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Better Together

We understand that mergers and acquisitions can often cause questions and concerns for our loyal trading partners and clients. To help address any immediate inquiries, we have compiled some questions and answers recently addressed about these changes. Should you wish to speak with us directly, we are always available to answer your questions in person, and hope you will not hesitate to give us a call or send us an e-mail.
 

1. Who is Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC?
Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC is a subsidiary of Marsh Inc., the world’s leading insurance broker and risk advisor. Marsh & McLennan Agency (MMA) was established in 2008 to meet the needs of mid-sized businesses. Its goal is to become the premiere insurance agency network in the U.S., offering employee benefits, personal lines and commercial property and casualty, to clients across the country.
Marsh Inc. has over 23,000 employees and provides advice and transactional capabilities to clients in over 100 countries. Marsh Inc. is a unit of Marsh & McLennan Companies, a global professional services firm with approximately 52,000 employees and annual revenue exceeding $10 billion.
 
2. Why does this acquisition make sense for MMA?
As background, Marsh & McLennan Agency has made a series of strategic acquisitions over the last six months as part of its plan to build a national business that serves the needs of mid-sized companies across the country. As a testament to the value we bring to clients in this area, MMA has selected Bostonian Group (BG) as the platform company for benefits (employee benefits, retirement services, executive compensation) and property and casualty in New England (excluding Southern Connecticut). By platform company we mean that this team is charged with executing the business plan for this region. Other high-quality regional companies that are now a part of the MMA family include Haake Companies, one of the largest independent agencies in the Midwest; the NIA Group, LLC, one of the largest independent insurance agencies in the New York metropolitan area; Insurance Alliance, one of the largest independent insurance agencies in the Southwest, and Thomas Rutherfoord, Inc., one of the largest insurance brokers in U.S. based in Roanoke, VA. 
 
3. Why does this transaction make sense for Bostonian Group?
Becoming a MMA company allows for exciting new opportunities for our clients and employees. For clients, this affiliation immediately strengthens the breadth and depth of our service offerings. For employees, this is a unique opportunity to simultaneously grow our business and accelerate career development.
 
4. Why did Bostonian Group decide to be acquired rather than grow organically?
We believe that this transaction provides us with the greatest opportunity to achieve our long range strategic objectives. Our stated goal is to be a market leader and to establish Bostonian Group as the #1 brokerage benefits provider in New England. To reach this goal, we knew we needed a capital partner. We have spent a great deal of time shopping for and evaluating different options. Our affiliation with MMA strengthens our product offerings and adds the scale necessary to assume a leadership position in our core markets for years to come.
 
5. How is being part of a larger company advantageous to Bostonian Group?
This acquisition is about providing us with access to more and deeper resources, which MMA, as a leading insurance broker, provides. We will be able to draw upon valuable market research, benchmarking reports and technology, in addition to purchasing power around professional services such as actuarial, ERISA, compliance, etc. We’ll also be able to leverage synergies within core support services such as finance, IT, HR and marketing. 
 
We view this new relationship as one between two strong organizations. Both organizations share the same interests and values. Collectively we are committed to positively impacting our clients, our employees and our overall market position in the industry. For employees there will be the opportunity to collaborate with talented new colleagues who will add depth to our employee benefits and property and casualty practices. In the end, this is about accelerated growth through a significantly enhanced regional profile that creates a richer lead pipeline and expands our ability to recruit top talent. 
 
6. Will the company name change?
For now, we will be known as Bostonian Group, a Marsh & McLennan Agency company.
 
7. Where will the company be located?
We will continue to be located at Five Hundred Boylston Street.
 
8. Will the Bostonian Group service model evolve?
Absolutely. We have always put client care first and this affords us the opportunity to take our service model to a whole new level. With this acquisition, we expect our service model to improve since we’ll be able to offer more products and services. The goal of this acquisition is to foster a “growth culture.” This means we aim to provide higher levels of service and strengthen client relationships. At the same time, we look to expand through additional new business opportunities that capitalize on our enhanced capabilities. There is no doubt this will lead to a very dynamic business model.
 
9. How will Bostonian Group’s company culture evolve?
Our culture involves very strong relationship management and a commitment to address client needs and solving problems. This is the fabric that runs through our organization, and we don’t intend to change that. This was one of the key reasons we became serious about joining forces with MMA. They value the culture that we’ve developed here, and we believe that our new colleagues at Marsh & McLennan Agency will only enhance and make positive contributions to the Bostonian Group culture.