W.C. Burgess Insurance Services Ltd

What W.C. Burgess Insurance Services Ltd does

W.C. Burgess Insurance Services Ltd is a privately held insurance brokerage founded in 1988 in Brockville, Ontario, and operating from a single office at 16 Central Avenue East. The firm delivers personal and commercial insurance products — home, auto, farm, marine, commercial, life, and travel — through a small team of brokers acting as intermediaries between clients and a panel of more than ten Canadian insurers including Aviva, Intact, Wawanesa, Portage Mutual, Gore Mutual, Echelon, Economical, Grenville Mutual, Jevco, and Optimum. Since 2021, the brokerage has operated as part of the Collectivfide Brokerage Network under Collectivfide Insurance Brokers Inc., which provides access to additional markets, shared resources, and 150+ years of network insurance expertise.

The company's revenue model is commission-based, earned on policies placed with carrier partners, with pricing determined by individualized quotes rather than published tiers. Distribution combines in-person consultations, phone and email intake (with named extensions for Marla Newell, Jessica Elliott, and Sarah Johnston), web-based quote forms, and a proprietary client portal integration (CSR24) plus the BurgessAccess mobile application for iOS and Android. Underlying technology is conventional brokerage tooling: Applied Rating Services for auto quoting and a Squarespace-hosted web presence, with no disclosed AI/ML or data-platform capabilities.

The firm has grown through two historical tuck-in acquisitions — Owen R. Davis Insurance (1990) and Heritage Insurance Brokers Ltd. (2002) — and ownership has transitioned from founder Bill Burgess to Greg Foan and Max Patterson (May 2014) and most recently to Marla Newell, CAIB, who succeeded Greg Foan as Deputy Principal Broker and Manager following his March 31, 2023 retirement. The customer base is concentrated in Brockville and the surrounding Leeds and Grenville region, with multiple client relationships spanning 35+ years.

Name

W.C. Burgess Insurance Services Ltd

Legal name

W.C. Burgess Insurance Services Ltd

Website

https://burgessinsurance.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

W.C. Burgess Insurance Services Ltd is a privately held insurance brokerage in Brockville, Ontario, founded in 1988, offering personal and commercial insurance — home, auto, farm, marine, commercial, life, and travel — to individuals, farms, and small businesses in eastern Ontario through the Collectivfide Brokerage Network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage Services

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (524210)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail (Personal Lines) Insurance Brokerage (FSAEADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Insurance Brokerage (Marine, Aviation, Cyber, Professional Lines) (FSAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Insurance brokerage services
• Home insurance
• Auto insurance
• Farm insurance
• Commercial insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Brockville, ON

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Insurance Brokerage Commissions: As an insurance broker, the company earns commissions from insurance companies for placing policies. They work with multiple insurer partners including Aviva, Echelon, Economical, Gore Mutual, Grenville Mutual, Intact, Jevco, Optimum, Portage Mutual, and Wawanesa to match clients with appropriate coverage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

W.C. Burgess Insurance Services is a licensed insurance brokerage that places home, auto, farm, marine, commercial, life, and travel insurance policies on behalf of clients by matching their needs with multiple Canadian insurer partners. The firm earns commissions from insurers for each policy placed and supplements broker services with the BurgessAccess mobile app and an online quoting system for client convenience.

Product overview

W.C. Burgess Insurance Services Ltd operates as a traditional insurance brokerage offering a comprehensive portfolio of personal and commercial insurance products. The company provides seven core insurance categories (Home, Auto, Farm, Marine, Commercial, Life, and Travel) delivered through their team of experienced brokers. They are part of the Collectivfide Brokerage Network, which provides access to more insurance companies and coverage options. The company also offers a proprietary mobile application called BurgessAccess for clients to access their policy documents and liability slips.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BurgessAccess: Mobile application for accessing liability slips and policy documentation, available for Android and iPhone.

