{"id":25,"date":"2026-05-06T23:01:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T23:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fortworthmovingnews.com\/?p=25"},"modified":"2026-05-06T23:01:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T23:01:47","slug":"higginbotham-and-mcgohan-brabender-announce-agreement-to-join-forces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fortworthmovingnews.com\/?p=25","title":{"rendered":"Higginbotham and McGohan Brabender Announce Agreement to Join Forces"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p><em>McGohan Brabender, One of the Country\u2019s Largest Privately Held Benefits-Only Businesses, Finds Strategic and Cultural Match with Employee-Owned Industry Leader<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthmovingnews.com\/?p=23\">Ofi Chito Awarded #2 Spot in 2026 Mavs100<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(Fort Worth, Texas) \u2013 Higginbotham, a broad-based, employee-owned insurance and financial services company headquartered in Texas, announced that it has entered into an agreement to join forces with McGohan Brabender (MB), a Dayton, Ohio-based employee benefits company with six offices across Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The partnership is expected to close next month.<\/p>\n<p>MB brings both scale and specialization to Higginbotham\u2019s growing presence in the Midwest. As a fellow employee-owned company, MB also brings a leadership team and ownership philosophy that felt strikingly familiar from the start.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you get around the MB team and listen to how they talk about employees, clients, service and ownership, you realize you\u2019re not translating across cultures,\u201d Higginbotham Chairman and CEO Rusty Reid said. \u201cYou\u2019re hearing your own language in somebody else\u2019s voice. When that kind of cultural alignment comes with this level of experience and market presence, you\u2019ve got something extraordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 1972 by Pat McGohan, MB built its reputation by approaching employee benefits differently: emphasizing relationships over transactions, investing deeply in communication and education, and helping employers navigate a field that has grown steadily more complex over the past five decades. That long view shaped the company\u2019s decision to become employee-owned in 2021, a move intended to widen ownership and keep decision-making close to the people doing the work.<\/p>\n<p>Now, MB leaders say, the same beliefs that led them to employee ownership also led them to Higginbotham.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we looked at where the industry was headed, we knew we had built something strong that could weather the changes,\u201d said MB CEO Erick Schmidt. \u201cThe challenge was finding a way to offer even more \u2014 more opportunity for employees, more support for clients \u2014 without losing the culture and ownership philosophy that define us. We were looking for a needle in a haystack, someone like us who could help take us to the next level. We found that in Higginbotham.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthmovingnews.com\/?p=21\">M.L. Leddy\u2019s, Franklin Family Propose $14 million Investment in Parking Garage to Support Fort Worth Stockyards Growth<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For MB clients, the immediate benefit is added depth alongside the same trusted service. MB clients can expect to continue working with the local teams they know, while gaining the advantage of a larger platform in areas such as compliance, pharmacy, self-funded insurance and other technical specialties where additional scale can sharpen what MB already does well. MB clients are also expected to benefit from access to Higginbotham property and casualty, personal lines and wealth management offerings.<\/p>\n<p>For MB employees, the message is continuity paired with opportunity. The company shared the news internally as part of its Employee Ownership Day celebration, underscoring that the decision was not a departure from the ownership vision it embraced in 2021, but a way to carry it further. At Higginbotham, the MB team will continue to be part of an employee-owned company, while gaining broader career paths and access to new resources across a larger organization.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Community involvement emerged as another sign of kinship between the two companies. At MB, charitable efforts have long reflected a belief that employees should be empowered to support the causes and communities closest to them. Leaders saw a similar spirit in the Higginbotham Community Fund, an employee-driven philanthropy program that likewise puts giving in the hands of the people doing the work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want to be an asset to the communities we serve,\u201d said MB President Beth Ferrin. \u201cWhen we found out about the Higginbotham Community Fund, it was another of those moments where we said, yes, this is exactly what we\u2019re talking about \u2014 and exactly the kind of partner we want for the road ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>ABOUT MCGOHAN BRABENDER<\/em>\u00a0                                                                                                                                                                Prior to joining forces with Higginbotham, McGohan Brabender was one of the country\u2019s largest privately held employee benefits businesses. Founded in 1972, the company is based in Dayton, Ohio, with offices in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The company specializes in helping employers navigate the fast-changing healthcare and workforce landscape through employee benefits strategy, consulting, communication, education and support. Learn more at mcgohanbrabender.com.<br \/><em>ABOUT HIGGINBOTHAM<\/em>\u00a0                                                                                                                                                         Higginbotham is an employee-owned leader in insurance, financial services and employee benefits. Since 1948, the company has combined national reach with local expertise, ranking as the 16th largest independent insurance brokerage in the U.S. in 2026 according to The Hales Report. Higginbotham delivers customized programs supported by its Day Two Services\u00ae, designed to ensure that clients receive proactive guidance and support throughout the life of every policy.                                                                        Guided by a values-driven culture, the company is committed to its employees, clients, carrier partners and the communities it serves. Learn more at higginbotham.com.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthmovingnews.com\/?p=19\">Dominus Commercial Facilitates Sale of 1434 N Main Street to Alan\u2019s Lids for Experiential Retail Concept<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>McGohan Brabender, One of the Country\u2019s Largest Privately Held Benefits-Only Businesses, Finds Strategic and Cultural Match with Employee-Owned Industry Leader Read more Ofi Chito Awarded #2 Spot in 2026 Mavs100 (Fort Worth, Texas) \u2013 Higginbotham, a broad-based, employee-owned insurance and financial services company headquartered in Texas, announced that it has entered into an agreement to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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