Joe N. Pratt Insurance Expands Service Portfolio with Higginbotham Merger

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Mar 04, 2016, 02:38 ET

VICTORIA, Texas, March 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Higginbotham and Joe N. Pratt Insurance announced today the merger of their operations. Higginbotham is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and ranked as one of the largest independent insurance brokers of U.S. business, and Joe N. Pratt Insurance is a nine-person independent broker in Victoria, Texas. Joe N. Pratt Insurance joins forces with Higginbotham's Victoria office to boost its offering to existing and new clients, including employee benefit services.

"What we've done at Higginbotham is partner with brokerage firms located across Texas that add to our collective knowledge and resources so that we have all-inclusive insurance service capabilities, or what we call our 'single source' solution," said Higginbotham President/CEO Rusty Reid. "Joe N. Pratt Insurance customers get the advantage of our size without leaving the local agency they trust."

Higginbotham launched a statewide growth strategy in 2008 by teaming with brokers that progress its single source service model and add geographic scale to its footprint. The firm entered Victoria in 2010 when it partnered with an existing local practice. Higginbotham's union with Joe N. Pratt Insurance brings its workforce to 750 employees in 24 offices, including nearby Corpus Christi and Portland.

Higginbotham provides property, casualty, life, health and welfare insurance as well as risk management and employee benefit services to businesses and individuals. The property and casualty practice at Joe N. Pratt Insurance now carries Higginbotham's full line-up.

In a combined statement, Joe N. Pratt Insurance principals Ronnie Morris and Jeff Pratt said, "The additional products, services and manpower that we can bring to the table as part of Higginbotham let us strengthen our relationships with customers in Victoria while taking on more large, sophisticated accounts. We're still the people sitting at that table, but the table is much bigger now."

Joe N. Pratt Insurance will continue operating under its current name at 1501 E. Mockingbird Lane with leadership by Pratt and Morris, who were named vice presidents at Higginbotham.

About Joe N. Pratt Insurance
Joe N. Pratt Insurance provides commercial and personal insurance services in Victoria, Texas. The practice dates back to 1922, operating as Pool Insurance and Real Estate, Pool and Hooper and Associated Insurance Agencies for periods of time. Known as Joe N. Pratt Insurance since 1981, the firm brokers all lines of coverage and has concentration in oil and gas, environmental, remediation, construction and attorneys professional liability risks. Visit www.jprattins.com for more information.

About Higginbotham
Higginbotham is a single source for insurance and financial services that brokers business insurance, employee benefits, retirement plans, executive benefits, life insurance and home/auto insurance from more than 250 regional and national carriers. It supplements coverage with in-house risk management and benefit plan administration services. The firm was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with more than 20 additional offices statewide. Higginbotham ranks as the nation's 32^nd largest independent insurance brokerage firm based on revenue (Business Insurance, July 2015). Visit www.higginbotham.net for more information.

SOURCE Higginbotham