Products and services

• Home Insurance Home insurance coverage protecting homeowners against property damage, liability, and losses, offered through broker-matched placement with multiple insurer partners.
• Auto Insurance Auto insurance policies offered through licensed brokers who match clients with ideal insurers based on personal auto insurance requirements.
• Farm Insurance Specialized farm insurance coverage addressing the unique risks and challenges of farm ownership, delivered by brokers with in-house farm expertise.
• Marine Insurance Watercraft insurance provided through partnership with a leading marine insurance specialist, covering boats and watercraft for clients.
• Commercial Insurance Complex commercial insurance policies covering property, business interruption, liability, and cyber risks for businesses requiring pre-insurance inspection.
• Life Insurance

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Collectivfide Insurance Brokers Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company partnership forming part of the Collectivfide Brokerage Network. Collectivfide is a subsidiary of Collectivfide Insurance Group Inc. This partnership provides W.C. Burgess with access to more insurer partners, additional markets and services, strengthened network of broker partners and insurance expertise, and enhanced client experience. Collectivfide has over 150 years of insurance experience.
• Aviva InsurancecoreOthersInsurance company partner providing home, auto, and various insurance products. Help line: 1-866-692-8482.
• Intact InsurancecoreOthersInsurance company partner. Help line: 1-866-464-2424.
• Wawanesa InsurancecoreOthersInsurance company partner offering auto insurance with PAWS endorsement for pet coverage. Help line: 1-844-929-2637.
• Portage Mutual InsurancecoreOthersInsurance company partner offering Overland Water coverage for homeowners policies. Help line: 1-800-340-2439.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CapriCMW Insurance Services: Western Canadian insurance brokerage offering personal, commercial, farm, and specialty coverage via multiple carrier partners. Comparable multi-line Canadian brokerage with similar roll-up history.
• PetleyHare Insurance Brokers: Small Ontario-based insurance brokerage providing personal, commercial, farm, and specialty coverage similar to Burgess. Closely comparable in size, product mix, and Ontario regional footprint.
• Westland Insurance Group: Western Canadian insurance broker chain offering personal, commercial, farm, and specialty coverage. Highly comparable multi-line product portfolio with multi-carrier brokerage model and similar small-acquisition roll-up history.
• Jones DesLauriers Insurance Management (JDI): Canadian insurance brokerage and risk management firm with a similar personal/commercial/specialty product mix and multi-carrier platform; comparable business model focused on intermediation across Canadian markets.
• McSweeney & Associates Insurance Brokers: Ontario-based multi-line insurance brokerage serving personal and commercial clients. Closely comparable in scale, market, and product breadth, including the multi-carrier intermediary model.
• BrokerLink: One of Canada's largest retail insurance brokerage chains, offering personal and commercial lines across multiple provinces including Ontario. Direct functional peer — competes for the same personal/commercial brokerage customers via multi-carrier access and a comparable product breadth.
• Hickey McGill Insurance Brokers: Ontario retail insurance brokerage offering personal, commercial, and specialty lines through a multi-carrier brokerage model. Direct comparable in size, product mix, and Ontario geographic footprint.
• Mitchell & Partners Insurance Brokers: Ontario-based independent insurance brokerage serving personal and commercial clients. Closely comparable scale and product breadth to W.C. Burgess in the Ontario regional broker market.

Broad incumbents

• Aviva Canada: Major Canadian P&C insurer and a named carrier partner of W.C. Burgess. Operates both broker-distributed and direct-to-consumer channels that compete for the same personal and commercial lines customers.
• Intact Financial Corporation: Canada's largest P&C insurer and a top carrier partner of W.C. Burgess. While a carrier rather than a brokerage, Intact's expanding direct/broker hybrid offering (belairdirect, BrokerLink ownership) directly competes for the same end customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wcburgessinsurance
• Instagraminstagram.com/w.c._burgessinsurance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/w-c-burgess-insurance-services-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 W.C. Burgess Insurance Services Ltd