Lighthouse

What Lighthouse does

Lighthouse Group is a Michigan-based insurance brokerage and financial services firm operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alera Group, the nation's 17th largest insurance agency. The company was established in 1995 through the merger of Lighthouse Group Insurance Agency (founded 1990) and Keuning Agency (founded 1960) and has grown to serve over 33,000 clients across four Michigan offices in Grand Rapids (regional HQ), Empire, Holland, and Portage. Its core offerings span four practice areas: Employee Benefits (including the Lumity optimization platform, pharmacy management, absence management, wellbeing, voluntary benefits, and benefits administration), Property and Casualty (coverage guidance via Coverage GPS, claims advocacy, loss control, environmental exposure evaluation), Retirement Plans (fiduciary services), and Wealth Management (solutions for individuals, business owners, non-profits, and foundations).

The firm's business model is built on insurance brokerage commissions and advisory fees, classified as recurring subscription-equivalent revenue, with custom quote-based pricing for both individual and commercial clients. Lighthouse operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct field sales (licensed agents serving complex commercial and high-value personal lines) with inside sales (digital quote request forms for personal insurance, employee benefits, commercial insurance, and Medicare) and a self-service digital portal for existing clients (bill payment, AleraHR, AleraDashboard). Its marketing motion emphasizes content (insights articles, legal alerts, benchmarking data), educational webinars, and virtual events targeting both top-of-funnel awareness and mid-funnel engagement. Post-merger with Alera Group in December 2020, Lighthouse gained access to national-scale capabilities (PEO Solutions, International Benefits, Alternative Funding, Actuarial and Finance) while maintaining its relationship-focused, community-oriented local brand presence in Michigan.

Name

Lighthouse

Legal name

Alera Group, Inc.

Website

https://lighthouse.aleragroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Lighthouse Group is a Michigan-based insurance brokerage and financial services firm, wholly owned by Alera Group (the nation's 17th largest agency), serving over 33,000 individual and commercial clients with employee benefits, property and casualty, retirement, and wealth management services across four state offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage and Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance-Integrated Wealth Managers (RIA + Insurance Solutions) (FSAAACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Retirement Plan Advisory RIAs (ERISA 401(k)/403(b)) (FSAAACAF), Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG)

Keywords

• Insurance brokerage services
• Employee benefits administration
• Property and casualty insurance
• Retirement plan services
• Wealth management advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

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 and Advisory Services: Lighthouse generates revenue through insurance brokerage commissions and advisory fees for property and casualty insurance, employee benefits, retirement plans, and wealth management services. As a merged entity with Alera Group (nation's 17th largest agency), the company serves over 33,000 clients with a full suite of insurance and financial solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lighthouse is a Michigan-based insurance and financial services agency (operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alera Group, Inc.) that brokers and advises on personal and commercial insurance, employee benefits, retirement plans, and wealth management. Its product suite spans property and casualty coverage, employee benefits administration, pharmacy management, absence management, wellbeing, voluntary benefits, ERISA fiduciary services, and wealth solutions for individuals, families, and non-profits, distributed through licensed agents, online quote intake, and digital client portals.

