Higginbotham Merges With Specialty Agency In East Texas

Texas-based independent insurance broker Higginbotham has announced the merger of its operations with specialty insurance agency Exploration Insurance Group (EIG) in the city of Tyler in East Texas.

Higginbotham entered Tyler in 2014 and added another office in 2018, both through mergers. In a statement, the firm said that it is on a path of growth where it strategically partners with like-minded brokers that add expertise and reinforce its single source solution for insurance and financial services.

EIG will complement Higginbotham’s industry practice groups by adding property and casualty insurance and employee benefit expertise in the oil and gas, construction, and manufacturing industries.

“What makes EIG unique is our enthusiastic people,” said EIG owners Angela Bridges, Colin Pope, and Ryan Slaughter in a joint statement. “We’re a young but experienced group of professionals who understand the insurance needs of oil and gas companies. We know our clients rely on our knowledge to help them navigate the insurance world, and everyone here takes that job very seriously. We believe in what we are doing for the east Texas industry.”

“This partnership brings three strong, established brokers to our team who will tap us into the energy market so we can better serve it together,” said Scott Kirkpatrick, managing director of Higginbotham in Tyler. “They’ve rapidly grown in just six years of EIG’s opening, and I’m excited to see that pace accelerate with the addition of Higginbotham’s wide-ranging risk management and employee benefit services.”

EIG will begin operating under the Higginbotham name with Bridges, Pope and Slaughter serving as vice presidents.