Golden Empire

What Golden Empire does

Golden Empire Insurance Agency is a privately held, full-service independent insurance agency founded in 1984 in Agoura Hills, California by three co-founders — Howard Lipp, Gayle Lipp, and Steven Helfman — each of whom has held insurance licenses since the late 1960s. The agency distributes personal insurance (auto, homeowners, inland/marine), commercial insurance (BOP, commercial property, commercial auto, general liability, workers compensation, umbrella), life insurance (term, universal, whole, disability, business life, long-term care), and health insurance through its in-house Corporate Insurance Services (CIS) division. It also operates specialty programs in medical malpractice (via CNA Insurance Company), ambulance and emergency services, shopping centers and real estate, and long-term care facilities. The agency is licensed to write business nationwide from its California base (CA License #0338632) and represents multiple carriers including Mercury Casualty Group, Progressive Companies, Allied Group, CNA, and health carriers Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Prudential, Humana, Kaiser, and others.

The business is built on an independent agency commission model: Golden Empire acts as an intermediary between customers and insurance carriers, earning commission on policies sold and serviced. Distribution is sales-led, executed through free online quote forms on the company website and phone-based service at (800) 899-5556 / (818) 597-7880, with no proprietary technology platform of note — core technology is described as standard agency operations with online quote submission infrastructure. There are no disclosed APIs, SDKs, AI/ML capabilities, patents, or certifications in the source data, and the website copyright still reads 1999-2003, indicating limited recent technology investment.

Customer acquisition is direct-to-consumer, with no marketing automation, paid digital, or channel partner GTM motion beyond the carrier relationships themselves. The agency explicitly positions on 'Old World Values With New World Technology' — long-term personal relationships with experienced licensed staff — rather than on technology differentiation or scale. There is no disclosed parent company, no external institutional ownership, no funding history, no M&A activity, and no subsidiary relationships beyond the wholly owned CIS health division.

Name

Golden Empire

Legal name

Golden Empire Insurance Agency

Website

https://goldenempireins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Golden Empire Insurance Agency is a privately held independent insurance agency in Agoura Hills, California, distributing personal, commercial, life, health, and specialty insurance (medical malpractice, ambulance, real estate) through multiple carrier partnerships to individuals, SMBs, and niche healthcare and emergency-services clients nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Agoura Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

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 Agency Commissions: Functions as an independent insurance agency representing multiple carriers. Earns commissions from insurance carriers for policies sold and serviced. Revenue derived from commissions on personal insurance (auto, homeowners, inland/marine), business insurance (BOP, commercial property, commercial auto, liability, workers comp), life insurance, health insurance, and specialty insurance (medical malpractice, ambulance).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Golden Empire Insurance Agency is a full-service independent insurance brokerage that places personal, commercial, life, and health insurance for individuals and businesses by representing multiple insurance carriers. It earns commissions by matching customers with carriers such as Mercury Casualty Group, Progressive, Allied Group, and CNA, and operates specialty programs in medical malpractice and ambulance insurance. The agency is licensed to write business nationwide from its Agoura Hills, California headquarters and provides free, no-obligation online and phone-based quotes.

Product overview

Golden Empire Insurance Agency is a full-service independent insurance agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of insurance products across personal, business, life, and health lines. The agency operates through named product categories including Personal Insurance (auto, homeowners, inland/marine), Business Insurance (BOP, commercial property, commercial auto, liability, umbrella, workers comp), Life Insurance (term, universal, whole, disability, business life, long-term care), and Health Insurance (individual and group plans). The agency also specializes in niche programs including Medical Malpractice Insurance through CNA, Ambulance Insurance with exclusive coverage features, and specialty lines for real estate and long-term care facilities. Online quote services enable customers to request free estimates across all product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Insurance
• Business Insurance Commercial insurance package for businesses including Business Owners Package (BOP), commercial property, commercial auto, general liability, contractor's liability, commercial umbrella, and workers compensation.
• Life Insurance Life insurance products including Term, Universal Life, Whole Life, Disability, Business Life, and Long Term Care coverage for individuals and businesses.
• Health Insurance Individual and group health insurance placement for individuals and employer groups, including COBRA, Cafeteria Plans, and Section 125 Plans, with carriers Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Prudential, Humana, Health Net, Pacificare, Kaiser, California Choice, and HIPIC.
• Medical Malpractice Insurance Professional liability (medical malpractice) coverage for physicians and medical practices, placed through CNA Insurance Company across multiple specialties.
• Ambulance Insurance Program Exclusive specialty insurance program for ambulance companies covering vehicles, non-owned aircraft liability, agreed value, earthquake, flood, and disappearing deductible.
• Specialty Insurance (Shopping Centers, Real Estate, Long Term Care Facilities) Specialty commercial insurance coverage for shopping centers, real estate holdings, and long term care facilities.
• Free Online Insurance Quotes No-cost, no-obligation online quote submission service for personal and business insurance needs across auto, homeowners, inland/marine, life, business, BOP, and medical malpractice lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Medical malpractice savings of 15-36% demonstrated for various specialties through CNA Insurance Company comparisons

