Meet the record-setting insurance shareholder with an inspirational career journey

This piece is sponsored by Holmes Murphy.

Brent Hodgkiss proves a lot about success in business.

You don’t need to know insurance from day one to experience impressive growth in the insurance industry.

You don’t need to be from Sioux Falls or have a vast local network to build a record-setting book of business in the market.

You just need to be willing to do what Hodgkiss has done since he was 22 and finishing college: Knock on doors, connect with people “and work extremely hard” as he puts it.

“Work really, really hard, and you’ll find the relationships to be successful.”

That’s how Hodgkiss has been wired seemingly his entire life, the middle child of a family of seven kids in Texas who experienced firsthand the challenges entrepreneurship can bring.

As he watched his father grow a certified public accounting business and his mom work full time raising the family, basic needs required help from church programs.

“It was a common occurrence to come home from school with the electricity shut off. My dad would be scrambling to put money together to get power established, and my mom would be making the best of it,” he said.

“What my parents lacked in financial resources, they made up for in love and support. I had a wonderful childhood, with great experiences filled with friends and success on the field and courts; we just didn’t have any money.”

Hodgkiss was driven to create a different reality. By age 8, he was selling pears from the family tree to soccer players at a local park. At 12, he was mowing lawns in the hot Texas summer.

In his early 20s, the college quarterback at Lindenwood University was recruited into a door-to-door sales role selling home security systems.

“So I started knocking on doors,” he said. “I had success the first year and was 22 and made a crazy amount of money, so I recognized early that the industry was not hard to duplicate. I could train people to do what was I able to do.”

At 24, after graduating college, he started a sales consulting business in the direct-to-home sales industry.

“Companies that were door to door would hire my company, and we’d come in for 12 to 24 months and take over the entire sales arm, enhance the processes and get paid on a commission based on the growth of the business,” he said.

“I had about 170 employees at peak and 17 offices around the country, so it took me a lot of different places. But it was all door to door. I’d have 100 to 120 interactions daily with different people, and it really shaped my ability to communicate and identify quickly what people needed or wanted.”

As 20-somethings, he and his wife, Lori, moved every six to 18 months, but as they began to start a family, her hometown of Sioux Falls grew more appealing.

They moved from a loft in downtown Los Angeles to Sioux Falls in 2014.

“Sioux Falls is a fantastic place, from a culture standpoint, to raise a family,” he said. “It’s a great community with access to a lot of business activity, a lot of entertainment, and it continues to grow, so it really checks all the boxes.”

He continued to travel for his consulting business for several years until connecting with Doug Muth through a mutual friend.

“I felt like I was going to have to transition and be in Sioux Falls more, so we had lunch, and he talked about Holmes Murphy – the potential and lifestyle and family aspects and long-term growth opportunities – and what really impacted me was that Holmes Murphy was privately held and there was potential for ownership,” Hodgkiss said.

“With an entrepreneurial background, that mindset and ability to own a percent of the company and help drive the business forward was intriguing to me and something I wanted to be part of.”

But he didn’t change careers right away. For 18 months, Hodgkiss evaluated options.

“I looked at other firms, other agencies, other sales opportunities. I looked at commercial real estate and a lot of organizations and industries. Wherever I was going to go, I wanted it to stick,” he said.

“But the culture of Holmes Murphy and the local office is the top reason I joined, along with the chance to become a shareholder. I had been walking into sales organizations for years to identify culture and figure out problems. And when I walked into Holmes Murphy, I knew it was a thriving, energetic environment where everybody here was pushing each other to do better every day. I instantly knew I could thrive in that environment too.”

When he joined the firm in 2018, “I knew nothing about insurance, so I had to learn that portion,” Hodgkiss said. “I’ve always known business, but I didn’t know insurance, so I think that led me to bring unique ideas and ask questions and push boundaries.”

Hodgkiss “has forged a unique path in business from humble beginnings,” said Kris Kemmis, client executive and team lead.

“His relentless dedication to learning, improving and enhancing outcomes for clients and colleagues has driven success beyond expectations. Whether pioneering innovative captive insurance solutions or reducing complex premium expenses, Brent consistently delivers exceptional results.”

Still, “at first I had my doubts,” Hodgkiss said. “I didn’t really know anyone in Sioux Falls. I didn’t have a bunch of relationships to tap into, so I basically started over and went back not to knocking on doors but with phone calls. I’ve always just had the mentality that I’m willing to work extremely hard. I don’t think it’s any different by industry. Discipline is what it takes. It’s not just putting in the time. It’s about consistency and effort.”

The approach led him to success. In less than three years, he’d set a Holmes Murphy record for reaching a $1 million book of business, representing clients with premiums totaling more than $10 million.

“I think the biggest thing is Holmes Murphy allowed me to do what I can do within myself,” Hodgkiss said. “I wasn’t asked to be something I was not. They asked me to go develop relationships and talk with people and they would figure it out on the back end. We have really good people who know insurance really well, and they gave me the support system that allowed me to transition industries quickly.”

By year four, he was nominated to be a shareholder. At Holmes Murphy, prospective shareholders participate in a yearlong program called Holmes Murphy University, learning about the firm’s history and the role and responsibility of being a shareholder.

“It’s not just buying in financially. It’s buying in culturally as a leader and supporter of others,” Hodgkiss said. “Those are the things that help you understand how we can help transition for another 100 years down the road and stay employee-owned and privately held.”

As an employee-owner, “you do have a perspective that’s different,” he continued. “It’s a big mentality shift where you’re inclined to see the big picture and the common goal as opposed to what do I individually want and need.”

As a firm, Holmes Murphy is designed to empower talented individuals to reach their full potential, Kemmis said.

“Our unique shareholder ownership model attracts top industry experts, enabling us to build unrivaled teams that innovate and shape exceptional insurance programs,” he said. “With our clients’ needs at the core of every decision, we take pride in every interaction, confident that we’re delivering industry-leading solutions that make a meaningful impact.”

For Hodgkiss, “I think my experience growing up with my dad as an entrepreneur and then growing my own business allow me to work with clients differently,” he said. “I always tell my clients to look at me as a business consultant that works for insurance companies rather than a transactional insurance broker.”

Discussions are business-focused first, he continued.

“We talk about profitability and how risk management and insurance are used to solve problems,” Hodgkiss said. “I look at business and insurance together, which allows me to have a unique thought process.”

Hodgkiss especially enjoys helping businesses navigate challenges.

“That’s what has the biggest impact for clients,” he said. “When we get into complicated businesses that spend a lot for insurance, we can solve a major problem and reduce their premium spend in ways that can save them significant recurring expenses. That can mean the difference in being able to hire or do an acquisition, so I really like to figure out ways we can be impactful and solve problems together in partnership.”

Connect with Holmes Murphy here to learn more about career opportunities.