Soaking up 63 years of business and building client relationships, Hugh Cotton Insurance (HCI), Orlando, Fla., was one of the largest representatives of agribusinesses in the country, including large citrus processing facilities and growers in Florida until it grew business with auto and marine coverages. It also has maintained a 95 percent client retention rate for its particular focus on customer services, keeping client needs and satisfaction above anything else.

"We have a great client base," Thomas Cotton, president and CEO of HCI, said. "They stop by our office to meet their account executives, who always place the interests and needs of the clients first."

A finalist in American Agent & Broker and National Underwriter's 2010 Commercial Agency Awards for Excellence, HCI focuses on customer service through the collective knowledge of its 21 employees. The agents and account managers take the time to answer phone calls, listen to the customers and understand their business. Because HCI's clients are neighbors and fellow business owners in the community, the agency maintains a personal relationship with its insureds, reaching out to them through personal visits and developing friendships and lasting bonds. HCI's senior account manager has worked at HCI for 54 years, and customers enjoy calling HCI and talking with an old friend who knows and understands their business, instead of someone new every time.