Oakes Agency

What Oakes Agency does

Oakes Agency is a privately held, full-service independent insurance agency headquartered in Grand Haven, Michigan, operating continuously since 1903. The firm distributes personal lines (auto, home, life and health) and commercial lines (business, workers' compensation, bonds, special events) on behalf of eleven carrier partners, including Auto-Owners, Progressive, The Hartford, Fremont, Wolverine Mutual, Hagerty, and Accident Fund, among others. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, combining in-person consultations at a single physical office, phone outreach, and a digital front door via the agency website's quote-request form, supplemented by local radio appearances and an active Facebook and Instagram presence. The agency employs 1-10 staff, including owner/agent Mike Wheeler and specialists across personal, commercial, and life and health lines.

The business model is commission-based: Oakes Agency earns recurring carrier commissions on policies placed and renewed, with pricing quote-based and tailored to individual risk profiles. Customer segments are horizontally diversified across individual consumers, business owners of all sizes, and life and health clients, with no disclosed anchor customers or enterprise concentration. The agency holds no patents, has no proprietary technology stack, no app, and no disclosed AI capabilities, and there is no record of external funding, M&A activity, or geographic expansion beyond Michigan. Recent observable strategic activity is limited to the maintenance of an eleven-carrier product portfolio, expansion into Life and Health lines including Medicare supplements and group benefits, and modest investment in content marketing and digital lead capture.

Name

Oakes Agency

Legal name

Oakes Agency Inc.

Website

https://oakesagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Oakes Agency is a privately held, independent insurance agency in Grand Haven, Michigan, founded in 1903, distributing auto, home, commercial, and life and health policies on behalf of eleven carrier partners to Michigan consumers and businesses via a sales-led, office- and website-based model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Insurance Agency

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Medicare Plan Distribution & Brokerage (Captive, Independent, FMOs) (FSAIAGAH)

Keywords

• Independent insurance agency
• Auto insurance coverage
• Home insurance coverage
• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Life and health insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Haven

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commissions: Oakes Agency generates revenue through commissions paid by insurance carriers for policies placed on behalf of customers. As an independent insurance agency, they earn commissions on personal lines (auto, home, life & health) and commercial lines (business insurance) policies. Revenue is recurring in nature as customers maintain ongoing insurance policies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Oakes Agency is a full-service independent insurance agency that brokers personal and commercial insurance policies on behalf of customers. As an independent agent, the agency places coverage through 11 contracted insurance carriers, offering auto, home, business, and life & health insurance tailored to each customer's specific needs and budget. Revenue is earned via commissions paid by the carriers on the policies placed.

Product overview

Oakes Agency is a full-service, independent insurance agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of personal and commercial insurance products. The core product suite includes four main insurance categories: Auto Insurance, Business Insurance, Home Insurance, and Life & Health Insurance. Auto coverage includes collision, comprehensive, liability, road trouble service, and lease/loan gap options. Home insurance encompasses homeowners, condo, and renters policies covering structures, personal property, and liability. Business insurance provides property, general liability, workers' compensation, commercial auto, bonds, and special event coverage. Life & Health offerings span individual products (life, health, disability, Medicare supplements, annuity, long-term care) and group/employer products (health insurance, self-funding, dental, vision, H.S.A.s, H.R.A.s, voluntary benefits, key-man life, buy-sell funding, group life, cafeteria plans, flexible spending accounts). The agency operates as an independent agent representing multiple carrier partners including Auto-Owners, Accident Fund, Citizens Insurance, Fremont Insurance, Hagerty Insurance, Michigan Insurance Company, Michigan Millers, Progressive, The Hartford, West Bend, and Wolverine Mutual.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Auto Insurance Vehicle insurance coverage including collision, comprehensive, liability, road trouble service, additional expense coverage, and lease/loan gap coverage. Offered to individual vehicle owners in Michigan through the agency's independent brokerage arrangement with multiple carriers.
• Home Insurance Homeowners, condo owners, and renters insurance covering the home, other structures, personal property, personal liability, scheduled personal items, and additional living expenses. Targeted at Michigan homeowners, condo owners, and renters.
• Business Insurance Commercial insurance coverage including property insurance, commercial general liability, workers' compensation, commercial auto, special events, and bonds. Targeted at Michigan businesses from small operations to multi-location corporations.
• Life & Health Insurance Individual and group life and health insurance including life, health, disability, Medicare supplements, annuity, long-term care, dental, vision, H.S.A.s, H.R.A.s, voluntary benefits, key-man life, buy-sell funding, group life, cafeteria plans, and flexible spending accounts. Targeted at individuals, families, and employer group plans in Michigan.

