Unison to continue national build-out after Gibson, Hatcher deals

Unison Risk Advisors will seek to build out its operations across the United States through further acquisitions following its recent purchases of Gibson Insurance Agency Inc. and Hatcher Insurance LLC, its top executives said.

Unison, formed in 2020 through the merger of Cleveland-based Oswald Cos. and Baltimore-based Riggs, Counselman & Downes Inc., also is establishing a managing general agent focused on retail business, they said in an interview with Business Insurance.

“We’re creating a national platform of like-minded people that believe in the employee ownership model,” said Robert Klonk, Unison’s chairman and CEO.

Unison is majority employee-owned with a minority investment from Canadian private-equity firm Peloton Capital Management.

South Bend, Indiana-based Gibson adds offices in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Arizona and Utah, and Orlando, Florida-based Hatcher added another office in the Southeast. Previous deals included NSI Insurance Group in 2023 and Enders Insurance and Avondale Insurance Associates in 2024.

Unison will look to bring in more “platform” companies in other regions, and its existing major operations will look to buy smaller brokerages, he said.

“The strength of talent, talent development, sales, all the activities are in these operating companies,” said Bob Cawley, president and chief operating officer.

Unison has offices in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and, with Gibson, some offices in the West. The company wants to expand further in the Southeast, Northeast and Southwest, the executives said.

In addition, “there is so much opportunity too, for producer liftouts and that’s a big part of what our strategy has been with startup offices out in the Mountain West,” said Tim Leman, CEO of Gibson, which will retain its name.

Unison also is establishing an MGA for specialty retail business through Avondale, Mr. Cawley said.

Avoca Risk will offer coverage for construction, real estate, health care, education, cyber, private equity and other specialties, he said. Capacity will be provided by insurers in Lloyd’s of London and the U.S. specialty market.

The MGA will work with Unison units and “maybe one or two other special relationships,” Mr. Cawley said.