The company acts as a program administrator, developing specialized insurance solutions that are underwritten by highly rated, nationally recognized insurance carriers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Brownyard Group is a national program administrator that develops and markets ten specialty liability insurance programs for niche industries, including security guards, private investigators, alarm services, pest control operators, lawn care, wildlife control, beauty salons and spas, cosmetics manufacturers, libraries, and cemeteries. The company acts as an intermediary between independent insurance agents/brokers and highly rated, nationally recognized insurance carriers, providing specialized underwriting, packaged coverage forms, and in-house claims management through its wholly owned subsidiary Brownyard Claims Management.

Product overview

Brownyard Group operates as a national program administrator offering ten specialty insurance programs for niche industries. The portfolio includes Brownguard for security guards, PI Protect for private investigators, SIREN for alarm services, PCOpro for pest control, GroundCover for lawn care, CritterPRO for wildlife control, SASSI for beauty salons and spas, FOUNDATION for cosmetics manufacturers, By The Cover for libraries, and Memorialpro for cemeteries and funeral homes. The company also provides supplementary services including Brownyard Claims Management (in-house claims facility) and Invision (affiliate claims investigation and risk management). Programs are distributed exclusively through agents and brokers and written with highly rated, nationally recognized insurance carriers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Brownguard: Security guard industry liability insurance program, the flagship product pioneered in 1950.
• PI Protect
• SIREN
• PCOpro
• GroundCover
• CritterPRO
• SASSI
• FOUNDATION
• By The Cover
• Memorialpro
• Brownyard Claims Management
• Invision

Products and services

• Brownguard Flagship liability insurance program for the security guard industry, providing comprehensive coverage including general liability, errors & omissions, assault & battery, care/custody/control, personal injury, and commercial excess coverage for private, governmental, and proprietary security contractors. Available in all U.S. states except Nebraska.
• PI Protect Liability coverage program for Private Investigators and Security Consultants, including electronic data liability, blanket additional insured, and contractual coverage with limits up to $6,000,000. Targets private investigators, fire/arson investigators, counter-terrorism experts, expert witnesses, cyber security experts, and accident reconstruction professionals.
• SIREN Specialized liability insurance for alarm installation and monitoring service firms, including Broad Form Property Damage and Limited Theft Coverage. Covers alarm installation, security system installation, CCTV installation, and monitoring services.
• PCOpro State-of-the-art insurance program for Pest Control Operators, offering professional liability, errors & omissions, jobsite pollution coverage, sudden and accidental pollution coverage, auto hazard pollution liability, and care/custody/control coverage. Not available in Louisiana.
• GroundCover Liability insurance for Lawn Care Service Providers and Landscape Gardeners, covering mowing, blowing, tree/hedge trimming, weed control, fertilizing, seeding, tree/shrub planting and spraying, aeration, and pesticide/herbicide applicator coverage. Not available in California, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, or South Carolina.
• CritterPRO Specialized liability protection for Wildlife Control Professionals, covering nuisance wildlife control operators, wildlife removal and relocation services, bat control, bird control, and skunk/squirrel/rodent control services. Not available in Louisiana.
• SASSI (Salon & Spa Specialty Insurance) Insurance program for the beauty industry covering salons, spas, barber shops, beauty schools, nail salons, hair removal services, and independent operators; includes professional liability, salon services, nail care, skincare, body treatment, and laser treatment coverage. Not available in Alaska, Hawaii, Virginia, or Washington.
• FOUNDATION Specialized liability insurance for the domestic cosmetics industry covering cosmetics manufacturers, importers, and distributors; includes product recall coverage, additional insured vendors blanket coverage, comprehensive general liability, and product liability.
• By The Cover Multi-line package insurance program for libraries offering general liability, commercial property, auto, inland marine, crime, and fidelity coverages; designed to protect valuable library assets and collections. Not available in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, or Washington.
• Memorialpro Specialty insurance solution for cemetery, crematory, and funeral home businesses, providing general liability, cemetery professional liability (including mental anguish and damage to casket and urns), commercial property, and inland marine coverage. Not available in Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, or Washington.
• Brownyard Claims Management (BCM) In-house claims facility providing full-service claims handling, loss prevention, and risk management services for all Brownyard insurance programs; serves as liaison with Arch Insurance Company for third-party claims administration.
• Invision Affiliate claims investigation and risk management company providing specialized investigation services including background searches, surveillance, asset searches, record retrieval, and trial preparation.
• Workers' Compensation Program Workers' Compensation coverage program offered across most Brownyard specialty programs, with Gallagher Bassett serving as Third Party Administrator.

