David Ernstam Financial & Insurance Services

What David Ernstam Financial & Insurance Services does

Ernstam & Lewis Insurance Services is a California-based insurance brokerage founded in 1983, operating from a Yuba City headquarters and a second office in Irvine. The firm connects employers of all sizes with employee benefits (health, dental, life, disability, vision, long-term care, and supplemental coverage), serves individual consumers and Medicare-eligible retirees with Medigap and individual health plans, and supports specialized verticals including agricultural employers, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and government or education entities. Its core differentiator is free customer-facing service compensated through commissions from insurance carriers, alongside four decades of accumulated compliance expertise across ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA.

The business model is commission-based brokerage with no proprietary technology products of its own; the firm relies on partner platforms, including Ease for benefits administration and Think HR (now Mineral) for HR compliance and consultation, to support employer clients. Distribution is driven by direct phone and email outreach, website lead capture, and a network of strategic partnerships: Family Winemakers of California for agricultural employers, Oakview Insurance for personal and commercial lines, Ministry Pacific Insurance for nonprofits and churches, and Sean Andersen for financial planning. The firm also holds Covered California certification for individual ACA marketplace enrollment.

Geographically, the firm concentrates on California while extending to regions outside the state through partner relationships such as Ministry Pacific's 26-state footprint. Customer scale commentary indicates thousands of individuals served and a stated 10-20% health insurance savings achievement for agricultural employers compared to standard industry rates. The firm operates with 1-10 employees, is privately held, and reports no institutional ownership, funding rounds, or acquisition history in the available data.

Name

David Ernstam Financial & Insurance Services

Legal name

Ernstam & Lewis Insurance Services

Website

https://ernstam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ernstam & Lewis Insurance Services is a privately held California insurance brokerage that connects employers, individuals, and specialized verticals like agricultural and nonprofit organizations with health, benefits, and Medicare coverage through commission-based, free-to-customer brokerage services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Accident & Health Insurance (6321)

akta.pro primary industry

Individual Health Insurance Brokerage & Distribution (FSAIAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAA), Ancillary & Supplemental Health Products (Accident/Critical Illness/Hospital Indemnity) (HLAEABAJ)

Keywords

• Insurance brokerage services
• Employee benefits brokerage
• Medicare supplement plans
• Individual health insurance
• Business insurance coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Yuba City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: Ernstam & Lewis operates as an insurance broker, earning commissions from insurance providers when they connect employers or individuals with benefits plans. Their services are provided free of charge to customers, with the company compensated through commissions from the insurance carriers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ernstam & Lewis Insurance Services is a California-based insurance brokerage that connects employers and individuals with insurance carriers at no cost to the customer. The firm brokers employee benefits (health, dental, life, disability, vision, long-term care), individual insurance, Medicare supplements (Medigap), and partner-referred business, farm/agribusiness, nonprofit, property/liability, and personal lines coverage. Revenue is generated through commissions paid by insurance carriers, not customer fees.

Product overview

Ernstam & Lewis Insurance Services is a California-based insurance brokerage operating as a single integrated platform of benefits and insurance services. The core offerings consist of three main product lines: Employee Benefits (workplace health, dental, life, disability, vision, long-term care, and supplemental coverage), Individual Insurance (personal health, dental, life, disability, vision, and travel insurance), and Medicare Supplements (Medigap policies for seniors). These core services are supported by add-on offerings including benefits compliance support (ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, ERISA), HR education and consultation (via Think HR/Mineral), and Teledoc services. The company also maintains strategic partnerships with Oakview Insurance (personal/business/agricultural insurance), Ministry Pacific Insurance (nonprofit/church insurance), and Sean Andersen (financial planning), extending its portfolio beyond core benefits brokerage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employee Benefits Brokerage

