History & Growth Story of AgencyBloc

2005 - 2008

A Need Was Identified, and AgencyBloc Was Founded

Co-founders Adam Lewis and Cory Schmidt gained exposure to the health and life insurance industry when the web design and strategy company they owned was commissioned for custom work by a large general agency (GA) in Iowa. The GA was looking for something to not only effectively manage clients and policies in a single location, but also to cut down on time spent tracking and processing commissions with their complex commission structure.

Through this custom development work, a gap was identified in the health and life insurance software industry. Agencies and brokers needed a single system where they could manage clients and policies, track and process commissions, and report on their data. The solutions in the market at the time were either generic and required extensive customization or were built specifically for property and casualty insurance agencies.

Development work on the application that would later become known as AgencyBloc began in early 2008.

2009 - 2014

Fueled by Innovation and Organic Growth

The following few years were fueled by organic growth for AgencyBloc. We attended our first industry trade show, Benefits Selling Expo (now BenefitsPRO Broker Expo) in 2012. At that show, we networked with current clients and learned how they were using AgencyBloc in their own unique ways and where enhancements and innovation could be made.

After confirming the need for an industry-specific solution like AgencyBloc, we became laser-focused on continuous improvement to the product guided by feedback from our clients—a product development philosophy we still follow to this day.

With the maturing of the product, we began spreading the word about AgencyBloc (and so did our clients!). 2014 marked the first year for exponential growth for both the number of agencies using AgencyBloc and the number of employees supporting them. By the end of 2014, AgencyBloc had laid the foundation for the way we would go to market with our solutions: by providing valuable industry-specific educational resources and taking a consultative approach to sales.

2015 - 2017

Laying the Foundation for a Strong Platform & Team

Following considerable growth of the AgencyBloc client community and our team, we made it a top priority to get definitive about our company core values. The strong, unique culture we had created organically was valuable and important to our success, so we took the time to define those core value tenants and expectations for every team member who joins our team and mission. We rallied around four core values that still guide us today.

By 2017, AgencyBloc was humbled to be serving 40+ new agencies per month and growing rapidly—over 1,000 insurance agencies across the United States now used AgencyBloc to manage clients, policies, commissions, downline agents, and more.

AgencyBloc NAHU interview following GBS acquisition

2018

10 Years & The Acquisition of GBS

2018 marked 10 years of AgencyBloc. By then, we had received hundreds of enthusiastic agency testimonials and referrals and were cemented as the #1 Agency Recommended management system in the life and health insurance space. Today, the number of clients referring other agencies to AgencyBloc continues to double, on average, year-over-year.

In 2018, AgencyBloc acquired its first insurtech company, GBS. Founded in 1979, GBS was a pioneer in the insurance software space. We saw this acquisition as an opportunity to continue to learn and serve the needs of our industry. The team was energized by this acquisition which only added fuel to the pace at which we would improve our products and services.

Image Caption: AgencyBloc co-founders Adam Lewis & Cory Schmidt being interviewed by NABIP's VP of Communications, Martin Carr, about AgencyBloc's acquisition of GBS. The interview as conducted in AgencyBloc's newly expanded Des Moines, IA office.

2019 - 2020

The First BlocBuilder

In 2019, we brought to life a way to connect with and nurture our current client base—and a way for them to connect with each other! We hosted BlocBuilder, our first user conference, where we delivered exclusive industry and product education and training. AgencyBloc users across the nation were connecting with each other in person and virtually to share success stories and best practices. The “Member of The Bloc” community emerged as a community of driven insurance professionals using AgencyBloc solutions and services to better their businesses.

2020 brought 20% YoY client growth for AgencyBloc solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic when the need for a trusted SaaS technology partner to help organizations remotely manage their operations and book of business became more clear than ever.

2021

Resurgens Technology Partners Invests in AgencyBloc

By 2021, AgencyBloc was well-known and respected in the life and health insurance software space. For four years, we had organically maintained an average 25% client growth year-over-year and were at a point where we were energized and wanted to do more for our clients and the industry.

In September of 2021, Resurgens Technology Partners, a software-focused private equity firm, announced their strategic investment in AgencyBloc. Resurgens stood out as a partner who truly saw our value and strength and wanted to provide their support and expertise to help us continue on our path. The partnership between AgencyBloc and Resurgens equips us to achieve those aspirations of doing more for life and health insurance agencies. The investment reinforces our leadership in the market as we bring additional valuable solutions to insurance agencies.

2022

AgencyBloc Acquires FormFire & Radius

In July of 2022, AgencyBloc acquired its second company, FormFire, an industry leader in quoting and enrollment for small-group benefits and medical health questionnaire data collection for carrier underwriting. The combined team immediately got to work to complete an enhanced offering, Quote+, for life and health benefits brokers where they are now able to compare all types of health insurance offerings, including community rated, medically underwritten, and ancillary, in one central place with more valuable quoting and proposal tools.

Shortly thereafter, AgencyBloc announced its acquisition of Radius, a growing and innovative provider of sales enablement solutions supporting life and health insurance brokers. This acquisition was part of AgencyBloc’s strategic vision and commitment to providing end-to-end solutions to the industry. With our combined expertise, we are currently hard at work on some of the most innovative enhancements to AgencyBloc's sales solutions.

2023

Our Vision for the Future

What’s our vision for the future? The 15+ years of steady and strong client-funded growth fueled by product innovation and best-in-class customer service taught us that our mission of transforming the way agencies and brokers do business is where our strength lies. We’re humbled by our roots and thankful every day to serve our clients.

The strategic investment from Resurgens Technology Partners and our acquisitions of FormFire and Radius are clear evidence of our dedication to that mission. We’re focused on the vision of a platform that supports brokers and agencies at every step in their workflow: Sales Enablement, Quoting, Client and Policy Management, Commissions Processing, and more.

We wholeheartedly believe our success and strength comes from our commitment to providing a strong technology platform, valuable client support and educational resources, cultivating a community of driven insurance professionals, and, most importantly, the core values and company culture we’ve prioritized since day one.

The AgencyBloc Story