About US
Founded by Chris Hartman as The Hartman Agency, the firm was originally located in the Canton House Building in downtown Baltimore. The agency was initially established to provide surety bonds for area contractors. This service proved to be an integral part of Baltimore’s growth and development. In the years to follow, partners Ruth McLean and Carl Schmidt joined the firm, and the name was changed to Hartman, McLean & Schmidt Inc.
Under a new ownership structure, Hartman, McLean & Schmidt moves its main office of operations from downtown Baltimore to Greenspring Station, north of the city in Baltimore County. This move accommodates the need for more space and better accessibility for both its growing staff and client base.
Gary Pyne and Gary Berger, along with partners Eileen and Brian Wilcox, purchase the Baltimore area office of Hartman, McLean & Schmidt to form HMS Insurance Associates, Inc. At the time of purchase, the firm consists of 28 employees and writes $21,000,000 in annual premium.
HMS acquires Hallmark Insurance and welcomes their staff into HMS’ expanding office space.
HMS acquires the Commercial and Personal Lines business of the Earl A. Klein Agency, welcoming their staff to the HMS team. HMS, along with Justin Klein, purchase the Specialty Program Business for Contractors and Design Professionals in 2006 from Michael and Richard Klein.
Warfield-Dorsey Co., Inc. merges with HMS Insurance Associates Inc. Both firms are recognized by their long and respected histories in the insurance industry. David Warfield, president and fourth generation principal of the firm, joins HMS along with his staff.
As the agency growth continues, HMS relocates to Hunt Valley to accommodate the need for more office space and to better serve the needs of our valued clients. The new building and state-of-the-art technology, supports our highly skilled professional staff in providing the quality insurance and surety products and risk management services our clients expect and deserve.
HMS is selected to be part of an elite group of independent agencies from across the United States participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) “Best Practices”. Qualification is based on outstanding customer retention, growth, stability, financial management and customer value added services. HMS has qualified each year since our initial application in 2016. At present there are only 262 Best Practices Agencies in the United States.
HMS has developed into one of the largest full-service independent insurance agencies in the United States, providing comprehensive insurance products and services to individuals and businesses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. At present, HMS has 135 customer focused individuals servicing our client base and writes $375,000,000 in annual premium. HMS has also been recognized, for the fifth consecutive year, as one of the Top 100 agencies in the country as ranked by Business Insurance magazine.
Trusted and awarded
Recognized as one of the best in the country.
PERFORMANCE AND RESPONSE
Performance and Response are continually assessed through independent surveys; helping to define our goals and objectives. View our most recent survey results.
A TRUSTED CHOICE INDEPENDENT AGENT
We are proud members of Trusted Choice. Our clients and prospects know that they are dealing with ethical, professional agents who put their best interests ahead of any one company.
IIABA BEST PRACTICES AWARD
We are part of an elite group of independent agencies across the United States participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) “Best Practices” Study Group.
OUR LOCATION
HMS is located just north of Baltimore in Hunt Valley, Maryland. This centralized office of operations is well equipped with the latest technology and experienced staff who serve our clients throughout a very broad geographical area.
We hold ourselves to the
highest standards.
THE HMS CORE VISION
At HMS, our team of professionals is committed to excellent customer service and is ready to work closely with you to provide the comprehensive and personalized attention you deserve. We see it as part of our job to protect your assets, minimize losses and reduce your insurance costs. HMS wants to be more than your insurance agency. Our goal is to be the place where risk management, loss control, surety bonding and financial planning all come together as a team to work for you.
HMS will be guided by the following principles in the conduct of its business:
- We will be a customer focused organization in every way possible.
- We will be innovative and flexible in meeting our customers’ needs.
- We will look upon our insurance markets as our partners recognizing that, in the long run, we cannot serve our insurance customers well if we do not serve our insurance companies well.
- We will conduct our business in an ethical manner at all times.
- We will strive to be good corporate citizens of our community.
- We will set high goals for profitable growth but within the context of other guiding principles.
- We will provide a challenging and rewarding workplace for everyone at HMS and reward performance fairly.
Our Mission is to provide a consistently high level of quality service to our customers at competitive, fair prices. We offer a challenging workplace for our employees and provide opportunity for growth within the organization to anyone with the talent and desire to grow, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin or ancestry, marital status, veteran’s status or disability.
Our strategy is to make every client feel like they are our ONLY client. Built on the foundation of being one of the largest 100 agencies in the US, and everyday building a better community around us—we give every account, every client and every claim our 100% attention to help eliminate worry from your goal of comfortable living. LEARN MORE
LOCATIONS WE SERVE
A regional company with a national presence.
HMS is licensed in all 50 states and DC, serving clients throughout the country in locations including and beyond:
Maryland – Annapolis, Baltimore, Baltimore County, Bel Air, Cambridge, Columbia, Easton, Frederick, Glen Burnie, Hunt Valley, Hagerstown, Lutherville-Timonium, Pasadena, Rockville, Severna Park, Silver Spring, Salisbury
Delaware – Dover, New Castle, Newark, Wilmington
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania – Lancaster, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, York
Virginia – Alexandria, Arlington, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Reston
Washington, DC
West Virginia