Quantifiable outcome

• Quote turnaround within a few days of receiving completed applications
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature10 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Professional Insurance Agents (PIA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgency association providing access to independent insurance professionals who distribute Brownyard's specialty insurance programs to their clients.
• BIG i MarketscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent insurance agent marketplace connecting Brownyard with independent agents across the U.S.
• Target MarketscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProgram administrator network providing access to agents specializing in niche markets.
• ASIS InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremier security industry organization; ASIS Foundation partners with Brownyard to share the Meritorious Award with a larger audience of security industry professionals.
• CALSAGA (California Association of Security Agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia security industry association providing industry guidance and partnership on security sector publications and initiatives.
• National Pest Management Association (NPMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrownyard is a member of NPMA, the leading trade association for the pest management industry.
• ICCFA (International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrownyard Group/Memorialpro is a member of ICCFA as well as regional cemetery industry associations.
• Texas Pest Control AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional pest control industry association membership.
• CPCO (Georgia Chapter)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional pest control certification organization membership.
• The Alarm ExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlarm industry news and information platform.
• NCISS (National Association of Security Companies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational security industry association membership.
• CMAC (California Cemetery Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia cemetery industry association membership.
• TCCA (Texas Cemetery Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTexas cemetery industry association membership.
• American Electrology AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeauty industry association for electrology professionals.
• Baker Insurance Services (Alabama & Mississippi)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive broker for PCOpro, CritterPRO, and GroundCover programs in Alabama and Mississippi; accepts sub-brokered business on behalf of Brownyard.
• Regan Agency, Inc. (New York)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive broker for Memorialpro in New York; accepts sub-brokered business on behalf of Brownyard.
• Arch Insurance CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance carrier partner; Rich Randazzo serves as liaison with Arch Insurance Company for third party claims administration.
• Gallagher BassettcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkers' Compensation Third Party Administrator (TPA) for handling workers' compensation claims.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RPS (Risk Placement Services): One of the largest U.S. program administrators and MGAs, operating dozens of specialty programs distributed through retail agents. Directly comparable to Brownyard in business model (program administration rather than direct underwriting) and in serving niche industries that standard carriers avoid.
• Burns & Wilcox: Specialty insurance wholesale broker and program manager with deep expertise in excess-and-surplus lines and niche commercial risks. Highly comparable to Brownyard in distributing specialty coverage through independent agents across multiple underserved verticals.
• Amwins Group: Largest U.S. specialty wholesale insurance distributor with significant MGA/program-administration operations. Comparable to Brownyard in managing specialty programs for niche industries and distributing through retail agents and brokers nationwide.
• CRC Insurance Group: Wholesale specialty insurance distributor with substantial program-management business. Directly comparable in operating specialty programs and underwriting for niche industries that mainstream carriers underserve, distributed through independent agents.

Broad incumbents

• Markel Corporation: Large specialty insurer with extensive niche program business across unusual verticals. Comparable to Brownyard in pursuing specialty insurance niches, but operates as a carrier with its own balance sheet rather than as a program administrator — a structurally larger and broader incumbent.
• Hiscox: Specialty insurer with strong small-business and niche-commercial programs distributed through agents. Comparable to Brownyard in targeting underserved small-business segments with specialty products, though Hiscox is a direct carrier and operates globally.
• Kinsale Insurance: Excess-and-surplus specialty insurer that competes with program administrators in niche commercial lines. Comparable in serving risks standard carriers decline, but operates as a tech-forward direct carrier rather than as a program manager.
• Crum & Forster: Specialty property-and-casualty insurer operating multiple niche programs (accident, environmental, professional lines). Comparable to Brownyard in specializing in niches underserved by standard markets, but operates with a carrier balance sheet and broader product set.

Emerging players

• Skyward Specialty Insurance Group: Specialty insurance platform built via roll-ups of niche programs. Comparable to Brownyard in the breadth of specialty verticals served, but is younger and uses a carrier balance sheet rather than a pure program-administrator model.
• Accelerant (formerly Vouch): Tech-enabled specialty insurance platform supporting MGAs and program managers with data analytics and capacity. Adjacent to Brownyard's model but with a data-native, technology-led approach that competes for the same agent relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/brownyard
• YouTubefacebook.com/BrownyardGroup
• Facebookbrownyard.com/social
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/749790

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Brownyard Group