Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency

What Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency does

Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency is an independent, privately-held insurance brokerage founded in 1945 in Bakersfield, California, operating for over 80 years under the leadership of Owner & President Wes Bradford. The agency delivers commercial insurance, personal insurance, employee benefits, and risk management services to a horizontal mix of SMBs and mid-market companies ranging from 1 to 2,500 employees, with concentration in oil & gas, petroleum, drilling, and agricultural verticals through regional industry association memberships.

The firm's product portfolio is anchored by four core lines: Captive Insurance (proprietary Reward On Insurance™ program), Commercial Insurance (Workers' Compensation, General Liability, Commercial Auto, Property, Crime, Umbrella, Inland Marine, Surety Bonding, Boiler & Machinery), Employee Benefits (health, life, dental, disability, 401K via partnerships with Blue Shield, Anthem, Kaiser, United Healthcare, Aetna, and others), and Personal Insurance. These are complemented by three business resource add-ons: CB 24/7 client portal, Sterling HR Assist, and Sterling Consulting Resources (a wholly-owned risk management subsidiary). The captive program is the differentiated offering, targeting safety-conscious employers paying $100K+ in combined premiums.

The business model is commission-based brokerage supplemented by managed-service fees on captive accounts. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, executed by a team of licensed producers supported by an executive team of nine VPs. The firm reports a near 99% retention rate on its captive book and earns revenue through carrier commissions and captive program management fees on a quote-based, annual billing cadence. There is no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed AI capabilities, and no external funding, with the firm operating from a single Bakersfield headquarters serving clients throughout California and the broader United States.

Name

Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency

Legal name

Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency

Website

https://cliffordandbradford.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency is an independent Bakersfield, California-based brokerage founded in 1945, providing commercial, personal, and employee benefits insurance plus captive insurance programs to SMB and mid-market businesses across multiple industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Other Insurance Funds (52519)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Captive Insurance Advisory & Management (FSAEADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAA), Commercial Umbrella Insurance (FSAJANAB)

Keywords

• Commercial insurance brokerage
• Captive insurance program
• Personal insurance agency
• Employee benefits brokerage
• Risk management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: The agency earns commissions from placing insurance policies with various carriers. They work with top industry carriers and insurance solutions to place coverage for commercial insurance, personal insurance, employee benefits, and captive insurance programs.
2. Captive Insurance Program Fees: Reward On Insurance™ program allows business owners to become empowered 'owners' rather than just customers. Unused premium dollars set aside to cover losses are returned as dividends. The company earns fees for managing the captive program for qualified businesses paying at least $100,000 in combined annual premiums.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency is an independent insurance brokerage that places commercial, personal, and employee benefits coverage with major carriers, operates a captive insurance program (Reward On Insurance™) for safety-conscious businesses paying $100K+ in combined annual premiums, and provides risk management and HR support services through subsidiary Sterling Consulting Resources. Customers are served by licensed producers in Bakersfield, California, and supported by an online CB 24/7 client portal.

