Independent Insurance Agents of Houston

What Independent Insurance Agents of Houston does

Independent Insurance Agents of Houston (IIAH) is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) trade association chartered by the State of Texas in 1924 (originally as the Insurance Exchange of Houston) and headquartered in Houston, Texas. It serves independent insurance agencies and affiliate companies in the Houston metropolitan area, providing member access to continuing education approved by the Texas Department of Insurance, legislative advocacy, networking events, and community service programs. The association self-identifies as the largest local independent insurance agent association in the United States, operating with a lean full-time staff of 3 employees supported by approximately 100 active volunteers across 9-10 working committees.

The association's product portfolio is membership-centric rather than technology-centric, built on the YourMembership.com association management platform. Core offerings include agency and affiliate memberships with tiered pricing ($372-$735 for agency members based on employee count, $1,000 flat for affiliate members), a continuing education program delivering 12 free hours annually per member, the annual Houston Insurance Day convention drawing 1,800+ attendees, the Houston Insurance News publication, the Find an Agent consumer directory, a Career Center job platform, and a Young Insurance Professionals (YIPs) committee. Add-on services include e-learning CE partnerships with WebCE and 360 Training, ABEN live webcasts, the Social Link mobile app, merchant processing via Affinipay, identity protection via LegalShield, and the RT Specialty & Tom Mraz Professional Scholarship.

IIAH's revenue model combines recurring membership dues (agency and affiliate subscriptions billed annually September-August) with a tiered annual sponsorship program (Titanium, Platinum, Gold) that monetizes major industry participants including wholesale brokers (Burns & Wilcox, CRC Group, Brown & Riding, RT Specialty, WSG Specialty), managing general agencies (Vintage Underwriters, Jencap), carriers (Chubb, Travelers, Texas Mutual, Wright Flood), and premium finance providers (Imperial PFS). The organization maintains a long-standing partnership with the University of Houston Downtown's Insurance and Risk Management Center and is governed by a 10-15 member Board of Directors.

Name

Independent Insurance Agents of Houston

Legal name

Independent Insurance Agents of Houston, Inc.

Website

https://iiah.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Independent Insurance Agents of Houston is a 501(c)(6) trade association chartered in 1924 that serves independent insurance agencies and affiliate companies in the Houston metropolitan area through membership-based continuing education, advocacy, networking, and community service programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Trade Association Services

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Broker-Dealer / Registered Representative Networks (FSAEACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Independent Broker-Dealers (Retail Network) (FSAAAAAC)

Keywords

• Trade association services
• Insurance continuing education
• Agent membership program
• Industry advocacy representation
• Professional networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Agency Membership Dues: Agency membership dues calculated by agency headcount, ranging from $372 for 1-2 employees to higher tiers based on staff size. Membership term runs September 1 through August 31.
2. Affiliate Membership Dues: Flat annual membership fee of $1,000 for affiliate companies (insurance companies, surplus lines agencies, MGAs, premium finance companies, restoration services, etc.).
3. Event Sponsorships: Annual sponsorship programs at multiple tiers (Titanium, Platinum, Gold) providing exposure at association events including Houston Insurance Day, golf tournaments, and other industry events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Independent Insurance Agents of Houston (IIAH) is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) trade association that sells membership and supporting services to independent insurance agencies and affiliate companies in the Houston metropolitan area. Its core offerings consist of agency and affiliate memberships (with tiered annual dues), Texas Department of Insurance-approved continuing education courses (including 12 free hours annually per member), the annual Houston Insurance Day convention, the Houston Insurance News publication, advocacy representation, networking events, a Career Center job board, and a Find an Agent consumer directory.

