Skip Navigation
Better Together | Risk Strategies to Join Brown & Brown  Learn More
  • Careers
  • Report a Claim
  • Contact Us
Risk Strategies Logo
  • Industries

    • Agriculture
    • Architects & Engineers
    • Aviation
    • Cannabis
    • Construction
    • Dental
    • Education
    • Entertainment
    • Financial Services
    • Fine Art
    • Healthcare
    • Law Firms
    • Marine & Yacht
    • Nonprofit & Human Services
    • Private Equity
    • Public Sector
    • Real Estate
    • Relocation
    • Transportation
    • Waste & Recycling
    • Wineries
  • Solutions

      • Captives
      • Casualty
      • Cyber
      • Environmental
      • International
      • Executive Risk Solutions
      • Property
      • Surety
      • Employee Benefits Overview
      • Benefit Administration and Technology
      • Benefits Compliance Support
      • Data & Analytics
      • Human Capital Advisory Services
      • International Benefits
      • Absence Management & Ancillary Programs
      • Voluntary & Lifestyle Benefits
      • Medicare
      • Financial & Wealth Overview
      • Retirement Plan Services
      • Executive Benefits
      • Life Insurance
      • Private Client Services Overview
      • Homeowners
      • Flood
      • Collections
      • Umbrella & Excess Liability
      • Auto
      • Collector & Exotic Car
      • Boat & Yacht
      • Travel Medical & Trip Insurance
      • Family Office
      • Cyber Insurance - Family Office
      • Cyber Insurance - Individuals
      • Life Insurance
      • Specialty Coverages
      • Private Client Risk Resource Center
    • Reinsurance
      • Risk Management Services Overview
      • Analytics
      • Claims Management & Advocacy
      • Loss Control
      • Safety Consulting Services
      • Pro Safety Training Courses
      • Workers’ Comp: Premium Review & Recovery
  • Consulting

    • Consulting Overview
    • Actuarial Services
    • Healthcare Claim Audit Services
    • Health and Welfare
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Pharmacy Consulting
    • Retirement Benefits
  • News and Insights

    • All Insights
    • Blog
    • Emergency Resource Centers
    • Employee Benefits Compliance Center
    • Events
    • Media Coverage
    • State of the Market Reports
    • Press Releases
    • Private Client Resources
    • Webinars
  • Company

