Sponsor Spotlight: Higginbotham
Tell us about Higginbotham’s history in Fort Worth. What are you most proud of?
Higginbotham has deep roots in Fort Worth, where Paul C. Higginbotham opened a small personal insurance agency in 1948. Almost 75 years later, his namesake agency is now the largest independent insurance, financial and HR services firm based in Texas and a leader in the nation with offices coast-to-coast. The majority of our board members were raised in North Texas, and we have a strong affinity with our community and desire to see our neighborhoods prosper.
Through our growth, we haven’t lost sight of our values. We’re a people-first firm that’s family to our employees, accountable to our clients, teammates to our carriers and generous to our communities. Those values create a culture that our employees have voted as a top workplace time and time again. The awards we’ve received as an employer of choice that are direct reflections of employee surveys are what President and CEO Rusty Reid is most proud of. Our people are Higginbotham’s greatest asset, and we’re blessed with people who are generous to each other and our neighbors.
What is Higginbotham’s sponsorship philosophy, and how does the Cliburn match those goals? How is a relationship with the Cliburn beneficial to your brand?
One of the core values that we live by is to be generous to our communities. After all, it’s our communities that give our firm and our clients the opportunities to not only do business, but to grow business. So, we seek to align with organizations that reflect our values and provide avenues to give back to our communities.
The Cliburn fits squarely in this space. It is an elite event that brings global attention and economic opportunities to our home city. With the Cliburn’s support of young pianists across the world, we extend our values-based approach beyond our Fort Worth community to audiences we may not have otherwise reached. It also brings local businesses together to engage with each other in support of a worthy cause.
Share any specific sponsorship success stories or outcomes from the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
We used the tickets from our corporate sponsorship to host clients at the events to show our gratitude and strengthen those relationships. They and other clients in attendance who saw our logo as a sponsor reached out to us expressing their appreciation of our Cliburn support.
In addition to our corporate sponsorship, we’re proud that several of our people have demonstrated their generosity by supporting the Cliburn, whether it be volunteering their time, hosting competitors, attending events or lending their leadership.
Why might the Cliburn be an important partner for Higginbotham, in the future?
As our clients have already expressed to us, Higginbotham’s partnership with the Cliburn appeals to their sense of community responsibility and thereby fortifies our ties so we have long-term relationships. It also brings us additional business development opportunities by exposing our firm to other companies that engage with the Cliburn and share our philosophy of giving back. Internally, our partnership aligns with our values and reinforces our culture where people come first. Being generous to our community is a key part of what makes people want to work at Higginbotham.