What Charlesworth Consulting does

Charlesworth Consulting is a private, family-owned insurance and risk management consulting firm that advises public entities across Texas and the Midwest. Founded in 1977 by Art Charlesworth in Springfield, Missouri and now headquartered in Kansas City, the firm explicitly does not sell insurance products and positions its independence from carrier commissions as a core differentiator. Its clients are governmental and quasi-governmental organizations—primarily municipalities under 250,000 in population, school districts under 70,000 students, counties between 500,000 and 1,500,000 in population, junior colleges, retirement systems, water districts, and port authorities—who require advisory support on insurance program structure, employee benefits, and risk financing.

The firm delivers four core service lines: Risk Management Consulting (program assessment, proposal specifications, self-funded program management, contract review, claims management assistance, loss control/safety programs), Employee Benefits Consulting (benefits design, strategy, and compliance), Strategic Risk Solutions (risk transfer, control, avoidance, and reduction strategies), and Outsourced Management Services (acting as an extension of client risk and HR staff). In 2024 the practice broadened further into Human Resources Consulting and expanded Loss Control & Safety. Revenue is generated through professional services consulting fees supplemented by commissions and profit-sharing arrangements with insurance carriers based on placed business profitability or premium growth. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, and the firm operates from two offices—Kansas City (HQ) and Dallas (opened 2020)—with a disclosed headcount of 1-10 employees.

The business is owned under HMA Group Holdings, LLC (an Iowa LLC) and is led by President James Charlesworth, ARM, who has served clients at the firm since 1989 and is personally tied to risk management design for more than 40 public entities. There is no external institutional, private equity, or venture capital involvement, and growth has been entirely organic—driven by geographic expansion into Texas, incremental service-line additions, and family-led succession from founder Art Charlesworth (retired 2000) to the next generation.

Name

Charlesworth Consulting

Legal name

HMA Group Holdings, LLC

Website

https://charlesworthconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Charlesworth Consulting provides unbiased insurance and risk management consulting—covering risk management, employee benefits, strategic risk, and outsourced management—to public entities across Texas and the Midwest. The firm does not sell insurance products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Risk Management Consulting

NAICS

Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Captive Insurance Advisory & Management (FSAEADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Risk management consulting
• Insurance consulting services
• Employee benefits consulting
• Public entity advisory
• Strategic risk solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Risk Management Consulting Services: Charlesworth Consulting generates revenue through professional consulting fees for risk management, insurance consulting, employee benefits consulting, strategic risk solutions, and outsourced management services. Their approach is unbiased and independent, focusing on consulting rather than selling insurance products.
2. Commission and Profit-Sharing Arrangements: Per their privacy policy, Charlesworth Consulting and its affiliates receive compensation from insurance carriers and other third-party vendors through commissions and profit-sharing arrangements. Profit-sharing payments from insurance carriers are based on the profitability and/or premium growth of business placed with carriers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Charlesworth Consulting is an independent insurance and risk management consulting firm that advises public entities on insurance navigation, employee benefits, strategic risk solutions, and outsourced risk management. The firm operates without selling insurance products, instead providing unbiased consulting on risk transfer, self-funded programs, claims management, loss control, and benefits administration for municipalities, school districts, counties, junior colleges, water districts, port authorities, and retirement systems.

Product overview

Charlesworth Consulting is a risk management and insurance consulting firm offering four core consulting services: Employee Benefits Consulting, Risk Management Consulting, Strategic Risk Solutions, and Outsourced Management Services. The company operates as a unified consulting practice focused exclusively on serving public entities (municipalities, school districts, counties, junior colleges, retirement systems) without selling insurance products. Services are tailored to public sector needs across Texas and the Midwest, with dedicated offerings in Human Resources Consulting and Loss Control & Safety Programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employee Benefits Consulting Independent employee benefits and HR consulting for public entities, including benefits package design, strategy optimization, regulatory compliance, and ongoing support for benefits administration.
• Risk Management Consulting Insurance and risk management consulting covering risk management analysis, assessment of existing insurance programs, proposal specification, self-funded programs, contract review, claim management assistance, and loss control/safety programs.
• Strategic Risk Solutions Strategic consulting to help organizations assess risks, evaluate options, and implement risk strategies including risk transfer, control, avoidance, and reduction.
• Outsourced Management Services Outsourced risk management services acting as an extension of client staff, providing comprehensive risk management oversight, streamlining operations, and HR consulting.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• USI Insurance Services: USI is a top-10 U.S. insurance brokerage serving mid-market and public sector clients with risk management, employee benefits, and consulting capabilities. Overlaps with Charlesworth's benefits and risk consulting offerings across a similar customer base.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Gallagher is one of the largest global insurance brokerages and operates a dedicated public entity and K-12 practice. It competes with Charlesworth for the same municipal and school district risk management engagements but at vastly greater scale and with a brokerage (not pure consulting) model.
• Brown & Brown, Inc. Brown & Brown is a large insurance brokerage with dedicated public entity and education practices. Comparable to Charlesworth in serving the same municipal and school district clients, but operates as a brokerage with carrier placement capabilities rather than as a pure consultant.
• Marsh McLennan: Marsh McLennan is the world's largest insurance broker with a public sector practice serving state, local, and education clients. It is a broad incumbent whose public entity segment directly overlaps Charlesworth's niche advisory offerings but with much broader product breadth.
• Alliant Insurance Services: Alliant is a major U.S. specialty insurance brokerage with a public entity group serving municipalities, schools, and special districts. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping target customers, though it sells and places coverage rather than purely advising.

Direct peers

• The Horton Group: Horton Group is an insurance brokerage and consulting firm serving public entities, municipalities, and schools, with a strong Midwest presence. Highly comparable in target market and consulting-led positioning, though it operates as a broker rather than pure advisor.
• RPS (Risk Placement Services): RPS specializes in placing insurance for public entities, educational institutions, and pools, with a consulting-led approach to specialty and excess risks. Closely comparable in serving similar public sector customers with advisory-style engagements.
• BB Insurance Group (Brown & Brown Education): BB Insurance Group specializes in property/casualty and benefits insurance specifically for K-12 schools and public entities, closely matching Charlesworth's school district and municipal focus. Comparable consulting-driven service model for the same niche customer segments.

Regional players

• Hylant Group: Hylant is a Midwest-based insurance brokerage with public sector and higher education practices that overlaps Charlesworth's Texas/Midwest footprint. Both firms emphasize long-tenured advisor relationships with municipal and institutional clients.

Emerging players

• Truman Mox Insurance / Truman-Mox Consulting: Truman Mox is an independent insurance broker focused on public entities and nonprofits, offering advisory and placement services. Comparable as an independent advisor serving the same public entity vertical, though smaller in scale than Charlesworth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charlesworth-consulting
• Xx.com/charlesworthrm

Compliance4 records

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 Charlesworth Consulting