America's Benefit Specialist December 2022

the business and decided to focus primarily on the benefits side of the business, as it had been extremely successful and there was a lot of potential. Randy and Cyndy, as well as the rest of the team at Pierson & Associates, are very involved in their community, volunteer ing and being part of multiple clubs and organizations, both independently and as an agency. As part of the acquisition, Inszone Insurance will retain Pierson & Associates employees, as well as the current location in Salinas, that will continue to operate under the leadership of Randy and Cyndy Pierson. EPIC EXPANDS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PRESENCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants has acquired SLCO LLC, headquartered in Lafayette, California. The acquisition expands EPIC’s presence in Northern Cal ifornia and adds to its client offerings both regionally and nationally.

SLCO is a leader in employee benefits, property & casualty, and personal lines. SLCO will continue to serve clients from its offices in Lafayette, Santa Rosa and Novato, California, under the leadership of Matthew Sitzmann, SLCO practice leader. GALLAGHER ACQUIRES CASON, HUFF & SCHLUETER INSURANCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has announced the acquisition of Quincy, Illinois-based Ca son, Huff & Schlueter Insurance. Founded in 1923, Cason, Huff & Schlueter is a retail insurance agency specializing in personal and commercial insurance as well as life, health and disability insurance to clients in Illinois and Missouri. Mike McCaughey, Patty McCaughey, Bryan Feldner, Eric Frese, Mary Kinscherf and their associ ates will remain in their current location under the direction of Ryan Isaacs, head of Gallagher’s Midwest region retail property/ casualty brokerage operations.

INSZONE INSURANCE SERVICES ACQUIRES PIERSON & ASSOCIATES INSURANCE SERVICES

Inszone Insurance Services has announced today the acquisition of Pierson & Associ ates Insurance. In 1948, Bud Pierson started his insurance agency in Salinas, California. Specializing in pensions, 403(b) plans and life insurance, with a focus on healthcare and agricultural businesses, Bud was a con stant production leader with Mutual of New York and was recognized as Man of the Year in 1963. Randy Pierson joined his father’s agency in 1981 and began brokering with other highly rated companies. After a couple years of experience in the industry, he added a health benefits line to the agency. In 1996 Cyndy Pierson, Randy’s wife, joined the agency and began to grow the employee benefits side of the agency. After 2004, when Bud retired, Randy and Cyndy took over

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