Every July, we recognize Holmes Murphy Independence Day—a day to celebrate what being a privately held independent brokerage means for our business, employees, and clients. Our private ownership is truly unique in the insurance industry, and it’s the foundation of what makes Holmes Murphy who we are.
Free to Focus on Experience
Our independence allows us to uplift our employee experience and truly connect and care for our clients’ unique potential.
As a privately held insurance brokerage, we believe our shareholders are our people—leaders and employees—who invest in Holmes Murphy because they believe in our freedom to prioritize client needs and employee experience. You won’t find a one-size-fits-all approach here—our independence gives us the freedom to design solutions tailored to our clients and build long-term relationships grounded in trust and expertise.
As I was thinking about our independence, I remembered a conversation I had with my dad a few years ago. We were on the phone, and he asked me how my day was. I answered my typical response, “good.” He shared with me that he had never heard me say that I had a bad day at Holmes Murphy. I told him that yes, there have been challenging moments. However, being part of a high-performing and caring team who wants to do great work for our clients because of our private ownership model is why even the challenging moments still can be great days.
Free to Grow Together
Reflecting on this annual milestone takes me back to my days as an intern and the mentorship I received. I had the opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds in the industry who were always willing to share their knowledge and support my growth. In our industry, that doesn’t happen everywhere and it warms my heart every summer to see us continue to invest in the next generation of talent with our awesome intern program.
As a 20-year-old, no doubt I personally had a lot of work to do to develop, and I had many mentors along the way. One of my first mentors was Doug Reichardt, who did my sales training. There were times when I wasn’t sure where Doug was going with my training, but eventually all the stories, life lessons, and guidance made sense. Tammy Downs was my first leader at Holmes Murphy, and she taught me the importance of working hard and learning the business. Tammy was tough, but I knew how much she cared and wanted me to succeed.
When I moved to Cedar Rapids, the entire team leaned into me to help me grow and develop. I asked many questions, and I know I was a pain (boy, was I a pain!), but the team always supported me. Like so many of our employees, I’m here today because our culture of independence gives leaders an opportunity to put people—both team members and clients—first.
I have been blessed to be able to connect with professionals and leaders in our industry to share about Holmes Murphy and our story. It’s been fun to see how professionals at any stage of their career are attracted to Holmes Murphy because they see a company where they can make a real impact. They admire our company culture, which thrives on opportunities for growth and the innovation that our independence affords. I have had numerous conversations with colleagues who joined us because they wanted to be part of a company that values their contributions and fosters their professional development. It’s exciting to see our employee value proposition—Love What You Do and Who You Do It With—resonating with people before they even join our team.
Free to Care.Fully.
Being privately held and independent empowers us to support our clients with care. We make their business—and our company—stronger by thinking outside of the box. I am proud to be part of an organization that values its people, encourages innovation, and holds firm to the value of our ownership model. Here’s to many more years of good days, driven by the unique spirit that makes Holmes Murphy such a special place to work.
