john hinds

What john hinds does

Hinds & Associates, Employee Benefits is an independent employee benefits brokerage founded in 1999 by JR Hinds, a third-generation insurance broker, and headquartered in Vancouver, Washington. The firm is licensed in both Oregon and Washington and serves Pacific Northwest small businesses typically with 1 to 50 employees (most commonly 10 to 30), as well as individuals and families in Oregon and southwest Washington requiring health, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage. Operationally, the firm runs a single-broker model in which JR Hinds personally manages each client relationship from initial quote through ongoing service and renewal, with no handoffs to separate service teams.

The service offering is centered on group benefits brokerage and benefits administration. The firm is integrated with Employee Navigator for client onboarding, open enrollment, and renewal workflows, and with HealthSherpa for instant individual market quoting. Beyond core medical/dental/vision placement, the product surface extends to COBRA administration, ICHRA (Individual Coverage HRA) arrangements, Section 125 premium-only and flexible spending plans, voluntary benefits, HRAs, and dependent care FSAs. The firm positions its carrier recommendations against an explicit "Carrier Scorecard" framework that benchmarks Pacific Northwest carriers (Providence, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, PacificSource, Moda, Regence, UnitedHealthcare, Premera, LifeWise, Asuris) on member satisfaction, denial rates, and rate-increase behavior.

Revenue is generated exclusively through standard insurance carrier commissions on placed group and individual policies; no explicit brokerage fee is charged to clients. Go-to-market is referral-led, with over 90% of new business reportedly sourced from existing client introductions. Marketing infrastructure is minimal: a Squarespace-hosted website, a Google reviews presence, the principal's LinkedIn profile, and a Calendly-based appointment booking flow. Headcount is in the 2 to 5 employee range, and there is no disclosed external institutional investment, debt, or acquisition activity.

Name

john hinds

Legal name

Hinds & Associates, Employee Benefits

Website

https://hindsandassociates.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Hinds & Associates is an independent employee benefits brokerage founded in 1999 in Vancouver, WA, serving Pacific Northwest small businesses with 1-50 employees and individuals across Oregon and southwest Washington through a single-broker, referral-driven model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Insurance Brokerage

NAICS

Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAEADAC

Employee Benefits Brokerage & Consulting

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Insurance Brokerage & Risk Advisory

SECONDARYBPAAAIAB

Benefits Administration & Enrollment Support

Business & Public Services/Administrative & Support Services (BPO, Call Centers, Back Office)/HR Operations Outsourcing (Onboarding, Benefits, HR Admin)

SECONDARYFSAIAFAD

Small Group Health Insurance (2–50/100)

Financial & Insurance/Insurance — Life & Health/Group Health Insurance (Employer-Sponsored)

SECONDARYHLAEALAK

Flexible Benefits Administration (FSA/HSA/HRA)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Health Insurance & Managed Care/Third-Party Administration (TPA) & Administrative Services Only (ASO)

SECONDARYHLAEALAM

Disability & Leave Administration (STD/LTD/FMLA/Paid Leave)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Health Insurance & Managed Care/Third-Party Administration (TPA) & Administrative Services Only (ASO)

SECONDARYFSAIAFAB

Self-Funded (ASO) Group Health Plans & Stop-Loss

Financial & Insurance/Insurance — Life & Health/Group Health Insurance (Employer-Sponsored)

Keywords

• Employee benefits brokerage
• Health insurance brokerage
• Group health plans
• Benefits administration
• Individual health insurance

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

United States

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: Earns commissions from insurance carriers for placing group and individual health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance policies. No explicit cost to clients for brokerage services. Commission-based model standard in the insurance industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hinds & Associates is an independent employee benefits brokerage that places group health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance for Pacific Northwest small businesses with 1–50 employees and also serves individuals and families with marketplace plans. The firm provides benefits administration support via Employee Navigator and offers related products including COBRA administration, ICHRA, Section 125 plans, voluntary benefits, HRAs, and dependent care plans. Brokerage services are paid via carrier commissions, with no separate fee to the client.

