Jackson Sumner & Associates

What Jackson Sumner & Associates does

Jackson Sumner & Associates (JSA) is a second-generation, family-owned Excess and Surplus Lines Managing General Agent (MGA) founded in 1981 and headquartered in Boone, North Carolina. The company operates exclusively across six Southeast states — North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, and Maryland — and serves independent insurance agents and brokers who need access to non-standard markets for complex or high-risk risks. JSA earns commissions from carrier relationships (Markel, USLI, RLI, AmTrust, GAIG, and others) by underwriting and binding coverage on behalf of those agents, with most policies issued within 24 hours.

JSA's core product suite spans Commercial Property & Casualty, Commercial Auto, Garage, Workers Compensation, Professional Liability, and Personal Lines, supported by over 50 industry-specific online quoting tools covering contractors, restaurants, trucking, inland marine, vacant property, habitational, non-profit, mercantile, schools, and professional liability verticals. The technology platform is a web-based agency portal that provides 24/7 access to online quoters, application submission, and account management, complemented by direct underwriter contact via phone and email. Pricing is quote-based across all products with no public rate cards.

JSA's business model is a transaction-fee MGA: the firm receives underwriting authority from carriers, assigns broker numbers to approved agencies after E&O and licensing verification, and earns commission on each bound policy. Distribution is entirely indirect through independent agents, with no direct-to-consumer channel. The company is led by President & CEO Danielle Wade and CUO Tony Costa, and emphasizes responsive same-day service, carrier relationships, and a free continuing-education program for agents as primary differentiators within its regional niche.

Name

Jackson Sumner & Associates

Legal name

Jackson Sumner & Associates

Website

https://jsausa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Jackson Sumner & Associates is a second-generation, family-owned Excess & Surplus Lines MGA founded in 1981 in Boone, North Carolina. It serves independent insurance agents across six Southeast states with commercial, personal, auto, garage, workers comp, and professional liability products via an online quoting portal and carrier partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Excess & Surplus Lines Insurance

NAICS

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

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance Program Administration & MGA/MGU Services (FSAEADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wholesale Insurance Brokerage (Excess & Surplus Lines) (FSAEADAD), Surplus Lines Property (CAT/High-Hazard) (FSAJAGAB)

Keywords

• Excess surplus lines insurance
• Managing general agent services
• Commercial property casualty insurance
• Independent insurance broker support
• Specialty risk underwriting

Headquarters

HQ city

Boone

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Managing General Agent Commissions: JSA acts as an E&S Managing General Agent earning commissions from insurance carriers for placing complex risks on behalf of independent agents. The company receives underwriting authority from carriers and earns commission on bound policies.
2. Broker/Producer Fees: JSA assigns broker numbers to approved agencies and processes business submissions through their portal, earning fees from carrier relationships for placed coverage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jackson Sumner & Associates operates as an Excess & Surplus Lines Managing General Agent (MGA) that places complex or non-standard insurance risks on behalf of independent insurance agents and brokers. JSA holds delegated underwriting authority from multiple carriers and provides a portfolio of commercial property & casualty, commercial auto, garage, workers compensation, professional liability, and personal lines products. Brokers access these products through an online agency portal with industry-specific quoting tools, supported by direct underwriter relationships for case-by-case risk evaluation.

