W.J. Phillips

What W.J. Phillips does

W.J. Phillips, Inc. (operating as Phillips Insurance) is a third-generation, family-owned independent insurance agency founded in 1917 and headquartered in Flint, Michigan. The agency represents approximately 12 insurance carriers across personal lines (homeowners, auto, condo/renters, life, umbrella, recreational vehicles) and commercial lines (general liability, business owners policies, contractors, commercial auto, workers compensation, commercial property, professional liability), with a verticalized offering for Michigan Auto Parts Association (MAPA) member stores. The agency generates revenue exclusively through commissions paid by carrier partners on policies sold and renewed — there is no direct customer fee, and the model is a subscription/recurring revenue structure tied to renewal cycles.

The agency operates from a single office at 6045 Corunna Rd Suite B, Flint, MI, with a 5-person team led by President Stephen R. Phillips (majority owner since 1989) and Vice President Zachery S. Phillips. The technology stack is entirely third-party: carrier-provided portals for policy management and the EzLynx customer service platform for client portal access. There is no proprietary technology, no AI/ML capability, and no mobile application — the business is a relationship-driven, advisor-led distribution layer between Michigan consumers and SMBs and the wholesale insurance market.

The go-to-market motion is hybrid sales-led and direct-to-consumer, anchored on a formal "Refer Friends & Family" referral program described as the "lifeblood of our business," supplemented by educational blog content, Google Reviews, and modest digital acquisition through Google Search Ads and Facebook. Approximately 90% of insurance quotes are completed within 24 hours. The agency is a Trusted Choice independent agency and is licensed only in Michigan, with no geographic expansion or hiring signals evident in the available data.

Name

W.J. Phillips

Legal name

W. J. Phillips, Inc.

Website

https://insurewithphillips.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

W.J. Phillips is a family-owned independent insurance agency in Flint, Michigan, founded in 1917 and serving Michigan consumers and small businesses with personal and commercial coverage placed across approximately 12 carrier partners via a 5-person team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Insurance Agency Services

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Lines Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAB)

Keywords

• Independent insurance agency
• Personal insurance coverage
• Commercial insurance coverage
• Insurance brokerage services
• Michigan insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Flint

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commissions: As an independent insurance agency, revenue is generated through commissions paid by insurance carriers on policies sold and renewed. The agency does not charge fees to customers - 'It doesn't cost you a penny more to use us. We get no override or fee. We are compensated by the insurance carriers directly.'

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Phillips Insurance is an independent insurance agency that brokers personal and commercial insurance policies on behalf of customers by representing approximately a dozen insurance carriers (Auto-Owners, CHUBB, Progressive, The Hartford, Frankenmuth, SafeCo, Westfield, Hastings Mutual, West Bend, Foremost, and others). The firm sells personal lines (homeowners, auto, condo/renters, life, umbrella, boat/motorcycle/RV/ATV) and commercial lines (general liability, business owners policy, contractors, commercial auto, workers compensation, commercial property, professional liability), including a specialty auto parts store package, and supports clients through an EzLynx-powered client portal and claims advocacy.

Product overview

Phillips Insurance is a 100% independent insurance agency founded in 1917, offering a unified advisory service that connects customers with multiple insurance carriers rather than a single proprietary product platform. The agency provides two main product categories: Personal Insurance (homeowners, automobile, condo/renters, life, umbrella, and recreational vehicles) and Commercial Insurance (general liability, business owners policies, contractors coverage, commercial auto, workers compensation, commercial property, and professional liability). As an independent agency, they represent approximately a dozen insurance carriers including Auto-Owners, CHUBB, Foremost, Hastings Mutual, Progressive, The Hartford, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Frankenmuth, West Bend, SafeCo, and Westfield, offering customers choice and comparative shopping across the marketplace. The agency also provides client portal access for policy management and claims services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Homeowners Insurance Protects homeowners in the Flint, MI area against financial loss from fire, theft, vandalism, and other covered events, including dwelling, personal property, liability, and loss-of-use coverage.
• Automobile Insurance Covers vehicles and drivers in Michigan for collision, comprehensive, property damage liability, bodily injury liability, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
• Condo & Renters Insurance HO-6 policy covering condo units where the association's master policy stops, plus renters policies covering personal belongings and personal liability for tenants.
• Life Insurance Term and whole life insurance products that protect beneficiaries financially in the event of the policyholder's death, including coverage for final expenses, estate taxes, and income replacement.
• Umbrella Insurance Stand-alone personal liability policy providing additional coverage limits (typically $1M–$5M) above underlying auto and homeowners policies to protect against catastrophic losses; reference pricing noted around $150/year and up.
• Boat, Motorcycle, RV & ATV Insurance Specialty insurance coverage for recreational vehicles including boats, jet skis, motorcycles, RVs, and ATVs.
• General Liability Insurance Commercial General Liability (CGL) coverage protecting businesses from third-party claims involving bodily injury or property damage arising from business operations.
• Business Owners Policy (BOP) Bundled commercial package that combines general liability with business personal property coverage for small businesses with up to 100 employees and $5M in annual revenue.
• Contractors Insurance Comprehensive coverage for independent contractors including general liability, errors and omissions, completed operations, and workers compensation.
• Commercial Auto Insurance Coverage for business-owned vehicles including company cars, cargo vans, limos, taxis, buses, SUVs, and pickup trucks used for commercial purposes.
• Workers Compensation Insurance State-mandated coverage providing lost wages and medical treatment for employees' work-related injuries or illnesses, required in most states including Michigan.
• Commercial Property Insurance Coverage for commercial buildings and business contents including lost income, business interruption, computers, and valuable papers against fire, burglary, and vandalism.
• Professional Liability Insurance Errors and omissions coverage protecting professionals, including directors & officers, landscapers, cyber liability, medical professional, and painters against claims of professional negligence.
• Auto Parts Store Insurance (Michigan Auto Parts Association package) Specialized bundled coverage for Michigan Auto Parts Association (MAPA) members combining general liability, workers compensation, commercial auto, equipment breakdown, commercial property, and umbrella into a single retail-focused insurance package.
• Insurance Carrier Portal Access (EzLynx-powered Client Portal) Client portal service providing existing insurance customers with policy management, claims filing and tracking, premium billing payments, and ID card requests through partner carrier websites and an EzLynx-powered customer portal.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of insurance quotes complete within 24 hours or less

