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The Rutherfoord family has been involved with the insurance industry since 1794, with an early focus in construction and surety bonding. In 1916 a member of the family’s third generation, Thomas Rutherfoord, founded the firm that exists today and includes his grandson and great nephew as two of the three principals in the company.
A Timeline of Rutherfoord’s History
1794 Thomas Rutherfoord (1766-1852), a native of Glasgow, Scotland who is a lawyer and merchant in Richmond, Virginia, helps finance the Mutual Assurance Society insurance company. Early policies are written for John Marshall, the first chief justice of the Supreme Court, and a ‘declaration’ for George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.
Thomas Rutherfoord (1897-1952), the great-grandson of Thomas Rutherfoord from Scotland, founded the brokerage firm in Roanoke, Virginia. The business grew and prospered, and Rutherfoord was widely respected for his insurance expertise. Today, his grandson, Thomas Rutherfoord Brown, is the firm’s vice chairman. 1922 Julian Rutherfoord Jr., Thomas’s younger brother, joins the family business after working for the Virginia General Assembly, and develops the profession’s first retrospectively rated workers’ compensation policy, written for Bethlehem Steel. 1934 Julian’s eldest son, Julian Jr., joined the family business, and also spends a portion of his career with the Virginia legislature. 1937 Thomas Downman Rutherfoord Sr., (1915-2003), the younger brother of Julian Jr., joins the firm’s New York office and focuses on bonds and insurance for construction contractors. In the ensuing decades he becomes a central figure in the original family partnership. Today, his son, Thomas D. Rutherfoord Jr., is the firm’s chairman. 1952 The firm’s founder, Thomas Rutherfoord (1897-1952) dies at the age of 73. 1963 Thomas D. Rutherfoord Sr. incorporates the company as Thomas Rutherfoord Bonding & Insurance. 1965 & 1967 Offices are opened in Hampton Roads (1965) and Alexandria, Virginia (1967) 1971 Thomas D. Rutherfoord Jr., the firm’s current chairman, joins and manages the Alexandria office while aligning the company for future growth and developing a plan to reinvest earnings into growth and depth throughout the organization. 1979 Thomas Rutherfoord Brown, Rutherfoord’s current vice chairman, joins and opens the firm’s Richmond office in 1983. Along with his second cousin, Thomas Rutherfoord Jr., he represents the fifth generation in the insurance profession and returns the business to the original family seat in Richmond. 1986 Thomas D. Rutherfoord Sr. retires and appoints Thomas Jr., to lead the firm. Thomas Jr., recruits George A. (Shad) Steadman III, the firm’s current vice chairman, to run the large Roanoke office and improve the firm’s profitability. 1988 Rutherfoord Financial Services, Inc. becomes a subsidiary. 1989 Rutherfoord International, Inc. is established to provide insurance, risk management, employee benefits and crisis management to protect clients worldwide. 1991 Rutherfoord initiates a stock ownership plan for employees, highlighting the importance of its clients and employees, and forming the basis of the firm’s corporate culture. 1997 & 1998 Offices are opened in Raleigh (1997) and Charlotte (1998), North Carolina, 1999 Assurance Services Corporation (ASC), a wholly-owned subsidiary, and Assurance Capital Corporation, Inc. (ACC) are established. ASC provides risk services and claims advocacy, and ACC provides alternative risk strategies such as captives and other self-funding risk techniques. 2001 Rutherfoord opens an office in Atlanta. 2002 Rutherfoord creates Assure Tech, a software provider for small businesses. 2003 Rutherfoord enters the environmental consulting field by acquiring Faulkner & Flynn, an environmental management firm. An office is opened in Philadelphia, and Thomas D. Rutherfoord Sr. passes away. 2004 In October, Rutherfoord receives the coveted Torch Award for Marketplace Integrity from Better Business Bureau of Western Virginia. Also wins the Family Services National Family Week Business award for unique employee benefits and going the extra mile for employees. 2005 Rough Notes awards Rutherfoord “2004 Marketing Agency of the Year.” 2006 Rutherfoord is the first insurance brokerage in the U. S. to be named Carbon Free® by Carbonfund.org. The firm opens an office in Lynchburg, Virginia. 2007 Rutherfoord is named a Climate Leaders partner company by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2008 Marsh Inc. forms Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC (MMA), a new business dedicated to serving the needs of the middle market. MMA operates separately from Marsh Inc. 2009 Rutherfoord opens an office in Mobile, Alabama, to expand the firm’s maritime practice and extend the firm’s geographic footprint to serve the Gulf Coast region. The firm also opened an office in Philadelphia following several years of specialty work in the region with environmental and commercial insurance. 2010 MMA acquires Rutherfoord, which has annual revenues of $81 million and more than 300 employees. With 10 offices located from Philadelphia to the Gulf Coast region, Rutherfoord is the 32nd largest brokerage firm in the United States and ranks as the 14th largest among independents. Established in 1916, it provides a full range of commercial property and casualty insurance, risk management, surety, employee benefits, and personal insurance. 2011
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