Capital Benefits Group in Texas Becomes a Higginbotham Company

Higginbotham and Capital Benefits Group have merged their operations, becoming what the companies believe to be the largest independent insurance and financial services employer in Central Texas.

Higginbotham provides property/casualty insurance and employee benefit services, and Capital Benefits provides employee benefit consulting. Combined, the firms employ 75 insurance and administrative professionals in Austin.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Higginbotham is expanding its operations throughout Texas by partnering with other independent brokerages that add capacity to the Higginbotham group, which has grown to 19 offices and 543 employees statewide. Higginbotham entered the Austin market in 2004 by opening what was then its fifth office.

Capital Benefits was founded by partners Troy Ahrens and Brian Penny in 2008, coworkers at Northwestern Mutual, a life insurance company. Both left to pursue separate endeavors and then reunited to establish Capital Benefits. In 2011, they expanded their service area by adding an office in San Antonio. The firm serves more than 400 small and mid-market employers in Central Texas.

The firms will centralize operations by moving to a single location in early 2014. Existing staff will continue servicing accounts.

Topics Texas