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Auto-Owners InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier represented by Phillips Insurance. Customers can manage accounts and pay bills through Auto-Owners portal. Provides auto, home, and life insurance products through the agency.
• CHUBBcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremium insurance carrier represented by Phillips Insurance. Offers high-value personal and commercial insurance products through the independent agency channel.
• Foremost InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier specializing in specialty products including mobile home, landlord, and specialty property coverage. Represented by Phillips Insurance agency.
• Hastings Mutual InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional mutual insurance company offering commercial and personal insurance products. Distributed through independent agents like Phillips Insurance.
• Progressive InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor national auto and home insurance carrier. Products offered through Phillips Insurance independent agency channel with online account management.
• The HartfordcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor insurance carrier offering business and personal insurance. Distributed through independent agents with dedicated business insurance products.
• Blue Cross/Blue ShieldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealth insurance provider represented by Phillips Insurance for health coverage needs. Online account management through BCBSM portal.
• CNA Surety InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSurety and fidelity bond insurance carrier. Provides contract bonds, commercial bonds, and fidelity coverage through independent agents.
• Frankenmuth InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMichigan-based mutual insurance company offering personal and commercial insurance. Strong regional presence in Michigan with products distributed through independent agents.
• West Bend InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional insurance carrier offering personal and commercial insurance products in the Midwest. Distributed through independent agency channel.
• SafeCo InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPersonal and business insurance carrier owned by Liberty Mutual. Offers auto, home, and business insurance through independent agents.
• WestfieldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional insurance group offering commercial and personal insurance. Products distributed through independent agents with focus on business insurance.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• HUB International: North American insurance brokerage that grows via independent-agency acquisitions; comparable to Phillips in independent-channel distribution and in being a plausible roll-up counterparty for a Michigan-based book.
• Acrisure: Tech-enabled global insurance broker assembled largely through independent-agency roll-ups; relevant as an independent-agency consolidator in the same value chain where Phillips competes for personal/commercial SMB clients and could be a future acquirer.
• Brown & Brown, Inc. National insurance brokerage with a strong personal and commercial independent-agency platform built through acquisitions; a comparable independent agency/distribution business model and a typical consolidator of agencies in Phillips' size tier.
• World Insurance Associates: Nationally acquisitive independent insurance agency and brokerage serving personal, commercial, and specialty lines; relevant to Phillips as both a comparable independent-agency operator and a credible acquirer of small independent agencies in the Midwest.
• Frankenmuth Insurance: Michigan-based mutual insurer offering personal and commercial lines distributed through independent agents; it is named as a Phillips carrier partner but also acts as a regional incumbent that Michigan independents like Phillips compete against for the same local book of business.

Others

• Auto-Owners Insurance: Michigan-headquartered mutual insurer that distributes exclusively through independent agents and is one of Phillips' core carrier partners; relevant as an upstream supplier that determines commission economics and policy placement for the agency.
• Trusted Choice (Big 'I'): Brand and agent-network program of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America for independent agencies like Phillips; relevant as an industry affiliation, consumer-marketing association, and peer cohort around which Phillips competes with fellow independent agencies.

Direct peers

• Goosehead Insurance: Independent personal/commercial lines agency franchisor with multi-carrier access across personal, home, auto, and small-commercial lines; directly comparable model to Phillips' independent agency GTM, with a tech-enabled service platform layered on top.
• Brightway Insurance: Florida-based independent insurance agency franchisor with a multi-carrier personal and commercial book; a direct peer to Phillips in terms of independent agency economics and producer-driven sales model.

Regional players

• Hastings Mutual Insurance: Regional Midwest mutual insurance company with a personal and commercial lines book distributed through independent agents; W.J. Phillips is itself a contracted agency for Hastings, and the two compete for the same Michigan SMB and personal lines customers via the independent-agent channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wjp1917
• Facebookfacebook.com/wjphillipsinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 W.J. Phillips