What Tingler Insurance does

Tingler Insurance, operating as Tingler, LLC, is a privately held, family-owned independent insurance agency founded in 2010 and domiciled in Virginia. The firm is headquartered at 18168 U.S. Route 1 Hwy in Ruther Glen (Ladysmith), Virginia, with two additional offices in Bowling Green and Ashland, and serves markets across Virginia (Caroline and Hanover counties, including Mechanicsville and Glen Allen) and the North Carolina Outer Banks (Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills, Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, and Duck). The agency places policies on behalf of multiple appointed carriers and earns commissions across home, auto, life, and commercial lines, with add-on coverage in umbrella, surety bonds, renter's, motorcycle, ATV, classic car, RV/mobile home, boat/watercraft, valuable articles, flood, term and whole life, liability, worker's compensation, business property, business personal property, and business automobile insurance.

The company operates on a traditional sales-led go-to-market with no proprietary technology platform. Distribution runs through three physical offices (walk-in service during posted business hours), dedicated phone lines per office (804-448-2402 Ladysmith; 804-633-2402 Bowling Green; 804-752-3504 Ashland), and a self-serve online Auto Quote form. The team of approximately 11–50 employees includes eight named licensed agents plus office managers, anchored by family principals Lee Tingler (Owner, Principal Agent) and Micky Tingler (Agent, Co-owner; CBIA-designated), with multi-generational advisors (Wallace "Pepper" Tingler Jr. and Wallace "Chuck" Tingler Sr.) and licensed relatives (Betsy Tingler, Sherry, Emma-Lee Mitchell) staffing additional offices. Marketing relies on organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), Google search, and community events such as the free outdoor "Movie Nights by Tingler Insurance" series and an annual student art contest.

Revenue mechanics are commission-based on placed policies with multiple carriers, billed monthly on a quote-driven model with no publicly disclosed pricing. The agency has accumulated sustained regional brand recognition through consecutive "Best of the Best" awards from The Caroline Progress for Best Insurance Agent/Agency and Businessperson of the Year from 2010 through 2018. The firm is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries; expansion to date has been organic through geographic reach into coastal North Carolina and broadening of the product portfolio rather than through acquisition.

Name

Tingler Insurance

Legal name

Tingler, LLC

Website

https://tinglerinsurance.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tingler Insurance is a family-owned, independent insurance agency founded in 2010, operating three Virginia offices and serving homeowners, drivers, families, and small businesses across Caroline and Hanover counties and North Carolina's Outer Banks with home, auto, life, commercial, and specialty coverage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ruther Glen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Policy Commissions: As an independent insurance agency, Tingler Insurance earns commissions from insurance carriers for placing policies (home, auto, business, life insurance). They are appointed with and have access to many insurance companies to find coverage at competitive prices for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tingler Insurance is an independent, full-service insurance agency that places home, auto, life, and commercial insurance policies on behalf of clients by accessing multiple insurance carriers. As an appointed agent with multiple carriers, the agency earns commissions from carriers while offering customers competitive rates and personalized service through three Virginia offices and online quote channels.

