As the sole owner of a small insurance agency and consulting firm, I never imagined that there would be a company interested in an acquisition and had no exit plan.  That all changed when I met Kenny Helfer, President of Helfer and Associates.

Kenny explained despite being a small agency, there would be a company that would be a good fit for acquisition. He understood, that not only was the financial aspect of the transaction important, but that I also needed to be comfortable working with the new company and doing what was best for my long-term clients.  Kenny went to work, never losing site of my priorities, and using his vast relationships in the insurance industry, found the perfect fit. His patience and personal involvement throughout the whole process, from formulating the pro-forma, navigating through the due diligence and to the final closing, was reassuring for me.  The law firm he recommended for the transaction was also as professional and patient as Kenny.

If you are considering a merger or acquisition of your insurance business, you need to talk to Kenny Helfer.

When I first started speaking with Kenny about selling my agency, it was intended to be purely informational. I had no expectation being able to sell because the agency revenue was, what I believed to be, too small. Kenny proved that to be wrong.

It took a very short amount of time for Kenny to find an interested suitor. He made me feel as if I was his only and his largest client. Kenny explained every step. He set me up with an equally professional legal team who helped with every detail.

Today I have my retirement money sooner than I expected and I have a continued salary from the successor until I’m ready to call it quits.
Thanks Kenny!!  You’re the best!!!

To My Fellow Insurance Agency Owners/Principals,

If you are considering your agency’s “Perpetuation Plan”, I would strongly suggest not making any decisions without the help of a professional.

I had no Perpetuation plan since neither of my children were interested and had other plans of their own. Therefore, after being in the business 35 years and the agency being in its 50th year, it was time for some serious consideration of what the next 5 years would look like. I wasn’t ready to stop working but knew enough to know this isn’t something you should do on your own. I know my expertise in the industry and because of that, it made sense to work with a professional in the M&A field.

Kenneth Helfer, President of Helfer & Associates first contacted me a couple years prior to when I was actually ready to move forward. Because Kenneth and his team was very informative and personable, we began to develop a relationship and then a friendship which continues today, even after closing a very beneficial acquisition. Kenneth’s many years of experience and his relationships with others in the industry, allowed him to match the right buyers for our agency. In addition, his assistance and guidance throughout the process was and remains invaluable.

I can’t stress enough after walking through this experience that even if you feel you can do this on your own, you’d be doing yourself a great disservice. This will be one of the most important transactions of your lifetime. Make sure you have a true professional and gentleman by your side.  You’ll be happy you did and you too will come to call Kenneth a friend. – Debra

This letter is written to recognize and recommend Kenny Helfer of Helfer & Associates who served as my broker. I had the pleasure of working with Kenny to sell my business of 33 years.

Kenny was highly professional, thorough and proactive in his approach. He did this with the upmost integrity and confidentiality. Kenny provided me with excellent opportunities and choices among the companies interested in purchasing my insurance agency and went out of his way to ensure I had all the information I needed to make the right decision. He guided me through the process and lead me in the right direction to a very lucrative exit.

I highly recommend Kenny as an expert in consulting and advisory services for insurance agencies and owners. – Rachel S.

Selling an agency is a difficult process especially for an agency owner that is running the day-to-day operations. Kenny and his team were a great asset in helping me sell my agency and they helped identify buyers interested in growing in the areas that we served.

Kenny filtered out those buyers that would not be a good fit with the culture and services that we offered. He listened to my concerns and needs for the agency post acquisition so that we could maintain the culture, service and history that we had created over the past 50 years.

Selling is a process and having an advisor in your corner that can help you with the ups and downs of the experience as well as the deal fatigue that will eventually set in is a must. It isn’t worth going through the process alone, you need someone with the relationships that can help you make a market for your agency and then get you to the finish line.

Kenny and his team have the experience, relationships and are truly genuine in their desires to help you succeed in the succession of your agency. – Dan S.

Selling our agency seemed like it was going to be an intimidating task. After all, we had never sold before and the opportunities were great and confusing. We interviewed several brokers before we selected Helfer and Associates. Ken was the perfect solution for us to help us navigate through the processes and to bring us to the best solution.

Kenny was very patient from the beginning to the closing. His team crafted our proforma and presented it to the markets that he explained best fitted our situation Once a deal was in place, Ken guided us through the due-dillegence, and referred us to a fantastic lawyer who is well versed with agency sales and that was a bonus we never expected.

I have recommended Helfer and Associates to other friends in the business. Ken Helfer is someone that I am glad I do business with.

