Named as one of the bestcompanies to work for in Texas in 2009, Roach Howard Smith &Barton (RHSB) is a full-service independent insurance brokeragewith more than 75 employees and three office locations in Dallas,Fort Worth and San Antonio. It is one of the largest and prodigiousfirms in Texas, with more than 7,000 clients whose locations spanthe globe, and part of a major privately held broker network,Assurex Global, that includes more than 20,000 insuranceprofessionals generating annual premiums in excess of $28billion.

There are 13 shareholders who lead RHSB including Barton Tucker,CFO; David Cooper, executive vice president; Tom Hughston,executive vice president; Karen Bitzer, vice president and CIO;John Losurdo, vice president and COO; and Karen Farris, presidentand CEO. RHSB writes 80 percent commercial lines business and 20percent personal lines, with targeted specialties includingtechnology, life sciences, media, real estates, jewelry, religiousinstitutions, hospitality, global business and high net worthindividuals. It has an annual premium in excess of $90 million.

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Roots
In 1955, RHSB's founder, RichardRoach, sold his first insurance policy using a philosophy thatguides the company today: Clients come first. Soon after foundingthe firm, Roach was joined by Leroy Howard, Max Smith and ArchieHunter. The name of the firm became Roach Howard Smith & HunterInc.

Roach's customer focus went from a one-man shop in a back roomof a Garland feed store to a leading independent insurancebrokerage firm, and, then, the area's only Assurex Globalpartner.

In 1945, L.T. Barton founded another one-man operation: L.T.Barton Insurance. During the last 60 years, L.T. Barton Insurancebecame one of the most respected agencies in Fort Worth, whichprovided valuable expertise and customer service that exceeded theclient's expectations.

The two companies merged in 1998 to combine industry knowledge,experience and market access. The company name was changed to RoachHoward Smith & Barton in 2006 to clearly represent the currentoperations.

Services
RHSB represents all majorcarriers, including The Hartford, Travelers, Central and TexasMutual, and provides a number of value-added services through itsVirtual Risk Management IT portal. It also is partnered withTriNet, a leading human resources outstanding company, to offer itsclients human resource services including hiring, terminations,healthcare benefits, payroll administration and outsourcing, timeand attendance, workers' compensation and retirement plans.

To stay competitive in the industry, RHSB focus on its specialtyand practice group resources because it is an opportunity todifferentiate from its peers. “An example of this is ourparticipation in TechAssure, a global network of brokersspecializing in this industry, have proprietary products and sharea database of intellectual capital,” Farris said. “Our ability tohandle the needs of our clients on a global basis is an importantcompetitive advantage in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. As anAssurex Global partner, we have that capability.”

RHSB is an early adopter of NexSure/ xdTI automation, and is inthe final stages of transitioning the delivery of its products andservices to the Virtual Risk Manager portal. These services play alarge role in customer's selection of RHSB as their broker.

As president and CEO of RHSB, Farris carries the overallmanagement responsibilities for the agency. She also is a member ofthe technology, life sciences and media practice group, and workswith business developments and clients within those industrysegments.

Farris joined RHSB in 1982 after beginning her insurance careerwith Aetna Insurance in Hartford, Conn., as part of its managementtraining program. She spent 10 years with Aetna, and was itsmarketing supervisor for the Dallas region at the time sheleft.

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Stepping over market trends
Many changes haveoccurred since the company's inception. “We are a more aggressivesales organization, and more collaborative in our approach tobusiness; we can now service the needs of our clients from anywherewith our ASP agency management system; we are more performancedriven and our employees have truly become our business partners,”Farris said. “I also think our clients expectations have changed.One of the biggest challenges I feel as CEO is balancing the needsof our clients who want 24/7 access, and employees who want moreflexibility in their work schedules.”

RHSB has adapted to these changes in market trends by providingmore than just product services to the demands of commercialcustomers. “Our style is consultative, and we feel that we addvalue to the transaction,” Farris said. “It is not enough to justunderstand insurance; we need to know about their business,industry, challenges and plans for the future.”

The agency participates in the Best Practices study and AssurexGlobal financial benchmarking survey, and uses these metrics tomonitor and grade its performance. RHSB has a marketing departmentthat focuses on carrier needs, pricing and other information toassist the company's producers and account service teams withrenewals and business opportunities.

RHSB cultivates relationships with a number of key referralpartners, and a large amount of its new business advancements comefrom Business Object Repository transactions, a businessdevelopment effort that the agency developed to grow in the softmarket.

The company uses feedback from Best Places to Work surveys toimprove its organization. Employees also help fine-tune agencyoperations by providing feedback and input. RHSB continues toupgrade its staff at every opportunity, which provides currentemployees with the skills and knowledge of other industryexperts.

Future plans
The most recent acquisitionto RHSB is its jeweler's specialty practice group. The agencycontinuously searches for merger and acquisition opportunities thatcompliment its overall strategic plan.

RHSB's perpetuation plan addresses both the transition ofownership and client relationship. The plan has allowed the agencyto transfer 100 percent of the stock from its original owners tothe group of current shareholders.

“We have an aggressive 10-year strategic plan that includes theaddition of young producers who fit our perpetuation model, anopportunistic approach to mergers and acquisitions and salesculture that supports organic growth,” Farris said.

RHSB will remain an independent agency because of itsflexibility and control over its destiny, and it ultimately betterserves the needs of its clients. Luck has played a major role inthe agency's success, according to Farris. “We are fortunate to belocated in a state that continues to grow, and add new businessesand residents,” she said.