Product overview

Lighthouse is an insurance and financial services firm operating under Alera Group (17th largest agency nationally), offering Employee Benefits (health, pharmacy, absence management, wellbeing, voluntary benefits), Property and Casualty (coverage guidance, claims advocacy, loss control), Retirement Plans (fiduciary services), and Wealth Management. The portfolio includes named platforms and services such as Lumity for benefits optimization, Alera Group Coverage GPS for property coverage guidance, Absence Management, Pharmacy Management, Wellbeing, Voluntary Benefits, Benefits Administration, Population Health and Data Analytics, Captive Solutions, Claims Advocacy, Loss Control, and Fiduciary Services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lumity A benefits optimization platform offering advanced health plan strategies, benefits benchmarking, and population health analytics for employer groups seeking to design and manage health benefit programs.
• Absence Management Manages employee absences including FMLA, disability, and other leave programs for employer clients with benefits programs.
• Pharmacy Management Oversight and optimization of prescription drug benefits within health plans, including PBM transparency initiatives, for employer-sponsored benefits programs.
• Wellbeing Employee wellness programs and initiatives supporting physical, mental, and financial wellbeing for employer clients.
• Voluntary Benefits and Enrollment Solutions Supplementary insurance products and enrollment platforms for employer benefit programs to round out core health coverage.
• Benefits Administration Administrative services for managing employer benefit programs including enrollment, eligibility, and carrier coordination.
• Population Health and Data Analytics Data-driven health analytics to assess population health trends and inform benefits strategy for employer clients.
• Captive Solutions Alternative funding arrangements through captive insurance programs for self-insured employer groups.
• Claims Advocacy and Management Support for property and casualty insurance claims navigation and resolution for commercial clients.
• Loss Control Risk management and workplace safety consulting to reduce insurance losses for commercial clients.
• Fiduciary Services ERISA fiduciary services for retirement plan governance and compliance offered to employer retirement plan sponsors.
• Wealth Management Solutions Wealth management and financial advisory solutions for individuals and families, business owners, and non-profit organizations and foundations, including investment planning and fiduciary-aligned advisory.
• Personal Lines Insurance Personal lines property and casualty insurance coverage for individuals and families, including home, auto, umbrella, and personal property coverage.
• Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance Commercial property and casualty insurance coverage including property, casualty, professional, and financial lines for Michigan business clients.
• Individual Coverage and Medicare Individual health coverage and Medicare consulting/advisory service supporting individuals and families in selecting personal medical and supplemental coverage.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Alera GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2020Lighthouse Group merged with Alera Group on December 1, 2020, becoming part of the nation's 17th largest agency. This partnership brings national-scale capabilities and resources while maintaining local service for Michigan clients. Lighthouse maintains its brand identity and local office presence while gaining access to Alera Group's expanded service offerings and operational scale.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Hilb Group: Mid-Atlantic and Midwest-focused insurance brokerage built through agency acquisitions, offering P&C, employee benefits, retirement, and personal lines. Closely comparable to Lighthouse in regional roll-up model, multi-office structure, and product mix.
• OneGroup: Upstate New York and Midwest insurance and benefits brokerage offering commercial, personal, benefits, and retirement advisory. Directly comparable to Lighthouse in regional multi-office model, employee benefits focus, and local-relationship GTM.

Broad incumbents

• Brown & Brown: Publicly traded national insurance brokerage and risk management firm with strong regional operating divisions. Comparable to Lighthouse in offering structure (P&C, benefits, personal lines) and mid-market client focus, with a far larger footprint.
• Hub International: Large North American insurance brokerage with deep mid-market and employee benefits capabilities. Highly comparable to Lighthouse in product mix (P&C, benefits, retirement) and client segments, but operates at significantly greater geographic and revenue scale.
• Acrisure: Fast-growing global insurance brokerage and financial services firm built largely through partner-agency roll-ups (similar to Lighthouse's Alera merger). Comparable in service breadth and partner-network model, but at dramatically larger scale.
• Lockton Companies: Largest privately held insurance brokerage in the U.S., serving mid- and large-market clients with employee benefits, P&C, and risk management. Comparable to Lighthouse in product scope and mid-market orientation, with substantially greater resources.
• Marsh McLennan Agency: Middle-market arm of Marsh McLennan providing risk, insurance, employee benefits, and retirement consulting. Comparable in product mix to Lighthouse, especially in benefits and retirement, with national delivery scale and a similar regional-office structure.
• USI Insurance Services: Top-10 U.S. insurance brokerage serving mid-market employers with property/casualty, employee benefits, retirement, and specialty practices. Closely mirrors Lighthouse's cross-sell model and benefits-advisory emphasis, but at national scale.
• NFP (an Aon company): Specialty insurance broker and consultant acquired by Aon, focused on mid-market P&C, benefits, wealth, and retirement. Comparable to Lighthouse in cross-sell model and client segmentation, with the added backing of a global firm.

Regional players

• Kapnick Insurance Group: Midwest-based independent insurance agency with P&C, benefits, personal lines, and risk management services. Comparable to Lighthouse in regional Midwestern focus and full-service brokerage model, though primarily serving Michigan-adjacent markets rather than Michigan itself.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LighthouseGroupInsurance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Lighthouse