Neighbors

LA GRANDE — The former Stratton Insurance agency, 1611 Adams Ave., La Grande, is the latest independent agency in Eastern Oregon to rebrand to Highstreet Insurance and Financial Services.

“It is technically a partnership,” Patrick Cahill, marketing director of Highstreet West, said. “There are many independent insurance agencies that were started in the last several decades whose owners are coming into retirement or wanted to get out. Highstreet’s model is to support the agency in whatever growth trajectory they are on and provide that transitionary moment for them.”

Stratton is following along in the footsteps of what the Simmons Insurance group in Hermiston did two years ago. Simmons partnered with Highstreet but operated under its own brand name up until last August, when it announced that it had rebranded to Highstreet Insurance and Financial Services.

“A lot of agencies around the nation are doing the same thing,” Cahill said. “They made the transition as partners with Highstreet but were operating under their own brand. So, Simmons stepped up and said it was willing to be the first to take on the full brand, and so that’s what it did.”

Stratton is following suit, and the agency is an “awesome” addition to the Highstreet team, Cahill said.

“We’re really excited about how this partnership is equipping our local teams to serve local communities with national resources,” he said. “The insurance landscape is changing. It’s becoming harder for small agencies to have a voice with the carriers. This type of partnership allows access to those top-tier resources that would be almost impossible for those small agencies to get on their own.”

For local customers, the Stratton-Highstreet partnership will not change their customer-agent relationships. Highstreet is retaining all Stratton employees, although there may be some role restructuring into the larger Highstreet organization.

Stratton’s Brian Lackey will now serve as Highstreet’s branch leader of the La Grande agency, and his staff will remain the same as in the past.

“Brian Lackey leads the office in La Grande. He’s a mainstay of the community and an expert at insurance. He knows the community, the region, the carriers and how to help customers. We’re proud to be partnered with him and such a quality staff in La Grande,” said Jacob Neighbors, president of Highstreet Insurance Services West, based out of the company’s regional administrative office in Hermiston.

The coming together under the Highstreet brand allows the agencies to find better deals for their customers and share resources.

“For example, we deployed all new computers in the La Grande office and new technology,” Neighbors said.

Highstreet’s rapid growth and vision

Highstreet Insurance and Financial Services is one of the industry’s fastest growing brokers in the nation, according to a press release announcing the rebrand. In recent years, it has partnered with independent agencies in Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington, including the Simmons agency of Hermiston, MDA Insurance Services in Pendleton, Stratton agency in La Grande, and Basin Pacific Toner Associates in Tri-Cities, Washington.

“It’s our new brand that we have collectively adopted to represent our new company with us all working together,” Neighbors said. “We have about 130 Highstreet Insurance and Financial Services employees in Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington.”

The Highstreet brand is sweeping through the Pacific Northwest, partnering with independent Oregon agencies in Medford, The Dalles, Klamath Falls, four in the Salem area and four in the Seattle area.

Neighbors said he appreciates that Highstreet’s vision is about combining like-minded independent agencies who could help each other grow together and find insurance solutions that people formerly had to seek in larger cities.

“So, while the Stratton name is changing, its commitment to providing excellent local service remains the same,” Neighbors said. “We are excited to be part of a larger team of experts, backed by the strength of more than 150 agencies in 31 states. This helps us ensure our clients get the coverage and service they deserve while providing the personal touch we’ve been known for in the Northwest for many years.”

Highstreet Insurance and Financial Services is a full-service independent insurance agency. Founded in 2018 by Scott M. Wick and based out of Traverse City, Michigan, Highstreet has completed about 144 acquisitions since then. Highstreet is the 17th largest privately owned broker in the United States, according to its press release.