Hays Cos. expands employee benefits practice into Texas

MINNEAPOLIS—Mid-market insurance brokerage Hays Cos. has expanded its employee benefits practice into Texas, the company announced Thursday.

The new branch, to be located in Plano, Texas, marks the company’s entry into the Dallas/Fort Worth market, and will give it access to potential insurance and risk management consulting clients across Texas and Oklahoma, the company said in a statement.

In less than 20 years, Hays has grown into the country’s 16th-largest commercial insurance brokerage of U.S. business, according to Business Insurance’s rankings. The Minneapolis-based brokerage’s primary demographic will continue to be mid-market employers between 100 and 5,000 employees, the company said.

Dallas-based benefits practice leader Erik Templin has been named to manage the new branch.