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Cottingham & Butler

Cottingham & Butler

Independent broker delivering P&C & benefits

Member Services Advocate

Full-Time
No salary listed
Mid
Coralville, IA, USA
In Person

About the job

Requirements
  • Experience in health insurance, claims resolution, or benefits administration
  • Proven hands-on experience navigating health plans and claims processes
  • Ability to independently assess issues, interpret plan details, and drive outcomes across multiple stakeholders
  • Direct interaction with providers or carriers preferred
  • Comfort advocating on behalf of members in complex situations
  • Capacity to manage sensitive or multi-layered issues with minimal oversight

About the company

Cottingham & Butler is a large, privately held U.S. insurance broker focused on property & casualty and employee benefits. It helps clients manage risk by assessing needs, designing and placing insurance programs with carrier partners, and providing ongoing advisory, service, and claims support. Compared with competitors, it differentiates itself through its independence (not owned by carriers), scale, and a promise of consistent, improved outcomes—articulated as Better Every Day: better advice, better service, and better ideas than peers. The company emphasizes challenging conventional wisdom, innovating its services, and improving client results as it grew from 1887 to become the 3rd largest independently held broker. Its goal is to deliver measurable value for clients every day, helping them reduce risk and optimize benefits while maintaining strong growth and industry expertise.

Company Size

501-1,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Dubuque, Iowa

Founded

1987

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • The September 2026 Transportation Summit signals active demand generation and client intimacy.
  • A 1,300-person national platform gives Hessling immediate distribution and cross-sell capacity.
  • July 2026 leadership promotions suggest internal bench strength and continued growth investment.

What critics are saying

  • The 2025 Massachusetts data incident keeps creating legal and reputational exposure.
  • Transportation concentration ties results to trucking cycles, fleet claims severity, and carrier pricing.
  • If Hessling fails to scale beyond trucking, niche dependence limits growth and valuation.

What makes Cottingham & Butler unique

  • Mike Hessling became president on January 19, 2026, sharpening strategic execution.
  • C&B runs one of the largest specialized trucking practices nationwide, per July 2026.
  • The firm serves employers across property, benefits, captive, claims, and safety consulting.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account

401(k) Company Match

Profit Sharing

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Paid Holidays

Company-paid ST and LT Disability

Maternity Leave

Parental Leave

Subsidized Parking

Company-paid Term Life/Accidental Death Insurance

Company News

Insurance Journal
Jan 22nd, 2026
People Moves: Cottingham & Butler Names Hessling President; Blessing Named Office President of CRC Group Kansas City Operation

People moves: Cottingham & Butler Names Hessling President; Blessing Named Office President of CRC Group Kansas City Operation. Cottingham & Butler Names Hessling President Cottingham & Butler, headquartered in Dubuque, Iowa, named Mike Hessling as president. Hessling joins Cottingham & Butler from Gallagher Bassett, where he served as CEO of North America. As president, Hessling develops and executes the company's strategic agenda, with a focus on continued growth and long-term planning. Before Gallagher Bassett, Hessling held roles at Bain & Company, Bridge Strategy Group, and Arthur Andersen. Blessing Named Office President of CRC Group Kansas City Operation CRC Group, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, named Matt Blessing as office president in Kansas City, Missouri, where he will continue to lead the firm's Select binding operations. Blessing is responsible for overseeing underwriting strategy, talent development, and market expansion while supporting retail partners. Blessing brings nearly two decades of experience in underwriting and binding authority operations, with a background spanning underwriting management, portfolio development, and complex risk evaluation across multiple lines of business.

x107.1
Mar 11th, 2025
Cottingham & Butler opening Des Moines-area office

Cottingham & Butler is opening a new office in the Des Moines area.

Bulk Transporter
Feb 9th, 2022
Cottingham & Butler, Inc. launched survey for the 2022 edition of Annual Trucking Compensation & Benefits Benchmark Survey Report on Jan 9th 22'.

Cottingham & Butler recently launched a survey for the 2022 edition of its Annual Trucking Compensation & Benefits Benchmark Survey Report, which includes the only comprehensive breakout of data for the tank/bulk segment.

McLeod Express
Jan 6th, 2022
Mcleod Express, Llc partners with Cottingham & Butler, Inc.

Through its partnership with Cottingham & Butler, McLeod Express employees have access to the PerkSpot Employee Discount Program at no cost to them!