If you are considering a future sale of your insurance agency, then Ken Helfer of Helfer & Associates is an absolute MUST to have a conversation with. Kenny is an M&A insurance agency expert who will calculate an accurate valuation of your business, introduce you to a meaningful universe of first-class buyers and fast-track results. Helfer & Associates is results driven, client first where the process is 110% about you, not him. He is worthy of your trust and confidence; he does not hurry the process, will not hesitate to reset the process should the tide change and he will get you across the finish line — Kenny Helfer is worth his weight in gold. We consider ourselves blessed to have crossed paths and shown the way to the Land of Milk & Honey. In the end, your business relationship will turn into a life-long friendship.

“SAS Insurance Agency has been working with Helfer & Associates for a few years already. Kenny is a customer-oriented, and results driven professional. Kenny and his team are so impressive with their ability to grasp complex issues when it comes to agency and insurance carrier management.  Kenny’s team are bright and personable individuals who know the independent insurance agency model and back office management inside and out.  They work extremely well in client facing situations, adapting the analysis and communication techniques in order for my agency to achieve my business objectives, both short and long term. They also quantify the business needs and solidify the criteria for successful solutions for broker commission structures. Lastly, Kenny has an extensive high level analytical, budgeting, P&L forecasting, and valuation expertise. This all combined with a deep understanding of my business and its year over year performance. This will ultimately place my agency in a great position for a successful exit or future succession plan. I would recommend Kenny Helfer and his firm to any agency owner looking to establish best practices, while preparing for future events.”

“Kenny and his staff were truly the sole reason that we reached our goal for the sale of our agency to one the biggest players in the market.

He worked tirelessly until we felt comfortable moving forward. Understanding the intricacies involved, he hand-held us through the process right up to closing. Kenny has substantive relationships with each and every buyer in the market so we knew that whatever arrangement and offer we received was the ultimately the best for Eli Blisko and me. More importantly, Kenny treated this situation as if our agency was his own and continues to stay to in touch if we have questions or require some ongoing advice.

He is a true professional that understands the seriousness and importance of these deals since it is our biggest asset in life. We are now two years with our new buyer and are extremely satisfied.

We cannot imagine a better advisor than Helfer & Associates.”

Shomer Insurance Services – Los Angeles, CA

“We want to personally thank Kenny Helfer for advising us with the sale of Shomer Insurance. Your experience and professionalism was extremely comforting with what was one of the biggest decisions of our lives.

You presented us with several qualified buyers and hand-held the process with us from beginning to end. Your expertise and transactional skills are as good as they come, which is why we chose the company that we did.

You structured a deal that was a win-win for all parties. We met with many advisors in the agency acquisition sector, but no one matches Kenny’s skillset and ability to close a deal.

We had a unique set of circumstances. Our agency has been around for over 30 years and we are so thrilled we chose your firm to represent us during this long and complicated process. The sale ultimately went to one of the best national brokers in the business, and the best fit for Shomer and its employees. We cannot be more pleased with the outcome.

I would recommend Kenny and his team to any agency looking to do the same.”

Sasco Insurance Services

“Working with Helfer & Associates was a real pleasure. Kenny was consistently reasonable, realistic, supportive and incredibly knowledgeable about our business and industry.

Selling a partnership is always complex. Kenny exceeded our expectations in the way of buyer interest and service – his integrity in doing so was unparalleled.

This was our first time we had been through a selling process. Kenny and his team made sure my partner Paul and I fully understood each step along the way. When it came to selecting an advisor it was super important for us to have someone with a large degree of trust, knowledge, negotiation talent and extensive relationships with all the agency buyers in the market. Helfer & Associates delivered on all four. They qualified potential buyers accurately to avoid wasting anyone’s time, and when the eventual buyer of my agency came to the table I knew they were carefully interviewed and analyzed. I knew from that point that the eventual buyer of my agency was the perfect fit. This was all due to Kenny and his team.”

Lampe-Batkin

“I want to personally thank Kenny and his team for advising me with the sale of my agency to one of the major national brokers in the industry.

Kenny’s experience and professionalism was very comforting with what was the biggest business decision of my life. He presented me with several qualified and high end buyers. He worked closely with me from beginning to end, and still continues to help me along with post-acquisition adjustments.

In a very complex market and active market, Helfer & Associates worked tirelessly to obtain several offers that were above my own expectations. Their knowledge of the agency landscape is second to none especially the close relationships Kenny has with all the buyers.

If anyone is looking to contemplate a sale of their agency you should not hesitate to use Kenny and his firm.”