Product overview

Jackson Sumner & Associates (JSA) is a second-generation family-owned Excess & Surplus Lines Managing General Agent (MGA) founded in 1981. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products through its core product lines (Commercial P&C, Commercial Auto, Garage, Personal Lines, Workers Comp, and Professional Liability) supported by an extensive suite of over 50 online quoting tools covering specific industries and coverages such as contractors, restaurants, trucking, special events, inland marine, habitational, non-profit, mercantile, and professional liability. JSA operates an Agency Portal platform for broker access and provides additional resources like a Hurricane Resource Center. The company primarily serves independent agents across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, and Maryland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Property & Casualty Insurance Commercial P&C coverage spanning contractors, restaurants, mercantile, habitational, and similar business lines, underwritten through E&S markets for independent insurance agents to place non-standard commercial risks.
• Commercial Auto Insurance Commercial auto insurance products including auto liability placement for North Carolina and commercial vehicle coverage.
• Garage Insurance Garage dealer insurance products for motor vehicle dealers.
• Personal Lines Insurance Personal insurance lines including homeowners (HO-3, HO-4, HO-6), dwelling policies (DP-1, DP-3), personal umbrella, and home-based business coverage for North Carolina.
• Workers Compensation Insurance Workers compensation insurance products available through E&S carriers.
• Professional Liability Insurance Professional liability coverage for technology professionals, allied health providers, community association D&O, employment practices liability, and medical providers EPLI.
• Motor Vehicle Dealer Bonds RLI motor vehicle dealer bonds available in Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Big I and PIA PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJSA has partnerships with Big I (Independent Insurance Agents of America) and PIA (Professional Insurance Agents) organizations, providing marketing and referral relationships within the independent agent community.
• North Carolina Surplus Lines Association (NCSLA)coreOthersJSA is a member of the North Carolina Surplus Lines Association, supporting the E&S insurance community in North Carolina.
• WSIA (Western Surplus Lines Association)minorOthersJSA is a member of WSIA, the industry association for surplus lines insurance.
• NAGA (National Association of Governmental Alternates)minorOthersJSA is a member of NAGA, supporting the excess and surplus lines community.
• Insurance Carriers (Various)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJSA maintains long-standing carrier relationships allowing them to place complex risks for agents. Carrier partnerships include Markel, USLI, RLI, AmTrust, GAIG, and others for various E&S product lines including contractors, trucking, restaurants, workers comp, professional liability, and personal lines.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Amwins: Largest US wholesale broker and MGA, distributing specialty P&C, E&S, and professional lines to retail agents nationally. Directly comparable as a multi-line E&S MGA, though at materially greater scale.
• RPS (Risk Placement Services): National wholesale broker and MGA placing E&S and specialty business for independent agents. Overlapping product mix (P&C, commercial auto, professional liability) makes RPS a direct MGA peer, albeit with much broader geographic reach.
• CRC Group: Wholesale/distribution platform focused on specialty and E&S placements through independent agents. Highly comparable business model to JSA, serving the same independent-agent channel.
• Burns & Wilcox: Specialty insurance MGA and wholesale broker providing E&S placements across commercial and personal lines. Closely comparable in product breadth and agent-distribution model.
• Brown & Riding: National wholesale brokerage and MGA placing complex and non-standard P&C risks through retail agents. Comparable in focus on non-admitted/specialty business and agent channel.
• Bridge Specialty Group: Specialty insurance platform offering wholesale brokerage, MGA, and binding authority solutions to retail agents. Comparable agent-distribution model and E&S product mix.

Regional players

• Hull & Company: Wholesale insurance broker/MGA focused on the Southeast US, placing E&S and specialty business through independent agents. Direct competitor in JSA's core geography with comparable niche commercial product focus.

Broad incumbents

• World Insurance Associates: National insurance brokerage with wholesale/specialty capabilities, including E&S placements. Comparable as a multi-line distribution platform serving independent agents, though with broader retail brokerage operations.

Emerging players

• LOOP Insurance: Specialty E&S MGA focused on commercial auto, garage, and trucking risks. Comparable product overlap in commercial auto and garage lines where JSA also writes business.

Others

• Markel: Specialty insurer that provides underlying capacity and underwriting authority to JSA via its MGA relationship. Included as an ecosystem participant and key counterparty rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JacksonSumnerAssociates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jackson-sumner-&-associates
• Instagraminstagram.com/jacksonsumner1981
• Xx.com/JacksonSumner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Jackson Sumner & Associates