ethOs
Holmes Murphy & Associates is an independent commercial insurance brokerage and risk management advisory firm serving 15+ industry verticals through 17 offices across 11 US states with 1,400+ professionals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1932
- HeadquartersWaukee, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ethOs does
Holmes Murphy & Associates is an independent commercial insurance brokerage and risk management advisory firm headquartered in Waukee, Iowa, founded in 1932 and operating continuously for more than 90 years. The firm employs 1,400+ professionals across 17 offices in 11 US states and serves commercial clients in more than 15 industry verticals, including construction, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, hospitality, healthcare, financial services, real estate, public entity, and technology. Its core offering spans commercial insurance placement, employee benefits design, captive insurance structuring, claims management, compliance, clinical wellbeing, cyber insurance, executive risk, global risk management, ESOP advisory, surety bonds, and workers' compensation, with solutions delivered to named enterprise accounts such as Sukup Manufacturing Co.
The firm generates revenue as an insurance broker, earning commissions and advisory fees from insurance carriers for placing coverage and providing risk advisory services to clients. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with billing on an annual cadence. Its go-to-market is direct-to-consumer: a 17-office regional sales force augmented by a national account management overlay targeting mid-market and enterprise clients. The company is privately held, with no identified parent, private equity, or venture capital sponsor; ownership is described as internal/management controlled, and the firm actively markets its independence from Wall Street ownership as a differentiator.
Holmes Murphy operates under a PLUS Family of Brands structure comprising eight wholly-owned specialized subsidiaries (Creative Risk Solutions, BrokerTech Ventures, Avant Specialty Benefits, Innovative Captive Strategies, ACAP HealthWorks, Charlesworth Consulting, Global Captive Management, and Innovative Program Solutions), enabling vertical and capability specialization while consolidating under the parent brand. Marketing channels include blog and content, webinars and virtual events, industry conferences, PR, and email newsletters. Leadership transitioned in 2025 when Jay Reavis was named President of Holmes Murphy and HMA.
ethOs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ethOs
- Legal name
- Holmes Murphy & Associates
- Website
- https://yourethos.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1932
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Holmes Murphy & Associates is an independent commercial insurance brokerage and risk management advisory firm serving 15+ industry verticals through 17 offices across 11 US states with 1,400+ professionals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ethOs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Insurance Brokerage
- NAICS
- Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)
- SIC
- Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)
Keywords
Where ethOs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waukee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices17 records
Markets served
ethOs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Insurance Brokerage and Advisory Fees: Holmes Murphy generates revenue as an independent insurance brokerage providing commercial insurance and risk management solutions. The firm earns commissions and fees from insurance carriers for placing coverage and providing risk advisory services to clients.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Customized insurance and risk management solutions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
ethOs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Holmes Murphy is an independent insurance brokerage that places commercial insurance coverage and provides risk management advisory for businesses across verticals such as construction, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, financial services, and hospitality. The firm also delivers employee benefits, captive insurance, claims management, compliance, cyber insurance, and clinical wellbeing solutions through direct client relationships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Property Casualty Insurance
- Employee Benefits
- Captive Insurance
- Cyber Insurance
- Workers' Compensation
- Claims Management
- Executive Risk
- Global Risk Management
- Clinical Wellbeing
- Pharmacy Benefits
- Compliance
- Data Analytics
- Risk & Safety
- Surety Bonds
- Specialty Benefits
- Small Business Insurance
- Private Risk
- ESOP
Quantifiable outcome
- Saved clients seven figures through captive insurance solutions
Companies that use ethOs
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments13 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ethOs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ethOs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Creative Risk SolutionscoreSubsidiary company under the PLUS Family of Brands, providing creative risk solutions as part of Holmes Murphy's portfolio of specialized insurance services.
- BrokerTech VenturescoreSubsidiary company under the PLUS Family of Brands, focused on broker technology and innovation in the insurance space.
- Avant Specialty BenefitscoreSubsidiary company under the PLUS Family of Brands, specializing in specialty benefits solutions.
