Longtime independent insurance company owners Mike Wheaton (Associated Insurance Centers) and Reese Cropper III (Insurance Management Group) merged their successful firms with NFP in 2018 — doing so to further enhance their local, genuine customer service and offer customers a larger variety of insurance options.

“NFP provides competitively priced insurance products that are tailored to our customers’ needs,” Wheaton said. “We’re proud to have aligned with them and continue our commitment to providing outstanding service to our friends, neighbors and clients,” Wheaton said.

The affiliation also provided their dedicated staff members with more tools of the industry. NFP, one of the nation’s largest insurance brokerages, provides its teams with vast resources and superior technologies, and most importantly, enhanced employee-benefits packages and long-term office leases.

NFP Corp. operates as an insurance broker, consultant and wealth-management company in two segments: Insurance Brokerage and Consulting and Advisor Services. The Insurance Brokerage and Consulting segment offers corporate benefits, retirement, property and casualty and individual insurance solutions. The Advisor Services segment provides independent broker/dealer and registered investment advisory services to independent financial advisors. The company, founded in 1998, is headquartered in New York City and has more than 4,000 employees.

NFP has four locations on the Eastern Shore to conveniently serve its customers, including midtown Ocean City on 77th Street (Bayside), Route 50 in West Ocean City, Pocomoke City and Chincoteague. 

“Experience, knowledge, guidance and trust,” said Cropper. “These are the principles that have built our longstanding relationships with our customers. They know we’re always analyzing their coverages to maximize their protections at the best possible rate.”