Cole & Durham Insurance

What Cole & Durham Insurance does

Cole & Durham Insurance is an independent retail insurance agency headquartered in Madisonville, Kentucky, operating as part of the Lawton Insurance Group network with five physical offices across western Kentucky (Madisonville, Bowling Green, Owensboro, Central City, Hartford). The firm sells and services personal and commercial insurance policies on behalf of more than 20 insurance carriers, earning commissions on premium placed. Its product portfolio spans personal lines (auto, home, renters, condo, landlord, life, health, Medicare supplement, personal umbrella, recreational vehicles) and commercial lines (business owners policy, general liability, commercial auto, workers compensation, EPLI, cyber liability, commercial umbrella), with no proprietary technology disclosed beyond carrier quoting platforms and standard agency management systems.

The agency employs 13 or more licensed agents and account managers led by Stephen P. Durham (President, Lawton Insurance Group, 30+ years of experience, CIC credentialed) and Bryan Buchanan (Executive Vice President). Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: customers initiate contact via phone (270-821-5527), website quote forms, or in-person office visits, after which agents shop multiple carriers and recommend coverage. The firm targets individual Kentucky consumers and small-to-medium business owners in Hopkins County and surrounding counties, emphasizing local presence, multi-carrier comparison, and policy review at renewal. Customer testimonials indicate multi-year to multi-decade retention with the same agent of record.

Revenue is generated entirely through carrier commissions on policies sold and renewed, with no disclosed fee-for-service, premium finance, or other income streams. Pricing is custom-quoted per risk; no public pricing exists. The company has no subsidiaries, no disclosed funding rounds, and no recorded M&A activity, operating as a private agency under the Lawton Insurance Group umbrella.

Name

Cole & Durham Insurance

Legal name

Cole & Durham Insurance Agency

Website

https://coledurham.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cole & Durham Insurance is an independent insurance agency in western Kentucky, part of the Lawton Insurance Group, placing personal and commercial policies through 20+ carriers across five local offices for Kentucky consumers and SMBs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madisonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Commissions: As an independent insurance agency, Cole & Durham earns commissions from insurance carriers for policies placed. They represent multiple competing insurance companies and receive a percentage of premium as commission for each policy sold and renewed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cole & Durham Insurance is an independent insurance agency that sells personal and commercial insurance policies on behalf of multiple competing carriers. Licensed agents shop and compare coverage and pricing from 20+ insurance companies to place auto, home, business, life, and health insurance for Kentucky individuals and businesses. The agency earns commissions from carriers for policies placed and renewed.

