DALLAS – Integrity Marketing Group, LLC (“Integrity”), the nation’s largest independent distributor of life and health insurance products, today announced its acquisition of Advanced Market Sales (“AMS”), an independent insurance marketing organization based in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Sean Ruggiero, President of AMS, will continue to lead his organization while also becoming a Managing Partner at Integrity. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Ruggiero entered the insurance industry in 2003 after seeing how many Americans struggle to prepare for retirement. Today, his company trains, mentors and provides more than 20,000 agents with a turn-key system for financial planning including annuities and life insurance.
“What makes AMS unique is their focus on comprehensive retirement planning,” shared Bryan W. Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrity. “By partnering with Integrity, our 275,000 agents can scale this approach and provide even more Americans with secure plans for their financial futures. We’ll take the immense success AMS is already having and amplify it to a magnitude they couldn’t achieve on their own.”
“Joining forces with Integrity takes what we’re already doing and increases it tenfold by putting best-in-class resources at our disposal,” said Ruggiero. “I’ve learned that you have to surround yourself with great teammates in order to get to that next level. I still have so much I want to achieve, and I have no doubt Integrity is the catalyst to magnify every aspect of our business.”
“With a successful background in sports, Sean understands the leverage of having a deep roster loaded with talent,” said Shawn Meaike, Managing Partner of Integrity and President of Family First Life. “Sean is now on a team completely filled with industry icons, innovators and budding superstars. He and his entire team get access to all-star caliber marketing, products and technology that will enable them to focus on what they do best and flourish like other Partners have done, simply by joining forces with Integrity.”
Integrity offers a unique partnership model. By shifting the workload of functions such as IT, accounting and HR to the Integrity team, then adding capabilities such as marketing and lead generation, AMS leaders reclaim valuable time to concentrate on growing the core business. Incorporating Integrity’s online quoting, enrollment and full CRM capabilities will allow AMS to offer valuable technology solutions to support their agents. In addition, AMS will have access to exclusive products and open collaboration only available to Integrity partners.
“Advanced Market Sales has a foundation of service and an emphasis on family that align closely with Integrity’s values,” added Adams. “With Integrity’s platform behind Sean and his team, this partnership marks the start of a new chapter in their success story. It will be exciting to see what they can accomplish.”
Integrity also provides AMS employees with meaningful company ownership through its Employee Ownership Plan.
“Integrity shows its deep regard for employees by providing actual company ownership and now I get to extend those same opportunities to my team—which is a huge source of pride for me,” said Ruggiero. “Every business decision I’ve made has been with our employees in mind and this partnership makes every staff member, no matter their current role, part of something bigger than we could ever be on our own.”