Building A Company of Consequence
The OneDigital Story
The OneDigital story is undeniably unique. Discover how we have grown from a start up in the dot com era to evolving into a leading business advisory firm while prioritizing innovation, disruption, growth and most importantly people, at every stage of our journey.
The Early Days
2000-2009
Digital Insurance was founded by co-founders Adam Bruckman and Mike Sullivan during the “dot com era” with a bold goal to leverage technology and scale to change the employer health insurance marketplace. While the original concept was to sell insurance online to employers, our sharp focus on growth and innovation brought about our next evolution. The new direction: to partner with other brokers, agents and financial services companies to manage or acquire their small group customer base. Digital Insurance quickly became the premier outsourcing solution in the country.
As a leading employee-benefits-only agency, we continued to drive efficiencies for our clients, investing in technology and operational infrastructure for the better part of a decade, creating a cost advantage in the benefits industry.
After launching the industry’s first end-to-end CRM technology in 2007, we made our first appearance on the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies, a recognition we received for the next 14 years, a distinction that only 11 companies have ever achieved.
Key Milestones:
2000
Digital Insurance was Founded by Adam Bruckman and Mike Sullivan in Atlanta, GA
2001 - 2002
We launch our small group outsourcing solution for brokers and engaged with six broker partners
2007
We make our inaugural appearance on the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Companies
2008
Our M&A team formed, and we started to acquire books of business from agencies around the country
Expanding Our Footprint
2010 - 2015
Hitting our stride, the 2010s brought our first set of acquisitions, setting a new path forward for how we would continue to grow. In 2010 we celebrated our first two agency acquisitions, a strategy that would fuel our growth for years. In 2011, the company organized into two divisions; Digital Small Business Select and Digital Benefits Advisors. The first, Digital Small Business Select, allowed us to partner with leading brokers to efficiently manage thousands of micro-groups. The official launch of Digital Benefit Advisors enabled us to competitively serve small and mid-sized businesses throughout the U.S. This intentional alignment to uniquely serve the needs of the insurance industry and employers nationwide would remain a foundational strategy of the company into the future.
Following the successful integration of our first three acquisitions, in 2012, we partnered with Fidelity National Financial as our new private equity partner, which allowed us to continue to partner with 10+ like-minded agency owners that year and several more in the years to follow. In 2013 we had two $10M+ acquisitions, representing a significant move to becoming more competitive in our ability to serve the needs of employers across the country.
Key Milestones:
2010
We announce our first three agency acquisitions; Georgia Benefits in GA, Benefit Controls in NC and CCA in D.C.
2011
We launch Digital Small Business Select and Digital Benefits Advisors to meet the benefits needs of brokers and employers nationwide.
2012
Fidelity National Financial becomes our new capital partner, and we continue our growth, acquiring 13 agencies this year.
2014
We continued to invest in key talent to bring the business forward and hit employee #500.
A New Chapter
2016
In 2016 Digital’s leadership recognized an opportunity to evolve and stake a new claim in the market driven by digitalization, millennials coming of age and an increased industry focus on consumer-centric health offerings. Leveraging the concepts of being "better together", "one" and "digital" - marrying the best in our talented people with the modern technology experience that today’s consumer expects – rose a new brand, OneDigital. We emphasized how our focus on providing customers “peace of mind” and showing up as personal, strategic, optimistic, invested, responsive, trustworthy, and relentless was how we would stand out in a sea of sameness.
As the nation’s largest organization focused exclusively on providing employee benefits and risk management solutions for employers of all sizes, we went to market as the new generation in health and benefits. Our value centered on delivering market-leading benefits solutions, strategic advisory services, analytics, compliance support, technology, and HR capital management tools.
Diversification
2017 - 2021
In 2016 the leadership team at OneDigital saw a need to marry employee benefits and human resources consulting to provide an expanded array of services to employers. Two short years later came perhaps the most exciting brand change to date. Fueled by entrepreneurial drive and deep consulting expertise, we boldly moved into the next chapter in our legacy with the expansion into corporate retirement plan consulting and wealth management. The acquisition of Resources Investment Advisors and 13 independent firms across the country provided us immediate scale and a national footprint. With a national health pandemic on the heels of that announcement, the investments in and diversification of our platform of offerings helped us provide a unique level of support and consulting for clients, deepening the level of our client relationships.
With a sharp focus on inclusion both internally and externally, in late 2020 we dropped “Health & Benefits” from our name in favor of simplifying to “OneDigital” which would allow for a continued diversification of services. Soon after, we acquired HM Employee Benefits and Risk Management, marking our first expansion into Property & Casualty Insurance.
Key Milestones:
2018
We continue to expand into Human Resources Consulting with two new acquisitions in 2018.
2019
OneDigital welcomes our largest acquisition to date with the addition of Atlanta-based Northwestern Benefit.
2020
We expand into retirement + wealth, dropping the "Health + Benefits" from our name to be inclusive of our growing platform of offerings.
2021
We acquire our first Property & Casualty agency, HM Risk based in MO.
Investment + Expansion
2022 - Today
Emerging from a national health crisis stronger than ever, in 2022, our brand extended toward people more than ever before, and the harmony of our key offerings enabled us to be a company of consequence in an industry ripe for change. Our unique ability to evolve and adapt to the market's needs accelerated our growth into PEO and Medicare Advantage, enabling us to deliver health, success and financial security to businesses and people.
To create effortless client experiences around our platform of offerings, we made significant investments in technology, hiring our first Chief Product Officer, a new Chief Information Officer, and continued investments into Centro Benefits Research, a OneDigital company focused on bringing innovative technology to antiquated insurance practices. Now, with a complete portfolio of employer and individual offerings and a team ready to deliver digital transformation, we can make good on our original promise of leveraging technology and scale to change the marketplace.
2022
We make our first acquisitions in the PEO and Medicare Advantage space and welcome six wealth management firms to the team.
2022
OneDigital announces first-in-the-industry broker-carrier API connection through Centro, a OneDigital company.
2023
OneDigital receives an Employers Choice Best Place to Work Award from Glassdoor.
Our commitment to work-life balance and diversity and inclusion.
Throughout all the growth and diversification, the OneDigital leadership sought to preserve OneDigital's unique company culture. The organization received numerous local, regional, and national awards recognizing it's "people-first" culture of caring. In 2023, we received our most exciting workplace accolade yet, the Glassdoor Employee Choice Award for Best Places to Work in 2023, ranking 30th out of the 100 employers who receive the award nationwide. Our culture of caring is something we're proud of and has always guided our decisions as an organization.
Doing Well By Doing Good
A Conversation Between OneDigital Founders Adam Bruckman and Mike Sullivan
Two decades after starting the business, Adam Bruckman and Mike Sullivan, co-founders of OneDigital, reflect on their journey of building a company of consequence. Together, they humbly discuss their early learnings, express enthusiasm for future advancements, and emphasize the importance of people at every stage of the firm's growth.
What I love more than anything is when agency owners say, five years in, that this was the best decision they ever made and the best decision for their employees.
Adam Bruckman
President & Chief Executive Officer