DALLAS – OCTOBER 12, 2021 – Integrity Marketing Group, LLC (“Integrity”), one of the largest independent distributors of life, health and wealth products, today announced it has acquired Shields Brokerage, a distinguished independent marketing organization (“IMO”) based in Exeter, New Hampshire. As part of the acquisition, Chris Shields, President of Shields Brokerage, will become a Managing Partner in Integrity. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“We are so excited to welcome Shields Brokerage to the Integrity Family,” expressed Bryan W. Adams, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrity Marketing Group. “What Chris and his team have built is truly a brokerage dedicated to serving others. By joining Integrity, we can now provide Shields Brokerage with the technology, tools and resources to elevate their business to even higher levels. Integrity is going to be there to support Shields Brokerage with IT, finance, HR, marketing and more, so Chris and his team can focus on what they do best — helping more Americans.”
Shields Brokerage was founded in 1981 by Chris’ mother, Joe Anne Shields, who paved the way for the company’s success in the senior market. After joining the company in the early ‘90s, Chris continued to build the agency by focusing on growing strong relationships with their agents and clients. Although Shields Brokerage started as a health and benefits brokerage, it now offers a wider array of products to suit their clients’ broad range of insurance needs.
“The partnership with Integrity allows Shields Brokerage to expand and evolve in ways we haven’t been able to do on our own,” said Chris Shields, President of Shields Brokerage. “Our mantra is ‘do right and do good’ — and with Integrity, we will now be able to ‘do right and do good’ on an even larger scale than we could have imagined. The tools that Integrity provides allow us to do our jobs even better and help us fulfill our promise to give our brokers the best service possible. Everything that people know and love about Shields Brokerage will stay the same, but now we can perform at an even higher level.”
Shields Brokerage brings over four decades of experience to Integrity. Their industry knowledge and wisdom will be a welcome addition to the impressive team of industry leaders that Integrity has assembled. These platform partners include CSG Actuarial, ThomasARTS, Deft Research, Access Capital, Brokers International and Insurance Administrative Solutions‘ third-party administrator, as well as call centers Connexion Point, SeniorCare Benefits and Unified Health.
Shields Brokerage will be able to access the extensive data insights, innovative technology and vast resources Integrity provides to all its partners. The Integrity insurtech platform includes tools such as MedicareCENTER, proprietary quoting and enrollment platforms, data analytics, product development, and research and development. As part of the partnership, Shields Brokerage can now benefit from Integrity’s shared services for centralized business services which include IT, accounting, legal, human resources and a full-service marketing and advertising firm.
Shields Brokerage employees are now eligible for meaningful company ownership through the Integrity Employee Ownership Plan.
“One of the best parts about this partnership is the Employee Ownership Plan,” continued Shields. “When I think about the future of Shields Brokerage, I want to make sure my employees know they have a place here and a way to provide for their families. Shields Brokerage employees work so hard and up until this point it’s always been ‘my company,’ but with Integrity, I get to share ownership with the people who helped build Shields Brokerage. It’s now ‘our company’ — and I couldn’t be more excited to share this with my employees!”