Roach's customer focus went from a one-man shop in a back room of a Garland feed store to a leading independent insurance brokerage firm, and, then, the area's only Assurex Global partner.

In 1945, L.T. Barton founded another one-man operation: L.T. Barton Insurance. During the last 60 years, L.T. Barton Insurance became one of the most respected agencies in Fort Worth, which provided valuable expertise and customer service that exceeded the client's expectations.

The two companies merged in 1998 to combine industry knowledge, experience and market access. The company name was changed to Roach Howard Smith & Barton in 2006 to clearly represent the current operations.

Services
RHSB represents all major carriers, including The Hartford, Travelers, Central and Texas Mutual, and provides a number of value-added services through its Virtual Risk Management IT portal. It also is partnered with TriNet, a leading human resources outstanding company, to offer its clients human resource services including hiring, terminations, healthcare benefits, payroll administration and outsourcing, time and attendance, workers' compensation and retirement plans.

To stay competitive in the industry, RHSB focus on its specialty and practice group resources because it is an opportunity to differentiate from its peers. “An example of this is our participation in TechAssure, a global network of brokers specializing in this industry, have proprietary products and share a database of intellectual capital,” Farris said. “Our ability to handle the needs of our clients on a global basis is an important competitive advantage in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. As an Assurex Global partner, we have that capability.”

RHSB is an early adopter of NexSure/ xdTI automation, and is in the final stages of transitioning the delivery of its products and services to the Virtual Risk Manager portal. These services play a large role in customer's selection of RHSB as their broker.

As president and CEO of RHSB, Farris carries the overall management responsibilities for the agency. She also is a member of the technology, life sciences and media practice group, and works with business developments and clients within those industry segments.

Farris joined RHSB in 1982 after beginning her insurance career with Aetna Insurance in Hartford, Conn., as part of its management training program. She spent 10 years with Aetna, and was its marketing supervisor for the Dallas region at the time she left.

Read April's Agency Success article “Like mother, like daughter.”

Stepping over market trends
Many changes have occurred since the company's inception. “We are a more aggressive sales organization, and more collaborative in our approach to business; we can now service the needs of our clients from anywhere with our ASP agency management system; we are more performance driven and our employees have truly become our business partners,” Farris said. “I also think our clients expectations have changed. One of the biggest challenges I feel as CEO is balancing the needs of our clients who want 24/7 access, and employees who want more flexibility in their work schedules.”

RHSB has adapted to these changes in market trends by providing more than just product services to the demands of commercial customers. “Our style is consultative, and we feel that we add value to the transaction,” Farris said. “It is not enough to just understand insurance; we need to know about their business, industry, challenges and plans for the future.”

The agency participates in the Best Practices study and Assurex Global financial benchmarking survey, and uses these metrics to monitor and grade its performance. RHSB has a marketing department that focuses on carrier needs, pricing and other information to assist the company's producers and account service teams with renewals and business opportunities.

RHSB cultivates relationships with a number of key referral partners, and a large amount of its new business advancements come from Business Object Repository transactions, a business development effort that the agency developed to grow in the soft market.

The company uses feedback from Best Places to Work surveys to improve its organization. Employees also help fine-tune agency operations by providing feedback and input. RHSB continues to upgrade its staff at every opportunity, which provides current employees with the skills and knowledge of other industry experts.

Future plans
The most recent acquisition to RHSB is its jeweler's specialty practice group. The agency continuously searches for merger and acquisition opportunities that compliment its overall strategic plan.

RHSB's perpetuation plan addresses both the transition of ownership and client relationship. The plan has allowed the agency to transfer 100 percent of the stock from its original owners to the group of current shareholders.

“We have an aggressive 10-year strategic plan that includes the addition of young producers who fit our perpetuation model, an opportunistic approach to mergers and acquisitions and sales culture that supports organic growth,” Farris said.

RHSB will remain an independent agency because of its flexibility and control over its destiny, and it ultimately better serves the needs of its clients. Luck has played a major role in the agency's success, according to Farris. “We are fortunate to be located in a state that continues to grow, and add new businesses and residents,” she said.