Over the past year, BrokerLink has invested and expanded into a number of communities in Alberta, including Banff, Drumheller, Airdrie and Strathmore, through its acquisition several well-established brokerages: Rocky Mountain Agencies Co. Ltd.; All City Insurance Ltd.; Air-Alta Insurance (Airdrie) Ltd.; Centre Street Insurance Inc., and Gold Key Insurance.
Building the future
As demographics change and people have more choices deciding where to live as a result of remote work capabilities, Alberta communities outside of the larger cities are growing and so are the insurance business opportunities.
“BrokerLink is committed to being a strong investor and contributor to these dynamic Alberta communities, and the expansion into these towns is part of our goal to grow our footprint in all the provinces in which we do business,” says Joe D’Annunzio, President, BrokerLink. “We have progressive acquisition plans across Canada which we hope to achieve by the end of 2021.”
BrokerLink’s expansion nationally, has been made up of strong community-based brokerages that specialize in personal, commercial and specialty insurance operations, as illustrated by its recent purchases. One of BrokerLink’s strengths is its ability to share expertise across the organization, for example, brokerages in Alberta can benefit from the knowledge shared by recently acquired specialty brokerage Gougeon Insurance in Ontario.
Employees within the acquired brokerages become part of the BrokerLink team, and the benefits are a win on both sides.
“These new team members continue live and work in the communities they serve, and are experts when it comes to understanding local customer needs,” says D’Annunzio. “In addition, many of our employees are active in their local community initiatives, both social and charitable, which is something we support and encourage nationally.”
The next frontier
In addition to the four Alberta brokerages acquired so far this year, BrokerLink has closed several deals in Ontario, including: Gougeon Insurance, John F. Smith Insurance Brokers and Cambrian Insurance Brokers.
The company is well on its way to achieving its year-end goal at a pace that rarely slows for BrokerLink’s acquisition team led by Paul Meyer, Vice President. As someone used to being on the road all over Canada, Meyer has closed most deals from this past year over the phone or in virtual meetings but he’s as busy as ever.
“Our door is always open to broker principals considering future options for their brokerage,” says Meyer. “These discussions take time and it’s not an easy decision to make at first, but our model is such that we align with brokerages that share our values, which means there is strong human capital with a laser focus on providing exceptional customer service. We have more than 2,000 employees nationally – which includes a strong percentage from acquisitions – our strength is our people and we take good care of them.”
30 years of growth and success
BrokerLink celebrates its 30 year anniversary this May. Since being founded in Alberta in 1991, the company has grown to become one of Canada’s largest property and casualty insurance brokerages, with more than 150 branches and 2,000 employees in Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador.
“I am very proud to lead a company that has grown so successfully over a 30 year period by focusing on the fundamentals of delivering exceptional customer service and I’m excited about working with our team to continue to build on this success for many years to come,” says D’Annunzio.
About BrokerLink
Since 1991 we’ve had a vision: to build a network of trusted insurance brokers across the country, working directly in the communities we serve. With more than 150 branches and 2,000 employees, we’re proud to say that BrokerLink has become one of Canada’s largest property and casualty insurance brokerages.
BrokerLink Inc. is a subsidiary of Intact Financial Corporation (TSX: IFC), a certified Kincentric 2020 Best Employer in Canada and is considered one of Canada’s top employers for young people. For more information, visit: BrokerLink.ca or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
