Association Group Insurance Agency

What Association Group Insurance Agency does

Association Group Insurance Agency, Inc. is a private, founder-owned insurance brokerage firm established in 1984 and headquartered in Niles, Ohio. The company operates as an independent broker, intermediating between more than 50 health, life, and annuity insurance carriers and employer clients in the Ohio regional market. Its core service is the placement of group employee benefits—health, dental, vision, life, disability, and annuity products—for businesses with 10 or more employees, with sales conducted on a relationship-driven, direct-broker basis led by President John Ruberto.

The firm has no disclosed proprietary technology platform, mobile application, API, or self-service tools; the public-facing website is essentially a carrier-link directory. Distribution and client servicing are managed through direct outreach (phone, email, in-person) by the President, whose 41 years of insurance experience is the central operating asset. The carrier roster spans national names (Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, United Healthcare, MetLife, Prudential, Guardian Life) and regional Ohio carriers (Medical Mutual of Ohio), giving the agency broad product selection without owning any underwriting capacity.

The revenue model is commission-based: the agency earns broker commissions on policies placed with carrier partners, with pricing structured as custom employer benefit packages on multi-year contracts. Customer segmentation is horizontal across SMBs in the Ohio area, with no named enterprise logos, case studies, or case-study customers. Ownership is concentrated with John Ruberto, and the firm operates with no parent company, subsidiaries, external funding, or disclosed M&A activity.

Name

Association Group Insurance Agency

Legal name

Association Group Insurance Agency, Inc.

Website

https://associationgroupins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Association Group Insurance Agency is an independent Ohio-based insurance brokerage, founded in 1984, that brokers group health, dental, vision, life, disability, and annuity products from 50+ carrier partners to area businesses with 10+ employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage (Group Employee Benefits)

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Other Insurance Related Activities (52429)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Accident & Health Insurance (6321), Life Insurance (6311)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Group Health Insurance (2–50/100) (FSAIAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employer-Sponsored Dental & Vision (Group) (FSAIAHAH), Group Disability Income Insurance (Employer-Sponsored) (FSAIAIAB), Annuity + LTC / Long-Term Care Riders (FSAIAJAC)

Keywords

• Group health insurance
• Employee benefits brokerage
• Life annuity insurance
• Dental vision coverage
• Disability benefits brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Niles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: The agency earns commissions by brokering health, life, annuity, dental, vision, and disability insurance products from carrier partners to employer clients. As an independent broker, they likely receive override commissions or per-policy commissions from insurance carriers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Association Group Insurance Agency is an independent insurance brokerage that places group health, dental, vision, life, disability, and annuity insurance for area businesses with 10 or more employees. The firm works with over 50 of the county's largest health, life, and annuity insurance carriers to deliver competitive employee benefits to employers and their employees. Services are quote-based, customized per employer, and supported by the President's 41 years of insurance experience.