- Innovative Captive StrategiescoreSubsidiary company under the PLUS Family of Brands, providing captive insurance strategy and management services.
- ACAP HealthWorkscoreSubsidiary company under the PLUS Family of Brands, focused on healthcare and employee health solutions.
- Charlesworth ConsultingcoreSubsidiary company under the PLUS Family of Brands, providing consulting services in insurance and risk management.
- Global Captive ManagementcoreSubsidiary company under the PLUS Family of Brands, specializing in global captive insurance management.
- Innovative Program SolutionscoreSubsidiary company under the PLUS Family of Brands, providing innovative program-based insurance solutions.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ethOs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hub International: Mid-to-large independent commercial insurance brokerage with strong vertical specialization and North American office network. Highly comparable business model and target customer profile to Holmes Murphy.
- Acrisure: Rapidly-growing independent insurance brokerage built through aggressive M&A, offering commercial P&C, employee benefits, and specialty practices. Comparable independent-broker positioning and product breadth, though with a much heavier M&A growth posture.
- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Large publicly-traded commercial insurance brokerage and risk management firm with comparable product mix (P&C, employee benefits, captive consulting) and similar middle-to-large enterprise client focus. Closest like-for-like comparable to Holmes Murphy's commercial brokerage core.
- Brown & Brown, Inc. Publicly-traded national insurance brokerage providing commercial P&C, employee benefits, and specialty coverage through decentralized offices. Strong comparable on geographic dispersion and decentralized producer model.
- Lockton Companies: Largest privately-held independent insurance brokerage globally. Closely comparable to Holmes Murphy on independence, multi-line commercial brokerage, and specialty practice emphasis; Lockton's larger scale provides a relevant growth benchmark.
- USI Insurance Services: Privately-held commercial insurance brokerage and consulting firm with middle-market and large account focus across P&C, employee benefits, and specialty lines. Directly comparable go-to-market model and service portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Aon plc: Global insurance brokerage and advisory firm with comparable commercial risk management and reinsurance capabilities. Larger and more diversified than Holmes Murphy, but competes directly for mid-to-large commercial accounts.
- Marsh McLennan: Global professional services firm operating Marsh (brokerage), Guy Carpenter, Mercer, and Oliver Wyman. Overlaps with Holmes Murphy in commercial brokerage and risk advisory, but at materially greater scale and with broader product breadth.
Regional players
- Marsh & McLennan Agency: Middle-market arm of Marsh McLennan serving US businesses outside the Global Fortune 1000. Direct overlap with Holmes Murphy on middle-market commercial accounts and employee benefits, though operating under the global Marsh parent.
Emerging players
- Assurance: Mid-size independent insurance brokerage with employee benefits emphasis and growing national footprint. Comparable independent-broker model with growing scale, though smaller than Holmes Murphy and less diversified across specialty lines.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ethOs social profiles
Digital presenceethOs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ethOs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
ethOs subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries9 records
ethOs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ethOs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ethOs
What does ethOs do?
Holmes Murphy is an independent insurance brokerage that places commercial insurance coverage and provides risk management advisory for businesses across verticals such as construction, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, financial services, and hospitality. The firm also delivers employee benefits, captive insurance, claims management, compliance, cyber insurance, and clinical wellbeing solutions through direct client relationships.
Is ethOs a public or private company?
ethOs is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was ethOs founded?
ethOs was founded in 1932. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ethOs based?
ethOs is headquartered in Waukee, United States, in the North America region.
How does ethOs make money?
One revenue line is on record: insurance Brokerage and Advisory Fees.
Who are ethOs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hub International, Acrisure, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., Brown & Brown, Inc., Lockton Companies and USI Insurance Services. Broad incumbents are Aon plc and Marsh McLennan. Marsh & McLennan Agency is listed as a regional player. Assurance is listed as an emerging player.
Does ethOs have an API?
No public API is recorded for ethOs.
What industry is ethOs in?
ethOs's product category is Commercial Insurance Brokerage. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEADAJ, Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines). Its NAICS code is 5242 and its SIC code is 6411.