DALLAS – Integrity Marketing Group, LLC (“Integrity”), the nation’s largest independent distributor of life and health insurance products, today announced it has acquired Copeland Insurance Group (“Copeland Group”). Headquartered in Longview, Texas, the Copeland Group is one of the largest and most admired independent marketing organizations (IMO) in the nation focused on serving the Senior Market. As part of the transaction, the Copeland Group’s owners, Mel and Melissa Copeland, will become Managing Partners with Integrity. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
With nearly 60 years of industry success stemming from his deep commitment to service, Mel Copeland is a nationally recognized insurance leader and industry legend. Mel launched Copeland Insurance Group in 1962 and has expanded the company to more than 130 employees in 30 offices throughout the United States. The Copeland Group’s 20,000 agents provide Medicare, life, health, commercial, home and auto insurance products with an emphasis on bringing the right products to the Senior Market. The Copeland Group places $200 million in paid premium and serves more than 120,000 Americans annually. With their unmatched track record of providing exceptional service to their agents and consistent growth for their insurance carrier partners, the Copeland Group is widely considered one of the most recognized and respected brands in the Medicare market.
“Mel is a true icon in the insurance industry and all of our partners in the Integrity network will now have the privilege of benefitting from his extensive wisdom and experience,” said Bryan W. Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrity. “He and other Copeland Group leaders have built a highly influential and enduring business that will be set up to grow even faster by utilizing Integrity’s state-of-the-art technology, resources and relationships. Partnerships like these move us rapidly forward on our mission to innovate insurance and I can’t wait for the Copeland Group to share in Integrity’s current and future success. It’s a true honor to partner with Mel and his entire team as we work together to transform the industry for the next 60 years.”
“When I started this company, my goal was to help Americans connect with the right product at a fair price,” explained Mel Copeland, Founder and Co-CEO of the Copeland Group. “As an Integrity partner, our ability to accomplish this increases many times over. Integrity is actively transforming the industry to make the experience better for everyone involved and I wanted to take part in that exciting innovation. We’ve always been a family business. Joining Integrity means we’re joining a larger family — one that shares our core values and positions us for an even brighter future.”
The Copeland Group brings diverse industry expertise and a deep roster of market leaders to Integrity’s fast-growing partner network made up of the nation’s leading agencies, IMOs and service organizations. By sharing strengths and strategies, Integrity partners can solve problems jointly, optimizing their ability to meet consumers where they are — in person, online and over the phone.
“The Copeland Group is already a strong national leader in the Medicare market,” added Adams. “By partnering together, we’re going to be able to provide them with more resources, more technology and more opportunities to grow further and faster. And that will make it possible for them to serve even more Americans with their life and health insurance needs.”
Through this historic partnership, the Copeland Group will gain robust efficiencies with access to Integrity’s long list of shared services such as IT, accounting, human resources and legal, as well as full-service marketing and advertising strategy and execution. In addition, the many resources available through Integrity’s powerful platform will ensure the Copeland Group continues to lead the industry as the market evolves. These resources include new product development, data analytics and proprietary technology that greatly enhances online quoting, enrollment and client relationship management.
“I’ve been in the business for over 45 years and I’ve never seen anything like what Integrity has put together,” shared Johnny Y’Barbo, National Sales Director of the Copeland Group. “If you combine Mel’s vision with Integrity’s resources, there’s no stopping our growth — we haven’t even scratched the surface of what we can do. Integrity’s MedicareCENTER and quoting platform are going to be game-changers for our agents and agencies that we serve.”
Employees of the Copeland Group will also take part in Integrity’s Employee Ownership Plan, which provides meaningful company ownership.
“Since our beginning, we’ve always taken a personal approach with our staff and customers,” described Melissa Copeland, Co-CEO of the Copeland Group. “Integrity’s technology and systems give us the freedom to stay focused on this mission, while including our employees in our success through meaningful ownership. When it came to finding a partner, Integrity checked all the right boxes for us and there was really no comparison. We could not ask for a better fit, and we’re so excited to see what we can accomplish together.”
“This is a banner day in the history of both of our companies,” said Integrity Chairman Steve Young. “The Copeland Group is one of the most respected names in our industry for a reason — their commitment to serving their agents and customers is truly second to none. It’s a commitment shared by everyone at Integrity. Bringing Mel, Melissa and their extraordinary team into the Integrity family represents another leap forward in our quest to make insurance better for agents, agencies, carriers and customers.”