Product overview

The Independent Insurance Agents of Houston (IIAH) is a nonprofit trade association chartered in 1924, offering a membership-based service portfolio rather than a technology product. The core offering consists of membership providing access to education, advocacy, networking, and community service. Key services include: continuing education courses (with 12 free hours annually to members), the Career Center job platform, Houston Insurance News publication, the annual Houston Insurance Day convention, and the Find an Agent directory. Add-on services include e-learning partnerships with WebCE and 360Training, ABEN webcasts, the Social Link mobile app, merchant solutions via Affinipay, and scholarship programs. The organization operates with a volunteer-driven committee structure and is powered by YourMembership.com association management software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Program Agency and Affiliate membership for independent insurance agencies and affiliate companies in the Houston area, providing access to education, advocacy, networking, and community service opportunities. Dues are tiered by agency headcount and billed annually for a September–August membership term.
• Continuing Education (CE) Courses Property and casualty insurance continuing education classes approved by the Texas Department of Insurance, including 12 hours annually provided free to members. Delivered via in-person education schedule and partner e-learning platforms.
• Career Center Job posting and resume search platform for insurance professionals, offering free job postings for members for the first 30 days.
• Houston Insurance News (HIN) Quarterly online publication covering insurance industry news, member spotlights, committee updates, and member advertisements.
• Houston Insurance Day Convention Annual one-day industry trade show providing networking and educational opportunities for agents and affiliate members, with over 1,800 attendees.
• Annual Sponsorship Program Tiered sponsorship opportunities (Titanium, Platinum, Gold) providing marketing exposure at IIAH events throughout the year.
• Find an Agent/Service Directory Search tool for consumers to locate independent insurance agents by specialty, county, and city, with tiered listing options for members.
• RT Specialty & Tom Mraz Professional Scholarship Scholarship program for members valued at $1,500, applicable toward professional designation programs including CPCU, CRM, CIC, ARM, RPLU, and UHD IRM.
• UHD Insurance & Risk Management Program University of Houston Downtown program offering BBA in Insurance and Risk Management, with IIAH providing founding support and scholarships for member employees.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Legal ShieldminorOthersPartner offering IIAH members identity theft and legal issue solutions through comprehensive and affordable plans.
• Affinipay MerchantminorOthersMerchant services partner offering credit card payment processing with up to 25% savings on standard bank fees for members.
• WebCEcoreTechnology or IntegrationE-learning continuing education provider partnered with IIAH for online classroom-equivalent courses approved through Texas Department of Insurance.
• 360 TrainingcoreTechnology or IntegrationE-learning continuing education provider with over 4 million learners in 176 countries offering insurance industry courses.
• University of Houston DowntowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIAH and IIAT provided founding support for the Insurance and Risk Management Center launched in 2009, developing one of the most unique insurance programs in the nation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Insurance Journal: National insurance industry news publication, linked from IIAH's website as the "Today's News" feed. Acts as an industry-information enabler for the same independent agent readership IIAH serves, and is a comparable recurring-touch channel for the same audience.

Regional players

• Texas Department of Insurance: State regulator of insurance licensing and CE in Texas. Not a peer in the commercial sense but the upstream authority that defines the CE and licensing framework on which IIAH's core education product depends — making it the most strategically important ecosystem counterparty for IIAH's value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Independent Insurance Agents of America (Big "I" / IIABA): National federation to which IIAH is affiliated through IIAT. Operates the same independent-agent trade association model at the U.S. national level with education, advocacy, and carrier-market access programs — the upstream umbrella for IIAH's mission.
• National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA National): National-level PIA federation operating the same membership, advocacy, and CE trade-association model for independent insurance agents across all 50 states. Overlaps directly with IIAH's value proposition at a national scale.
• Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers (CIAB): National trade association for large commercial insurance brokers and agents. Adjacent peer — overlapping advocacy and education mandate but serving the wholesale/large brokerage segment rather than IIAH's local retail independent agent base.

Direct peers

• Professional Insurance Agents (PIA): National trade association for independent insurance agents offering overlapping membership, CE, advocacy, and carrier-market services. Competes with IIABA-affiliated state and local associations (including IIAH) for the same independent agent members and sponsor dollars.
• Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT): State-level trade association for independent insurance agents in Texas and IIAH's parent/state affiliate. Operates the same membership, advocacy, and CE model at state scope and is co-located with IIAH in serving the Houston market. Co-founded the UHD Insurance & Risk Management Center with IIAH.

Emerging players

• Houston chapter associations of other insurance agent groups (e.g., local CPCU, NAIW chapters): Local Houston chapters of other insurance designations and producer associations (CPCU Society, NAIW) that compete for the same Houston independent agent mindshare, volunteer time, and continuing education dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IIAH
• Facebookfacebook.com/IndependentInsuranceAgentsOfHoustonIIAH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-insurance-agents-of-houston

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Independent Insurance Agents of Houston