Product overview

Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency offers a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products and business resources. The core offerings include Captive Insurance (with their proprietary Reward On Insurance program), Personal Insurance, Employee Benefits, and Commercial Insurance. These are complemented by business resource tools: CB 24/7 (a 24/7 self-service policy portal), HR Assist (human resources services), and Risk Management (loss control and safety services provided through Sterling Consulting Resources). The agency positions its captive insurance program as a differentiated offering that helps business owners reclaim unused premium dollars.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Insurance Multi-line commercial insurance brokerage for businesses across industries, placed with major carriers after shopping coverage options across providers.
• Personal Insurance Personal insurance brokerage for individuals covering homes, automobiles, personal articles, umbrella liability, and watercraft through multiple carrier partners.
• Employee Benefits Group health and employee benefits brokerage placing coverage through major carriers for businesses seeking health, life, dental, disability, vision, HSA, 401K, Medicare, and supplemental products.
• Captive Insurance (Reward On Insurance™) Proprietary captive insurance program for safety-conscious businesses paying $100K+ in combined annual premiums for workers' compensation, general liability, and automobile liability, with rates calibrated to individual loss records and the ability to reclaim unused premium dollars as dividends.
• Risk Management Risk management and loss control services delivered by Sterling Consulting Resources, including hazard evaluation, loss reduction, safety program review, loss trend analysis, and management development support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 99% retention rate in captive insurance program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sterling Consulting Resources, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-house Loss Control Department developed by Clifford & Bradford to provide Risk Management and Safety services to clients. Offers Hazard Evaluation & Identification, Loss Reduction & Prevention, Safety Programs Review, Loss Trend Analysis, and Management Development. Available even to clients who already have internal Risk/Safety Departments for objective third-party review.
• Sterling HR AssistcoreTechnology or IntegrationHR business resource offered to clients providing Human Resources support, Job Description Builder, Employee Handbook Builder, Compliance tools, Sexual Harassment Training, and more. Helps business owners manage HR functions efficiently.
• Greater Bakersfield Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerActive membership in the regional chamber of commerce demonstrating community commitment and generating business referrals within the Bakersfield business community.
• California Independent Petroleum AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association membership connecting the agency with oil and gas sector clients. Association logo displayed on reputation page indicating active involvement.
• Colorado Oil & Gas AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association membership expanding reach into the Colorado oil and gas sector. Association logo displayed on reputation page indicating active involvement.
• Kern County Farm BureauminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCounty agricultural association membership serving farmers and ranchers in Kern County, California. Association logo displayed on reputation page indicating active involvement.
• American Association of Drilling EngineersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional drilling engineers association membership connecting the agency with specialized oil and gas industry clients. Association logo displayed on reputation page indicating active involvement.
• Better Business BureauminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBBB accreditation demonstrates ethical business practices. Direct link to BBB profile provided for transparency, allowing prospective clients to review ratings.
• Insurance Carriers (Blue Shield, Anthem Blue Cross, Kaiser Permanente, Health Net, United Healthcare, Aetna, California Choice, Covered California)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAs an authorized broker, Clifford & Bradford has partnerships with major health and insurance carriers enabling them to shop coverage options across multiple providers for employee benefits and personal insurance clients.
• Clifford & Bradford Athletic FoundationminorOthersCharitable foundation established by the agency to support youth athletics in the community. Focuses on helping teams get funding for travel, uniforms, equipment, and scoreboards. Organizes annual golf tournament at Stockdale Country Club.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Aon: Global insurance and reinsurance brokerage incumbent with deep commercial and employee benefits practices, including a dedicated captive insurance management capability that competes for similar middle-market accounts.
• Lockton Companies: Largest independent insurance brokerage globally with strong commercial and benefits practices and captive management capability, serving as a scaled competitor for captive and middle-market accounts.
• Marsh McLennan: Global insurance brokerage and risk advisory incumbent with overlapping commercial, employee benefits, and captive insurance practices operating at materially larger scale.
• USI Insurance Services: Large property & casualty and employee benefits brokerage serving middle-market clients with multi-line distribution, comparable in target segment but operating at significantly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Vouch Insurance: Digital-native commercial insurance platform targeting venture-backed and growth-stage SMBs with software-driven underwriting and policy issuance, competing for the same small-business commercial segment.
• CoverWallet: Digital commercial insurance marketplace serving SMBs with online quoting and binding across multiple commercial lines, an InsurTech alternative to traditional agency distribution.
• NEXT Insurance: InsurTech carrier-broker offering digital commercial coverage (general liability, workers' comp, commercial auto) to small businesses, directly competing for the 1-to-50-employee end of Clifford & Bradford's commercial book.

Direct peers

• Heffernan Insurance Brokers: Independent, mid-sized commercial insurance brokerage headquartered in California offering commercial, personal, and employee benefits lines with comparable service breadth and relationship-driven model.
• Brown & Riding Insurance Services: Specialty-focused independent insurance brokerage providing commercial coverage placement across niche and complex risks, comparable in serving hard-to-place and specialty commercial accounts.
• Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. Independent commercial insurance brokerage offering commercial, benefits, and personal coverage to mid-market and SMB clients with a similar relationship-led distribution approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Clifford-Bradford-Insurance-Agency/132631926792068
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/741760
• Xx.com/cliffordbrad

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Clifford & Bradford Insurance Agency