Product overview

Association Group Insurance Agency is an independent insurance brokerage firm established in 1984 that operates as a single-service insurance agency model. The company brokers with over 50 insurance carriers to provide a comprehensive suite of employee benefits including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, disability benefits, and annuity products. Services are targeted at area businesses with 10 or more employees, offering competitive cost solutions for both employers and employees. The product portfolio is delivered through partnerships with major insurance carriers including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Medical Mutual of Ohio, United Healthcare of Ohio, Allianz, American General Life, Guardian Life, Metlife, Prudential, and Sun Life, among others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Insurance Brokerage Brokerage of group health insurance plans from major carriers (Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Medical Mutual of Ohio, United Healthcare of Ohio) for employers with 10 or more employees in Ohio, with comparative quoting and ongoing servicing.
• Dental Insurance Brokerage Brokerage of dental insurance coverage for Ohio-area employer benefit plans, provided through partnered health and life insurance carriers.
• Vision Insurance Brokerage Brokerage of vision insurance benefits through partnered carriers, included as part of comprehensive employee benefit packages for businesses with 10+ employees.
• Life Insurance Brokerage Brokerage of group and individual life insurance coverage from carriers including Allianz, American General Life, Aviva, Banner Life, First Colony Life, Genworth, Guardian Life, Jackson National Life, MetLife, Prudential, and Sun Life, for employers and employees in Ohio.
• Disability Benefits Brokerage Brokerage of disability income protection benefits brokered through partnered carriers (including Guardian Life and MetLife) for employees of Ohio-area businesses with 10+ employees.
• Annuity Insurance Brokerage Brokerage of annuity products from life and annuity carriers including Allianz, American General Life, Aviva, Guardian Life, Jackson National Life, MetLife, Prudential, and Sun Life for Ohio-area employers, employees, and individuals.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aetna InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHealth insurance carrier partner providing health insurance products through the agency's brokerage services to employer clients in Ohio.
• Anthem Blue Cross & Blue ShieldcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor health insurance carrier partner providing comprehensive health coverage options to the agency's employer client base.
• Medical Mutual of OhiocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional Ohio health insurer providing health insurance products aligned with the agency's focus on serving the local business community.
• United Healthcare of OhiocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational health insurance carrier providing coverage options through the agency's brokerage to Ohio-area employers.
• Allianz Insurance CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLife and annuity insurance carrier partner offering investment and protection products through the agency.
• American General LifeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLife insurance carrier providing life and annuity products to the agency's client base.
• AvivaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLife and annuity insurance carrier partner in the agency's network of over 50 carriers.
• Banner LifeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLife insurance carrier providing coverage options through the agency's brokerage services.
• First Colony LifeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLife insurance carrier partner in the agency's network.
• Genworth Life InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLife insurance carrier offering products through the agency's brokerage services.
• Guardian LifeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMutual life insurance company providing life and disability products through the agency.
• Jackson National LifeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAnnuity and life insurance carrier partner offering retirement and protection products.
• MetLifecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor national life insurance carrier providing comprehensive life, disability and dental products through the agency.
• Prudential InsurancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor life insurance carrier offering life insurance and annuity products through the agency's brokerage.
• Sun Life InsuranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational life and health insurer providing coverage options through the agency's network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Brown & Brown, Inc. National insurance distributor and brokerage; comparable through its program of acquiring regional brokerages and serving SMB employer benefits buyers via multi-carrier relationships.
• Hub International: Large North American insurance brokerage with strong regional presence; comparable as a roll-up acquirer of small brokerages like Association Group Insurance Agency and a competitor for the same SMB benefits accounts.
• USI Insurance Services: Major U.S. insurance brokerage serving mid-market and SMB employers with property/casualty and employee benefits; comparable through its multi-carrier placement model for group benefits in regional markets.
• NFP (National Financial Partners): National insurance brokerage and benefits consulting firm focused on mid-market and SMB employer benefits; directly comparable business model of brokering group health, life, and ancillary products from multiple carriers.
• Marsh & McLennan Agency: Middle-market focused brokerage arm of Marsh McLennan; competes for the same Ohio SMB group benefits accounts and serves as an obvious strategic acquirer of small multi-carrier agencies.
• Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Global insurance brokerage with substantial U.S. middle-market and SMB benefits practice; comparable as both a direct competitor for Ohio-area employer clients and a potential acquirer.
• OneDigital: Large U.S. employee benefits and insurance brokerage firm; comparable because it serves the same SMB/mid-market employer benefits segment via multi-carrier placement, just at national scale.

Emerging players

• Justworks: PEO and benefits administration platform serving SMB employers with health, dental, vision and ancillary benefits; comparable as a tech-enabled alternative to traditional brokerage distribution for the firm's core customer.
• Gusto: Tech-enabled HR and benefits platform offering group health insurance to small businesses; a comparable in targeting the same 10+ employee SMB segment, though via a digital-first, direct model rather than broker-led distribution.

Direct peers

• Assurex Global: Worldwide partnership of independent commercial insurance and benefits brokerages; a particularly close structural peer because member firms are typically regional, multi-carrier SMB/mid-market brokers of similar size.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Association Group Insurance Agency