Product overview

Hinds & Associates is a full-service employee benefits brokerage for Pacific Northwest small businesses (typically 1-50 employees). The core offering consists of Benefits Brokerage Services and Benefits Administration Services. Benefits Brokerage Services include plan selection, renewals, and strategic benefits design for employer-sponsored health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance. Benefits Administration Services include streamlined onboarding, custom benefits booklets, and automated renewals using Employee Navigator. The company also offers individual and family plans through Oregon and Washington marketplaces, serving early retirees and the self-employed. Supporting products include COBRA Administration, ICHRA, Section 125 Plans, Voluntary Benefits, Health Reimbursement Accounts, and Dependent Care Plans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% of business comes from client referrals

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Providence Health PlanminorOthersCarrier partner featured in Carrier Scorecard. Ranked #1 in Northwest for member satisfaction (J.D. Power 2025). Highest-rated for member experience in Pacific Northwest.
• Kaiser Permanente NorthwestminorOthersCarrier partner featured in Carrier Scorecard. NCQA 5 Stars, very low denial rate (8.6% vs ~12% industry average). All-in-one care model.
• PacificSource Health PlansminorOthersCarrier partner featured in Carrier Scorecard. Lowest rate increases in Oregon for 2026 (3.9% individual, 5.2% small group).
• Moda HealthminorOthersCarrier partner featured in Carrier Scorecard. Statewide Oregon coverage with moderate pricing and rate increases.
• Regence BlueCross BlueShield / BridgeSpanminorOthersCarrier partner featured in Carrier Scorecard. National Blue Cross brand available statewide in Oregon and Washington.
• UnitedHealthcareminorOthersNational carrier partner featured in Carrier Scorecard. Broad network access with strong digital tools. Available for small group in Oregon and Washington.
• Premera Blue CrossminorOthersWashington's largest carrier featured in Carrier Scorecard. Ranked #2 in Northwest for member satisfaction (J.D. Power 2025).
• LifeWise Health Plan of WashingtonminorOthersPremera affiliate carrier partner. Often the most affordable option in Clark County, Washington.
• Molina Healthcare of WashingtonminorOthersValue-oriented carrier partner with Medicaid roots. Offers value-focused plans on Washington exchange.
• Ambetter from Coordinated CareminorOthersCentene Corporation subsidiary. Value-focused carrier on Washington exchange, often among lowest premium options.
• Asuris Northwest HealthminorOthersPremera affiliate regional carrier serving Eastern Washington and Clark County. Featured in Carrier Scorecard.
• Health NetminorOthersCentene Corporation national carrier offering small group plans in Oregon. Featured in Carrier Scorecard.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• LIG Solutions: Independent employee benefits brokerage serving small and mid-sized businesses. Closely comparable in target segment (small employer group health), referral-driven GTM, and single-point-of-contact service model.
• The Horton Group: Mid-sized independent benefits and insurance brokerage with strong small-to-mid employer group health practice. Comparable business model (commission-based brokerage, employer-sponsored health focus) with larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• USI Insurance Services: Top-10 U.S. insurance brokerage with substantial employee benefits practice including small group health. Overlapping capabilities and carrier relationships at much larger scale.
• Brown & Brown, Inc. Public, large-scale insurance brokerage including employee benefits brokerage for small and mid-market employers. Comparable core product, vastly larger footprint.
• NFP (an Aon company): Major U.S. insurance broker and benefits consultancy with significant small and mid-market employer benefits practice. Comparable offerings across group health, voluntary benefits, and benefits administration.
• Hub International: Large North American insurance brokerage offering employee benefits brokerage, including small group health. Operates broadly across the same product category with much greater scale and geographic reach.
• OneDigital: Large employee benefits and insurance brokerage serving employers of all sizes, with growing focus on small/mid employer segments. Comparable product suite and PE-backed growth strategy.

Emerging players

• Justworks: PEO providing payroll, benefits (including group health), and HR administration to small and mid-sized businesses. Competes indirectly by bundling benefits with HR services.
• Gusto: Tech-enabled HR, payroll, and benefits platform for small businesses. Competes for the same 1-50 employee buyer with a self-service digital model — a meaningful competitive threat to traditional brokers.

Regional players

• PayneWest Insurance: Pacific Northwest and Mountain West regional insurance brokerage with strong small employer benefits practice. Closely comparable in regional footprint and small-group focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/jrhinds

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 →

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