Quantifiable outcome

• Agricultural employers can save 10-20% on health insurance compared to standard industry rates
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Family Winemakers of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerErnstam & Lewis serves as the preferred benefits broker for Family Winemakers of California, providing employee benefits including dental insurance and health insurance specifically tailored for agricultural employers. The partnership has yielded unique savings of 10-20% on health insurance for agricultural employers compared to standard industry rates.
• Oakview Insurance ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorErnstam & Lewis partners with Oakview Insurance, headquartered in Yuba City, California. Oakview provides personal insurance including home, auto, life, umbrella, flood, boat, motorcycle, RV, ATV coverage, as well as business insurance for contractors, small businesses, and agriculture/farm insurance. Oakview insures farms across the agricultural spectrum including rice, almonds, prunes, walnuts, kiwis, and peaches. Partners with Nationwide, Grange Insurance Association, Travelers, Oregon Mutual, Philadelphia, Zenith, Chubb, and Liberty Mutual.
• Ministry Pacific Insurance ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMinistry Pacific Insurance Services provides property and liability coverage for nonprofits, faith-based organizations, churches, and houses of worship. The company serves more than 1,200 organizations across 26 states. They survey the church and nonprofit insurance market to find the best coverages. No fee for services.
• Sean Andersen (Aligned Insurance and Financial Solutions)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSean Andersen, ChFC, RICP, provides financial planning services including retirement savings, life insurance, and long-term care insurance to Ernstam & Lewis clients through the Aligned Insurance and Financial Solutions platform.
• Think HR (now Mineral)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThink HR (now Mineral) provides comprehensive HR services to Ernstam & Lewis clients including a searchable database on human resources law, personalized consultation with licensed HR professionals, and workplace training through their partner network.
• Covered CaliforniacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCovered California is the state's Health Insurance Marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. Ernstam & Lewis is a certified broker helping individuals and families enroll in qualified health plans through the exchange.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Keenan & Associates: Torrance, California-based insurance brokerage and consulting firm focused on employee benefits, property & casualty, and risk management for public agencies, schools, and healthcare organizations - a comparable California-anchored benefits broker with a similar employer-segment focus.
• Brown & Riding Insurance Services: Specialty insurance brokerage focused on commercial property, casualty, and professional lines for niche industries - comparable independent brokerage model with a specialty-vertical approach analogous to Ernstam & Lewis's agricultural employer focus.
• Heffernan Insurance Brokers: Walnut Creek, California-based independent insurance brokerage offering employee benefits, personal lines, and commercial coverage across the West Coast - directly comparable as another independent California brokerage serving businesses and individuals.
• Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. San Francisco-based independent insurance brokerage providing commercial insurance, employee benefits, and personal lines - comparable independent California brokerage with similar B2B benefits and personal lines structure.

Broad incumbents

• NFP: U.S. insurance brokerage and advisory firm with strong focus on employee benefits, retirement, and personal lines - comparable benefits-led brokerage model serving mid-market and SMB employers similar to Ernstam & Lewis's core segment.
• Alliant Insurance Services: Large Irvine, California-based specialty insurance brokerage with broad capabilities across benefits, P&C, and surety - operates as a wider-portfolio incumbent in the same California geography and similar customer base, but at materially larger scale.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Global insurance brokerage and risk management firm with extensive employee benefits and commercial insurance operations - operates broadly across all of Ernstam & Lewis's product areas but at vastly larger scale and with proprietary consulting capabilities.
• Hub International: Large North American insurance brokerage offering employee benefits, P&C, and personal lines across the U.S. including California - operates as a broader incumbent with similar product lines but much wider geographic and segment reach.
• Marsh McLennan: Global professional services firm with Marsh (insurance brokerage) and Mercer (benefits consulting) - represents the incumbent end of the insurance brokerage spectrum, competing indirectly across employee benefits, P&C, and risk advisory services.
• USI Insurance Services: Large national insurance brokerage and benefits consulting firm with significant employee benefits and middle-market employer focus - serves the same customer profile as Ernstam & Lewis but at much larger scale and with proprietary technology and consulting capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DavidErnstamFinancialAndInsuranceServicesInc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 David Ernstam Financial & Insurance Services