DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. and TAMPA, Fla., May 3, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- C. Roy Bridges, Regional Executive Vice President of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE: BRO), Larry A. Lerche, Chairman, Michael J. Hermes, President, and Vicky L. Lindsey, Senior Vice President of Balcones-Southwest, Inc., located in Austin, Texas, today announced the acquisition of Balcones-Southwest, Inc. by Brown & Brown, Inc.
Balcones-Southwest, with annualized revenues of approximately $3 million, has been serving the people and businesses of central Texas for over five decades. The company focuses on mid-market commercial property and casualty, personal lines, and employee benefits insurance. Mike Hermes, as Profit Center Manager, Larry Lerche, Vicky Lindsey, Rusty Paddy, Traci Dube and their staff will continue to operate as a freestanding Brown & Brown office, at their current location.
Mr. Bridges, who is responsible for Brown & Brown's South-Central U.S. operations, stated, "We are quite pleased to have Mike, Larry, Vicky and their team of insurance professionals join us. They are not only a valued addition to our growing Texas family, but also represent our first operation in the Lone Star State's capitol."
Brown & Brown, Inc. and its subsidiaries offer a broad range of insurance and reinsurance products and services, as well as risk management, employee benefit administration, and managed health care programs. Providing service to business, public entity, individual and trade and association clients nationwide, the Company is ranked by Business Insurance magazine as the United States' sixth-largest independent insurance intermediary. Our Web address is www.bbinsurance.com.
This press release may contain certain statements relating to future results which are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only the Company's belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Company's control. It is possible that the Company's actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Further information concerning the Company and its business, including factors that potentially could materially affect the Company's financial results, are contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Some factors include: general economic conditions around the country; downward commercial property and casualty premium pressures; the competitive environment; the integration of the Company's operations with those of businesses or assets the Company has acquired or may acquire in the future and the failure to realize the expected benefits of such integration; the potential occurrence of a disaster that affects certain areas of the states of Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey, New York and/or Washington, where significant portions of the Company's business are concentrated; the actual costs of resolution of contingent liabilities; and those factors relevant to Brown & Brown's consummation and integration of the announced acquisition, including any matters analyzed in the due diligence process, material adverse changes in the customers of the company whose operations are being acquired, material adverse changes in the business and financial condition of either or both companies and their respective customers, and substantial delay in the expected closing of the transaction. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release, and we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which we hereafter become aware.
SOURCE Brown & Brown, Inc.
Cory T. Walker, Senior Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of Brown & Brown, +1-386-239-7250
http://www.bbinsurance.com