Product overview

Tingler Insurance is an independent, full-service insurance agency founded in 2010, offering a portfolio of core insurance products and supplementary coverage options. The core product suite includes Home Insurance (covering primary residences, rental homes, and vacation homes), Auto Insurance, Life Insurance, and Commercial Insurance. The agency enhances its core offerings with add-on modules including Umbrella Insurance, Surety Bonds, Renter's Insurance, and specialized vehicle coverage (Motorcycle, ATV, Classic Car, RV/Mobile Home, Boat). Home insurance customers can add supplemental policies such as Valuable Articles/Floater policies and Flood policies. The Life Insurance portfolio includes both Term Life and Whole Life options. Commercial Insurance products encompass Liability Insurance, Worker's Compensation, Business Property Insurance, Business Personal Property Insurance, and Business Automobile Insurance. All products are distributed through the agency's multiple physical locations in Virginia and North Carolina, with online quote capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Home Insurance Homeowners insurance covering primary residences, rental homes, and vacation homes, protecting against structure damage, personal possessions loss, and liability. Designed for Virginia and North Carolina Outer Banks property owners.
• Auto Insurance Vehicle insurance covering cars, trucks, vans, and other vehicles, with online quote capability through the website. Designed for Virginia and North Carolina drivers.
• Life Insurance Life insurance protection for loved ones after death, including term life and whole life policies for individuals and families.
• Commercial Insurance Business insurance covering property, automobiles, inventory, liability, and worker's compensation. Designed for Virginia and North Carolina small business owners, with builder/contractor expertise provided through a Certified Builders Insurance Agent.
• Renter's Insurance Insurance coverage for renters protecting personal belongings and liability, suited for renters in Virginia and North Carolina.
• Umbrella Insurance Additional liability coverage providing extra protection beyond standard auto, home, or business policy limits.
• Surety Bonds Bond products placed for contractors and businesses requiring surety coverage.
• Flood Insurance Standalone flood insurance coverage for properties in flood-prone areas, including Outer Banks coastal properties.
• Specialty Vehicle Insurance Specialized insurance coverage for motorcycles, ATVs and motorsports vehicles, classic and vintage cars, RVs and mobile homes, and boats and watercraft.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Auto-Owners Insurance: Mid-sized P&C mutual with strong independent-agent distribution across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Often the carrier of choice behind independent agencies like Tingler, and competes at the agent level via its exclusive-agent partners in the same Virginia and Carolinas markets.
• NC Farm Bureau Insurance: North Carolina-domiciled mutual insurer with strong coastal penetration including the Outer Banks — directly overlapping with Tingler's NC service territory. Comparable product suite centered on home, auto, and farm/rural property, with a captive-agent distribution model that competes head-to-head for the same coastal homeowner customer.
• Shelter Insurance: Mid-sized mutual insurer with a regional agent model across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Overlaps with Tingler on auto, home, and life products in similar rural and small-town geographies, with a comparable mid-sized independent-agent feel though Shelter is a carrier-owned captive network.
• Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance: Virginia-domiciled mutual insurer distributing through captive agents throughout the state, with deep penetration in rural counties like Caroline and Hanover. Highly comparable customer base and product suite to Tingler, though Virginia Farm Bureau uses an exclusive-agent model rather than Tingler's independent multi-carrier approach.

Broad incumbents

• USI Insurance Services: Large national brokerage with significant mid-market and commercial-lines presence, including offices throughout Virginia and the Carolinas. Comparable commercial-insurance product set to Tingler's CBIA-led commercial practice, though USI operates at substantially greater scale and complexity.
• State Farm: Largest US personal-lines insurer with a dense captive-agent footprint in suburban and rural Virginia. Directly comparable to Tingler's home and auto offerings and customer demographic, though State Farm exclusively sells its own products rather than shopping multiple carriers.
• Erie Insurance: Regional P&C carrier with a strong captive and exclusive-agent distribution model across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, including Virginia and North Carolina. Directly comparable to Tingler's core auto/home product mix and Virginia market overlap, though Erie operates as a carrier with its own agents rather than as an independent broker.
• Nationwide Insurance (local agents): Large national P&C carrier with a strong captive and independent agent network across Virginia and North Carolina. Competes with Tingler for the same auto, home, and small commercial accounts, though Nationwide operates a hybrid model versus Tingler's pure independent-agency approach.
• Hub International: Large North American brokerage with significant Virginia and Carolinas presence, serving mid-market commercial accounts that overlap with Tingler's CBIA-led contractor book. Comparable in product breadth across personal and commercial lines but operates at much larger scale via roll-up acquisitions of smaller independents like Tingler.

Direct peers

• The Myers-Nixon Insurance Agency: Small independent insurance agency operating in central Virginia with a multi-line personal and commercial book, comparable in size and structure to Tingler. Both firms operate as family-led independent agencies distributing multiple carriers, with similar community-engagement-driven local marketing playbooks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xgoogle.com/search?q=Tingler+Insurance
• Facebookfacebook.com/TinglerInsured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tingler-insurance
• Instagraminstagram.com/tinglerinsurance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Tingler Insurance