Product overview

Cole & Durham Insurance is an independent insurance agency operating as part of the Lawton Insurance Group in Kentucky. They are not a unified software platform but rather a traditional insurance agency offering a portfolio of insurance products through multiple carrier partnerships. Their product portfolio is organized into three main categories: Personal Insurance (Auto, Home/Vehicle, Life/Health), Business Insurance (BOP, General Liability, Commercial Auto, Workers Comp, EPLI, Cyber Liability), and Specialty Insurance (Boat, Motorcycle, RV). They provide these products through 20+ insurance carrier relationships and offer online quote request forms for Auto, Home, and Commercial insurance. The agency's core value proposition is comparing multiple carriers to find the best coverage and price for customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Auto Insurance Vehicle insurance coverage for cars, trucks, and SUVs including liability, collision, comprehensive, medical payments, and uninsured motorist coverage, placed through multiple carriers for Kentucky drivers.
• Home Insurance Homeowners insurance protecting residential properties with coverage options including Actual Cash Value, Replacement Cost, and Guaranteed Replacement Cost policies sourced across multiple carriers.
• Business Insurance Comprehensive business insurance portfolio including general liability, professional liability, commercial auto, and business owners policies tailored for small and medium-sized businesses.
• Health Insurance Health insurance plans including PPO, HMO, and EPO options, with agency assistance comparing carriers such as Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Humana, and United Healthcare.
• Employee Benefits Group employee benefits including health, dental, life, disability, and supplemental insurance for businesses, placed through carrier partners.
• Life Insurance Life insurance products including term, whole, and universal life policies providing death benefits and cash value accumulation, sourced from multiple carriers.
• Business Owners Policy (BOP) Business Owners Policy combining property, liability, and business interruption coverage in one package, designed for businesses with under 100 employees and under $5M in revenue.
• EPLI Insurance Employee Practices Liability Insurance protecting businesses from lawsuits related to discrimination, wrongful termination, and harassment claims.
• Cyber Liability Insurance Business insurance protection covering data breach, computer hacking, network security liability, and crisis management expenses.
• General Liability Insurance Business liability coverage protecting against lawsuits arising from customer injuries or property damage during business operations.
• Commercial Auto Insurance Vehicle insurance for business-owned vehicles covering liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage for company fleets.
• Commercial Umbrella Insurance Excess liability coverage providing additional protection beyond standard business liability policies for catastrophic losses.
• Workers Compensation Insurance State-mandated coverage protecting employers and employees with medical treatment and lost wages benefits for work-related injuries.
• Landlord Insurance Insurance for rental properties covering property damage, rental income loss, and liability for tenant-related incidents.
• Motorcycle Insurance Motorcycle and scooter insurance with liability, collision, comprehensive, accessories coverage, and roadside assistance.
• RV Insurance Recreational vehicle insurance covering motorhomes and travel trailers with liability, vacation liability, and emergency expense coverages.
• Boat Insurance Watercraft insurance covering liability, on-water towing, comprehensive coverage, and personal effects for boats.
• Medicare Supplement Insurance Medigap insurance policies helping pay costs that Medicare does not cover, including deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance.
• Renters Insurance Insurance for renters covering personal belongings, liability, and additional living expenses if a rental becomes uninhabitable.
• Condo Insurance HO6 insurance for condominium owners covering personal property, dwelling improvements, and personal liability.
• Flood Insurance National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) coverage protecting residential properties from flood damage to building and contents.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration20 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• United Home InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier represented by Cole & Durham. Agency sells and services United Home Insurance policies to Kentucky customers.
• OpenlycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInsurance carrier represented for home insurance products.
• KEMI (Kentucky Employers Mutual Insurance)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkers compensation insurance carrier specializing in Kentucky business coverage.
• Progressive InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor auto and property insurance carrier represented for personal and commercial lines.
• Safeco InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPersonal insurance carrier for auto, home, and umbrella coverage.
• Auto-Owners InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional insurance carrier offering property and casualty coverage.
• Liberty MutualcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational insurance carrier represented for personal and business coverage.
• Anthem Blue Cross Blue ShieldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealth insurance carrier for group and individual health coverage.
• HumanacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealth insurance carrier including Medicare supplement products.
• United HealthcarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealth insurance carrier for group and individual coverage.
• Encova InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional commercial and personal lines carrier.
• Cincinnati Insurance CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommercial and personal lines insurance carrier.
• State Auto InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPersonal and commercial insurance carrier.
• Acuity InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommercial and personal lines carrier.
• Grange InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional insurance carrier for personal and business coverage.
• Countryway InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional insurance carrier.
• Kentucky National InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKentucky-focused insurance carrier.
• FCCI Insurance GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommercial insurance carrier.
• Brickstreet InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkers compensation and commercial insurance carrier.
• Clearpath MutualcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkers compensation insurance carrier.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Erie Insurance: Mid-Atlantic/Midwest regional carrier that sells primarily through captive agents; overlaps Cole & Durham's personal and small commercial lines and small-town agency footprint, although Erie uses a more captive-style distribution.
• Grange Insurance: Midwest regional carrier that Cole & Durham represents; distributes personal and commercial coverage through independent agents across Kentucky and surrounding states with comparable community-based agency economics.
• Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance: Kentucky-focused mutual insurer and agency network offering auto, home, farm, and life coverage to rural and small-town Kentucky residents — overlapping customer base and product mix with Cole & Durham.
• Shelter Insurance: Mutual regional insurer operating across the central U.S. with a captive-agent distribution model targeting small-town and rural customers — directly comparable customer demographic to Cole & Durham's Kentucky base.
• Lawton Insurance Group: Cole & Durham is described as "A Lawton Agency," making the parent group the closest peer — same independent multi-carrier model, Kentucky focus, and overlapping product portfolio across personal and commercial lines.
• Cincinnati Financial / Cincinnati Insurance Companies: Regional P&C carrier and agency partner that Cole & Durham already represents; comparable Ohio Valley regional agency relationships with personal and commercial lines distributed through independent agents.
• Encova Insurance: Regional P&C carrier represented by Cole & Durham; distributes through independent agents across the Southeast/Mid-Atlantic with comparable personal and commercial line product set.
• Auto-Owners Insurance: Regional P&C carrier represented by Cole & Durham; sells exclusively through independent agents across the Midwest/South with similar personal/commercial product breadth and commission-based agency model.

Regional players

• Motorists Insurance Group: Regional P&C carrier with strong Midwest focus whose President's Advisory Council includes Cole & Durham's president; comparable personal/commercial line agency distribution and Kentucky-adjacent operating geography.

Others

• Independent Insurance Agents of Kentucky / Trusted Choice: Industry association and consumer-facing referral network that promotes independent insurance agencies; relevant as Cole & Durham participates in the same independent-agent distribution model and competes for the same Kentucky customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/coledurhaminsurance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Cole & Durham Insurance