J. Powell Brown

J. Powell Brown serves as President and CEO of Brown & Brown, Inc., one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the United States. Powell is a third-generation leader — his grandfather Hyatt Brown founded the predecessor firm, and the company has grown from a small Daytona Beach, Florida operation into a diversified insurance intermediary with over $4 billion in annual revenue. Brown & Brown's growth engine is acquisitions: the company has completed over 600 acquisitions throughout its history, typically targeting small-to-mid-sized independent insurance agencies and integrating them onto its operating platform. This disciplined acquisition approach — buying at reasonable multiples, retaining local talent, and implementing shared services — has created one of the most successful roll-up stories in financial services. What sets Brown & Brown apart from larger peers (Marsh McLennan, Aon, WTW, Arthur J. Gallagher) is its industry-leading margins. The company consistently achieves EBITDA margins exceeding 30%, driven by a decentralized operating model that empowers local leaders while centralizing back-office functions. Key stock drivers include commercial insurance rate trends (hard market vs soft market), acquisition pipeline and deal multiples, organic revenue growth, margin expansion, and the overall health of the property and casualty insurance market.