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CNA Insurance CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationCNA Insurance Company provides medical malpractice insurance coverage through Golden Empire Insurance Agency. CNA is rated EXCELLENT - A+15 by AM Best Rating Guide. Sample rates shown indicate significant savings potential compared to competitor rates for various medical specialties including Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Gastroenterology.
• Mercury Casualty GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMercury Casualty Group is one of the insurance carriers represented by Golden Empire Insurance Agency for personal insurance products. Long-term relationship maintained by the agency.
• Progressive CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProgressive Companies are among the insurance carriers represented by Golden Empire Insurance Agency. Long-term relationship maintained by the agency for personal insurance products.
• Allied GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAllied Group is one of the insurance carriers represented by Golden Empire Insurance Agency. Long-term relationship maintained by the agency for insurance products.
• Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Prudential, Humana, California Choice, HIPIC, Health Net, Pacificare, Kaiser (Health Insurance Carriers)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate Insurance Services (CIS), the in-house health division of Golden Empire Insurance, represents multiple health insurance carriers including Aetna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Prudential, Humana, California Choice, HIPIC, Health Net, Pacificare, and Kaiser. These carriers serve individual and group health insurance customers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Keenan & Associates: California-based insurance brokerage and consulting firm serving public agencies, healthcare, and commercial clients. Directly comparable West Coast footprint, multi-line agency model, and specialty focus on healthcare and public-sector risks that overlap with Golden Empire's medical malpractice practice.

Emerging players

• Burns & Wilcox: Specialty insurance wholesaler and brokerage focused on excess & surplus lines and niche verticals. Comparable to Golden Empire's specialty programs (medical malpractice, ambulance, real estate, long-term care) where specialized placement is required beyond standard admitted markets.

Direct peers

• Hub International: Large North American insurance brokerage offering personal, commercial, life, and health insurance through multiple carrier relationships. Directly comparable business model as an independent agency/brokerage, though at much greater scale and with broader geographic and product reach.
• Brown & Brown: Insurance brokerage and risk management firm placing personal, commercial, and specialty lines through multiple carriers. Highly comparable agency/brokerage model with a focus on niche programs and SMB customers analogous to Golden Empire's specialty lines.
• Acrisure: Rapidly consolidating insurance brokerage platform built by acquiring independent agencies. Comparable agency model with multi-carrier distribution and a heavy focus on specialty programs (including healthcare and transportation verticals) that overlap with Golden Empire's ambulance and medical malpractice niches.
• Leavitt Group: Privately-held insurance agency offering personal, commercial, life, and health coverage through a multi-carrier model with regional offices. Highly comparable to Golden Empire as a mid-sized independent agency with a relationship-driven culture and emphasis on community presence.
• World Insurance Associates: Insurance brokerage with personal, commercial, life, and health lines distributed through multiple carrier partners. Comparable independent agency model with strong specialty practice growth, frequently acquiring smaller agencies to expand footprint.
• Heffernan Insurance Brokers: Mid-sized independent insurance brokerage offering personal, business, and employee benefits lines. Comparable in scale and multi-carrier model to Golden Empire, with similar specialty practice emphasis and California/West Coast market exposure.
• Insurance Office of America: Privately-held independent insurance agency offering personal, commercial, life, and health coverage through multiple carriers. Closely comparable mid-sized independent agency with similar cultural emphasis on relationships, multi-line offering, and specialty practice development.

Broad incumbents

• The Doctors Company: Largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer in the U.S. Comparable through Golden Empire's medical malpractice program with CNA, though The Doctors Company is a direct carrier rather than an agency — useful for understanding the competitive set Golden Empire navigates on the medical malpractice side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/golden-empire-insurance-agency-inc.

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 Golden Empire