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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Auto-Owners InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuto-Owners Insurance is a top-rated insurance carrier providing coverage options to Oakes Agency customers. Phone: 517.323.1200. Offers online claims service and bill pay through customer portal.
• Accident FundcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccident Fund provides workers' compensation and other commercial insurance coverage. Phone: 866.206.5851. Offers online claims and payment services.
• Citizens Insurance Company of AmericacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCitizens Insurance Company of America (part of Hanover Insurance Group) provides personal and commercial insurance products. Phone: 800.853.0456.
• Fremont InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFremont Insurance provides commercial and personal insurance coverage. Phone: 888.968.3664. Offers online claims and payment services.
• Hagerty InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHagerty Insurance specializes in classic and collector vehicle insurance. Phone: 877.922.9701.
• Michigan Insurance CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMichigan Insurance Company provides personal and commercial insurance products. Phone: 888.606.6426. Offers online claims and payment services.
• Michigan MillerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMichigan Millers provides personal and commercial insurance coverage. Phone: 877.858.5361. Offers online claims and payment services.
• Progressive InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProgressive Insurance provides auto and personal insurance coverage. Phone: 800.776.4737. Offers online claims and payment services.
• The HartfordcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Hartford provides commercial insurance and employee benefits coverage. Phone: 860.547.5000. Offers online claims and payment services.
• West BendcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWest Bend provides personal and commercial insurance coverage. Phone: 800.236.5010. Part of the Silver Lining brand. Offers online claims and payment services.
• Wolverine Mutual Insurance CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWolverine Mutual Insurance Company provides personal and commercial insurance coverage. Phone: 800.733.3320. Offers online claims and payment services.

Scale indicators1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• The Hartford: National commercial lines and employee benefits carrier with a strong small-business and AARP-affiliated footprint. Comparable as a carrier partner that powers Oakes Agency's commercial and life & health offerings, especially for small business and group benefits clients.
• Progressive: National auto insurer distributing through both direct-to-consumer and independent-agent channels. Comparable because Oakes Agency partners with Progressive for personal auto, making it both a partner and a competitor on price-sensitive personal-lines accounts.
• Auto-Owners Insurance: One of Oakes Agency's primary carrier partners and a major Midwestern mutual insurer that relies on independent agents. Comparable as an incumbent carrier whose appetite and commission structure directly shape Oakes Agency's product set and revenue.
• Hub International: Global insurance brokerage with a strong independent-agent acquisition track record, including regional roll-ups. Comparable as a strategic acquirer of mid-market independent agencies and a benchmark for what a scaled brokerage platform looks like.
• Brown & Brown Insurance: Large national insurance brokerage that has aggressively rolled up independent agencies across the U.S. Comparable as a scaled, publicly-traded consolidator whose M&A activity directly defines exit values and acquisition appetite for agencies like Oakes.

Direct peers

• Hagerty: Specialty carrier for classic and collector vehicles, also distributed through independent agents and direct channels. Comparable because Oakes Agency partners with Hagerty to serve a niche personal-lines segment that requires specialized underwriting and customer expertise.

Regional players

• Frankenmuth Insurance: Michigan-based mutual insurance carrier that distributes through independent agents across the Midwest. Comparable to Oakes Agency because both are deeply embedded in the Michigan independent-agency distribution channel and share similar carrier-relationship economics.
• Accident Fund: Workers' compensation specialist carrier that distributes through independent agents in the Midwest. Comparable as a carrier partner that enables Oakes Agency to serve commercial workers' comp accounts, particularly with Michigan-based employers.
• Westfield Insurance: Midwestern mutual carrier distributing through independent agents in Ohio, Michigan, and surrounding states. Comparable as a regional carrier whose independent-agent distribution model and product mix closely parallel Oakes Agency's commercial and personal lines.

Emerging players

• Lemonade: AI-native, direct-to-consumer insurtech in renters, home, auto, and pet. Comparable as the type of digitally-native competitor whose growth in personal lines structurally threatens traditional independent agencies like Oakes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/oakesagencyinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/oakesagencyinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oakes-agency-inc

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 Oakes Agency