BRIEF: Hardman & Howell acquired by insurance brokerage giant [The Wichita Eagle]

Jan. 02--Hardman & Howell Benefits, a 35-year-old employee benefits consulting company, has been acquired by insurance brokerage giant Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

Financial terms of the acquisition, announced by Gallagher in a press release Wednesday, were not disclosed.

Gary Hardman founded the benefits consulting firm in 1977. In 2011 Hardman formalized a long-time partnership with Mike Howell that created Hardman & Howell.

The company, at 8110 E. 32nd North, employs about a dozen people and provides employee benefits consulting to companies in areas such as group health insurance, flexible spending accounts, life insurance and short- and long-term disability.

Gallagher, based in Itasca, Ill., is a publicly traded brokerage with operations in 18 countries.

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