    • About Us
    • Annual Report
    • Careers
    • Culture and Values
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Environmental, Social, & Governance
    • General Terms of Business
    • Leaders
    • Local Expertise
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Recognition & Awards
    • Risk Strategies Foundation
    • Transparency and Disclosures
  • Join Us
    • Careers
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Industries
    • Agriculture
    • Architects & Engineers
    • Aviation
      • Aviation Business Insurance - Manned Risk
      • Non-Owned Aviation
      • Unmanned Aerial System and Drones
    • Cannabis
    • Construction
      • Alternative Solutions
      • Financing & Pre-Construction
      • Insurance Solutions
      • Risk Management
      • Surety
    • Dental
      • Insurance for Dental Professionals
      • Dental Malpractice Insurance
      • BOP Insurance - Dental Practices & DSOs
      • Dental School Graduates
      • Dental Associates & Hygienists
      • Dental Practice Owners
      • Dental Service Organizations (DSOs)
    • Education
      • Employee Benefits for Education
      • Property, Casualty & Liability for Education
      • Student Health & Wellness
        • Student Health Brokerage and Consulting
        • Student Health Plan Administration
        • Student Health Insurance Plans
        • Solutions for Student Athletes
        • Student Health & Wellness Tools
        • Special Risk Insurance
    • Entertainment
      • Film & Television
      • Advertising Production Wrap Ups
      • Advertising/PR
      • Event Cancellation & Non-Appearance
      • Music & Touring
      • Theatrical Production & Live Performance 
      • Venue Insurance
    • Financial Services
      • Asset Managers
      • Banks & Non-Bank Lending
      • Collections
      • Consumer Financial Services
      • Financial Tech
      • Insurance Companies
    • Fine Art
      • Dealers and Auction Houses
        • Galleries
        • Private Art Dealers
      • Collections
        • Private Collectors
        • Coins, Paper Money & Numismatics Collections
        • Gold, Bullion & Precious Metal Collections
      • Artists
      • Museums and Foundations
        • Museums
      • Fine Art Packers / Shippers / Warehouses
    • Healthcare
      • Employee Benefits - Healthcare
      • Managed Care / Stop Loss
      • Medical Malpractice
      • Property & Casualty - Healthcare
      • Reinsurance
    • Law Firms
    • Marine & Yacht
      • Yacht Insurance For Individuals
        • Mega Yachts
        • Cruiser Insurance - Jackline
        • One-Design Insurance Program
        • Sailors Health Insurance Program
        • US Sailing Insurance Solutions
      • Commercial Marine Insurance
        • Aquaculture
        • Cargo & Transit Insurance Solutions
        • Crew Medical Insurance
        • Hull & Machinery
        • Marine Claims Service
        • Marine Construction
        • Marine Liability
        • Ports & Terminals
        • Protection & Indemnity
        • Recreational Marine Businesses
        • Sailing Organizations – Burgee Program
    • Nonprofit & Human Services
    • Private Equity
      • Crypto Companies
    • Public Sector
      • Public Safety Organizations & Municipalities
    • Real Estate
      • Commercial
      • Community Associations
      • Hospitality
      • Residential / Habitational
      • REITs
      • Retail
      • Specialty Programs
    • Relocation
      • Domestic Household Goods
      • Expat Renters & Living Insurance
      • Relocation Claims Service
      • International Household Goods
      • Supplemental Movers Coverage
      • Temporary Living Insurance
      • Vacant Home
    • Transportation
      • Business Auto Insurance
      • Last Mile Delivery
      • While Under Dispatch Insurance
      • Forwarding & Brokering
      • Workers' Compensation
    • Waste & Recycling
    • Wineries
  • Solutions
    • Commercial Insurance
      • Captives
      • Casualty
        • Analytics
        • Auto Liability & Physical Damage
        • Captives & Alternative Risk Financing
        • Claims Advocacy & Loss Control
        • Excess Liability
        • General Liability
        • Product Recall
        • Workers' Compensation
      • Cyber
        • Cyber Resolute
        • Cyber Risk Assessment and Analytics
        • Cyber Risk Response & Claims Advocacy
        • Cyber Insurance - Family Office
        • Cyber Insurance - Individuals
      • Environmental
        • Contractors Pollution Liability
        • Environmental Excess
        • Environmental Liability Transfer
        • Environmental Liability - Healthcare
        • Environmental Liability - Higher Education
        • Pollution Legal Liability
        • Environmental Liability - Private Equity
        • Professional Environmental Liability Insurance
        • Real Estate Development
        • Remediation Cost Cap
        • Secured Creditor Protection for Lenders
        • Underground Storage Tanks
      • International
      • Executive Risk Solutions
        • Executive Risk Solutions - Entertainment
        • Executive Risk Solutions - Financial Institutions
        • Executive Risk Solutions - Healthcare
        • Executive Risk Solutions - Real Estate
      • Property
        • Builder's Risk
        • Property Claims Services
        • Inland Transit and Ocean Cargo
        • Natural Hazard Catastrophe Modeling
        • Political Violence and Terrorism
        • Property Damage & Business Interruptions Valuations
        • Property Loss Prevention and Control
      • Surety
    • Employee Benefits
      • Employee Benefits Overview
      • Benefit Administration and Technology
      • Benefits Compliance Support
      • Data & Analytics
      • Human Capital Advisory Services
      • International Benefits
      • Absence Management & Ancillary Programs
      • Voluntary & Lifestyle Benefits
      • Medicare
    • Financial & Wealth
      • Financial & Wealth Overview
      • Retirement Plan Services
      • Executive Benefits
      • Life Insurance
    • Private Client Services
      • Private Client Services Overview
      • Homeowners
      • Flood
      • Collections
      • Umbrella & Excess Liability
      • Auto
      • Collector & Exotic Car
      • Boat & Yacht
      • Travel Medical & Trip Insurance
      • Family Office
      • Cyber Insurance - Family Office
      • Cyber Insurance - Individuals
      • Life Insurance
      • Specialty Coverages
      • Private Client Risk Resource Center
    • Reinsurance
    • Risk Management Services
      • Risk Management Services Overview
      • Analytics
      • Claims Management & Advocacy
      • Loss Control
      • Safety Consulting Services
      • Pro Safety Training Courses
      • Workers’ Comp: Premium Review & Recovery
  • Consulting
    • Consulting Overview
    • Actuarial Services
    • Healthcare Claim Audit Services
    • Health and Welfare
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Pharmacy Consulting
    • Retirement Benefits
  • News and Insights
    • All Insights
    • Blog
    • Emergency Resource Centers
      • Cybersecurity
      • Earthquake
      • Hurricane
      • Pandemic
      • Riot & Civil Unrest
      • Severe Storms
      • Violence & Active Shooter
      • Wildfire
      • Winter Weather
    • Employee Benefits Compliance Center
    • Events
    • Media Coverage
    • State of the Market Reports
    • Press Releases
    • Private Client Resources
    • Webinars
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Annual Report
    • Careers
    • Culture and Values
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • BeHEARD Series
      • DE&I Structure
      • Employee Resource Groups
    • Environmental, Social, & Governance
    • General Terms of Business
    • Leaders
    • Local Expertise
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Recognition & Awards
    • Risk Strategies Foundation
    • Transparency and Disclosures
      • General Terms of Business
      • Conflict of Interest Policy
      • Compensation Disclosure
      • Enterprise Risk Management
  • Join Us
    • Careers
      • Benefits & Wellness
      • Investing in Growth & Leadership
      • Life at Risk Strategies
      • Next Steps
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Partnership Benefits
      • Why Join Us?
      • Onboarding & Integration
  • Careers
  • Report a Claim
  • Contact Us

You are about to leave Risk Strategies website and view the content of an external website.

