Smart Choice Makes Tennessee Agency Its 22nd Acquisition

Smart Choice, a network of independent agents, has acquired Carriage Hill Insurance, an agency in Tennessee.

The agency has $4 million in annual revenue, with offices in Lenoir City, Oak Ridge, Brentwood and Athens, Tennessee. The owner, Todd Henderson, now becomes president of the agency, Smart Choice said in a news release. Chase Scott will be director of operations.

It’s the 22^nd acquisition for Smart Choice since 2019, when it began the Smart Choice Partners program, the company said. Smart Choice, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, was founded in 1994, after local independent agent Doug Wichter said he was faced with a tough choice: selling his agency or bringing in another “blue chip” carrier. His main carrier at the time said it was pulling out, because Wichter’s agency wasn’t meeting the carrier’s growth objectives, Wichter explained.

The network allows agencies to access the benefits of large carriers, lucrative markets and top commissions, as well as as guidance from seasoned industry veterans. The partner program takes it a step further and makes agencies part of the Smart Choice corporation.

Carriage Hill agency has had a decade-long affiliation with the network and has seen steady growth, the company said. The network is part of the Worldwide Insurance Network, headquartered in High Point, North Carolina. The program serves 9,500 agency partners in 46 states.