Special Magic Driving Value

By William Rabb

Oakbridge Insurance has grown a bit in the last six years– from four agencies in Georgia to more than 50 offices across nine states. It now has almost $200 million in revenue and more than 750 employees.

“When you say that out loud, it’s like, ‘Wow. That’s a big business,'” said CEO and Co-founder Matt James.

But for Oakbridge, the focus has never been solely on size, but has been on its employees, especially as the company has grown steadily through multiple acquisitions in recent years, James explained.

“We wanted to meet people in their communities and build upon those relationships that local broker has, and bring more resources to the table so that they can better serve those clients without losing what I’ll say is the special magic of the local independent agency.”

To do that, the Alpharetta, Georgia-headquartered firm has invested heavily in employee ownership and equity. The approach is not an employee stock-ownership plan but a distributed equity model that gives most producers and associates a share of the pie.

“We think that’s critical,” James said. “To be able to put on that shareholder hat and think like an owner. That helps drive value for our clients every day.”

Oakbridge stresses “over-communication” and “overly transparent” processes with associates. The firm holds quarterly employee town hall meetings to discuss a range of issues. And in early 2025 Oakbridge hired a new chief operating officer who implemented employee regular surveys to gauge satisfaction and concerns. Survey responses are anonymous, allowing associates to feel free to speak their minds, James explained.

Responses to Insurance Journal’s survey of employees suggest the brokerage is doing something right.

“Overall my experience with Oakbridge has been amazing. The team is supportive with a positive work environment,” said one associate.

Oakbridge, chaired by Robbie Smith, this summer also launched other initiatives designed to empower and engage producers. It instituted a cross-sell program, in which producers engage in different lines of business, across different geographical areas. And in an age of increasing levels of poaching and corporate raiding among insurance brokers nationwide, Oakbridge is proud to say it has never lost a producer to a rival brokerage.

“We think we have a great compensation plan, and close to 100% of our producers hold equity as well, so we think that alignment helps,” James said.