You are leaving risk-strategies.com

By accessing this link, you will be leaving Risk Strategies website and entering a website hosted by another party. Please be advised that you will no longer be subject to, or under the protection of, the privacy and security policies of Risk Strategies website. We encourage you to read and evaluate the privacy and security policies of the site you are entering, which may be different than those of Risk Strategies.

OK
  • News and Insights
  • Mergers & Acquisitions | Testimonials
May 07, 2024

Ladmar Group: Always Looking Ahead

4 min read
Phil Fierro and Linda Marra
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Ladmar Group: Always Looking Ahead

Linda was the first of us to enter insurance. An English major in college, she’d been steered into computer programming at a Manhattan credit card company but enjoyed the human interaction involved with understanding business requirements more than de-bugging failed programs at all hours. A chance conversation with a nearby insurance agency owner while working for the credit card company led her to pivot into agency life.

The agency focused on employee benefits. Linda knew nothing of the business but quickly found she loved helping employers build, and their employees use their benefits packages. A quick study, her patience, expertise, and problem-solving abilities proved invaluable to her employer, team, and clients. Career-oriented by nature, Linda got licensed in Life and Health, as well as Property & Casualty and Securities.

In 1987, after ten years with the agency, Linda stepped out on her own, naming her benefits-focused firm Ladmar – an amalgam of Linda, Anthony, and Damon Marra – to neutralize possible gender bias in a male-dominated industry.

Ladmar grew steadily, added employees, and by 2018 Linda began a search for a business partner to keep the business growing and navigate the ever-changing insurance landscape. Shared values, mutual enthusiasm, and a great work ethic made Phil the perfect fit when a mutual acquaintance introduced them and a year after the introduction, a formal partnership was undertaken.

Phil had been in insurance since the mid-1990s. He started in the medical division of New York Life in the 1990s, and after the company was acquired by Aetna, he continued to work on the carrier side with United Healthcare, earning the title of Top Small Group Sales Rep in the Nation and then made the transitions to the broker side, where in 2016, he left to start his own business.

A year after formalizing the new Ladmar partnership, the COVID-19 pandemic sent our firm into remote mode. Focusing on clients suffering in the face of the downturn, particularly those in the fashion industry, helped them maintain their benefits programs and use our business. Nine months after the pandemic started, Ladmar returned to its office.

The pandemic was trying but gave us an opportunity to step back and assess the resources needed to compete and further grow the business. Our model was working but had limits and gaps. The logical next step, we decided, would be finding a partner firm with a larger presence able to offer clients a full array of other insurance coverages, such as Property and Casualty, and services.

A personal introduction led us to M&A advisor Sica Fletcher for help lining up potential suitors. Having heard from peers who had been acquired that the misery of a bad cultural fit more than offset a nice payout, we made it clear that we wanted a firm that would value our business and our people, not submerge us into an anonymous corporate structure.

Sica did an in-depth analysis of our business and clients and, in 2022 presented us with eight prospective agencies that fit our criteria. After several discussions, we whittled the list to three firms.

The offers from those top three were very similar, so in our interviews with them, we were free to focus on the other factors that really mattered. Conducting the interviews by video conference allowed us to do a lot of back-and-forth questioning and get a real feel for the personality of each firm; why they were interested in Ladmar, their goals, how they would integrate with us, how we’d fit in.

In those three finalist interviews, Risk Strategies checked all the right boxes. We found enthusiasm and commonalities around goals; an understanding of where we wanted to go with our business and how they could help us get there. The merger would be a real give-and-take and a true cross-fertilization.

Once the deal with Risk Strategies was signed, the integration process took less than a year with many new systems, processes, and sales approaches for us to grasp and digest. The partnership has been rich with new opportunities to cross-sell and join forces with associates with many different areas of expertise.

The client's reaction has been terrific, and our employees are happy. We have no regrets - only new challenges on which to thrive.

The contents of this article are for general informational purposes only and Risk Strategies Company makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of any information contained herein. Any recommendations contained herein are intended to provide insight based on currently available information for consideration and should be vetted against applicable legal and business needs before application to a specific client. 

Related Posts

See all posts

4 min read

Johnson Insurance Services: Change ...

September 30, 2024
Financial Services 5 min read

IZALE Financial Group: Getting More...

January 13, 2025

Subscribe via Email

Risk Strategies Logo
  • Report a Claim
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Consumer Health Data Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility
  • Health Plan Transparency Compliance
  • Accessibility
  • Cookie Policy
  • Health Plan Transparency Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
©2025 Risk Strategies. All rights reserved.

Connect with Us

  • LinkedIn
  • X
  • Instagram
  • Facebook