First pass, August 2026
Thank you again for the opportunity to build this. Based on our conversations, we designed a first version of a system to identify the independent agency owners in Orange County most worth a conversation, using only public records, and ranked them so you can decide where to start.
We swept Orange County through public business listings and mapped roughly 6,500 insurance businesses.
We removed captive agents, franchise operations, and agencies already owned by a consolidator, then filtered out notaries, title companies, and other businesses that surface on an insurance search but are not agencies. That left roughly 1,500 qualified independent agencies.
Every agency was scored on public web signals, including site age, succession language, and whether the owner's name is on the door, so the manual work went to the most promising names first.
I took the top 150 and looked each one up by hand against the state licensing portal, which blocks automation. My system parsed each record, verified the identity against the listing, and scored it: licence status, issue date, carrier appointments, lines of authority, principals, enforcement history.
What survived is this list, in ranked order by our first scoring model, with a profile on every priority agency.
Along the way, the public record removed 22 agencies before you would ever have called them: 12 already owned by a consolidator, 7 with dead licences, and 3 under enforcement orders, along with a handful of captive affiliated and chain operations the screening caught. Those are the calls that go nowhere, and no purchased list flags them.
45 agencies. 42 in Orange County, 23 in the priority group, each priority agency with a profile including the public contact information that exists for it, published emails included where the agency lists one. Three more surfaced outside the county during verification and are included at the end. They are yours.
This is the top of the ranked list, not the county. About 150 of 1,500 qualified agencies have been verified. The rest have not been touched.
42 Orange County agencies, ranked by the first version of the scoring model. The ranking is a starting point built to be corrected by your read. A profile on every priority agency follows.
Sixteen agencies tie at 85 on this first model, which means the order among those sixteen carries no information. That tie is the clearest thing your read can break, and breaking it is what makes version two sharper than this one.
Priority, 23 agencies
| Agency | City | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles A Kanoy & Associates | San Juan Capistrano | 85 |
| 2 | Kenneth G. Harris Insurance Agency, Inc. | Laguna Niguel | 85 |
| 3 | Charles Showalter Insurance | Mission Viejo | 85 |
| 4 | Paul S. Thomas Jr. | Newport Beach | 85 |
| 5 | Sue Tarvin Insurance Services | Costa Mesa | 85 |
| 6 | John L Campbell Insurance | Laguna Beach | 85 |
| 7 | Mark Jackson Insurance | Yorba Linda | 85 |
| 8 | Brad Purcha Insurance Agency | Anaheim | 85 |
| 9 | Brian Powell Health Insurance Services | Tustin | 85 |
| 10 | Martin Felix Ins Agency Inc | Santa Ana | 85 |
| 11 | Thomas Uzelac Insurance Agency | Lake Forest | 85 |
| 12 | Hoban Thomas | Anaheim | 85 |
| 13 | Hoyt K. Vanderpool III Insurance Solutions, Inc. | Laguna Niguel | 85 |
| 14 | John Hogan Insurance Services | Mission Viejo | 85 |
| 15 | Matthew Tehrani Insurance Agency | Newport Beach | 85 |
| 16 | Nathan Comstock Insurance Services | Mission Viejo | 85 |
| 17 | Ringer John | Huntington Beach | 83 |
| 18 | B Kamran Insurance Services | Newport Beach | 80 |
| 19 | Eric Kotowitz Insurance | Lake Forest | 80 |
| 20 | Michael A Darany, CFP, EA | Costa Mesa | 80 |
| 21 | George FJ Hill Insurance Inc | Laguna Beach | 78 |
| 22 | Effective Risk Management | Costa Mesa | 75 |
| 23 | Marion Douglas Financial and Insurance Services | Placentia | 70 |
Watch, 19 agencies
Verified against the state record. These scored below the priority group on this first pass. Some of your best conversations may come from here; that is part of what your feedback tunes.
| Agency | City | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Thomas and Thomas Insurance | Orange | 68 |
| 25 | Jay Welther Insurance | San Juan Capistrano | 65 |
| 26 | Steve Kim Insurance Services | Anaheim | 65 |
| 27 | Rai's Insurance Services, Inc | Anaheim | 65 |
| 28 | Kelly and Kelly Insurance Services | San Clemente | 65 |
| 29 | Caldwell Insurance Agency Inc. | La Habra | 64 |
| 30 | Ross Diversified Insurance Services | Garden Grove | 64 |
| 31 | Sunrise Insurance Solutions | Huntington Beach | 64 |
| 32 | Hodge & Hodge Insurance | Irvine | 61 |
| 33 | Craig P Brown Insurance | Newport Beach | 60 |
| 34 | Michael Chiang Insurance | Tustin | 60 |
| 35 | Stephanie Frisch Insurance 101 Services | San Juan Capistrano | 54 |
| 36 | Alex Ajit Kulkarni | Laguna Hills | 50 |
| 37 | Matthew Kim | Buena Park | 50 |
| 38 | Jennifer Lamb Insurance Agency | Placentia | 50 |
| 39 | Phillip Robinson Insurance Agency, Inc. | Rancho Santa Margarita | 45 |
| 40 | K Jay Insurance Agency | Westminster | 45 |
| 41 | Scott & McCauley Insurance Agency | Dana Point | 45 |
| 42 | McRae Associates Insurance Services | Anaheim | 45 |
Outside Orange County, 3 agencies
These sit outside the county and are not part of the county list. They were found while verifying it, and they are yours. The two priority names have profiles at the end of this document.
| Agency | City | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul G. Muenchow | Manhattan Beach | 85 |
| 2 | Deanna C. Canter | Rancho Palos Verdes | 80 |
| 3 | McKenna Insurance Group, Inc. | Bonita | 35 |
San Juan Capistrano, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: KANOY CHARLES ALLEN. Licensed since May 1970. Sole practitioner license. 21 carrier appointments. 3 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity. 4 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 661-8889. CLU designation. Public business directories list an estimated 3 staff and date the business to 1971.
Laguna Niguel, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: HARRIS KENNETH GEORGE. Licensed since September 1972. Sole practitioner license. 18 carrier appointments. 2 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 249-6676. Also listed at (949) 249-6768. The most probable email based on public records is ken@shophealthinsurancenow.com. It has not been confirmed by the agency. Online at shophealthinsurancenow.com. LinkedIn owner profile and a Facebook page. LinkedIn dates the agency to 1972 and describes employee benefits, life and health. The website is currently a rebuild placeholder.
Mission Viejo, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: SHOWALTER CHARLES PALMER. Licensed since January 1973. Sole practitioner license. 45 carrier appointments. 3 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity. 5 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life, Life and Disability, Var Life and Var Annuity.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 589-3309. Carries 3 public reviews. Goes by Chuck. LinkedIn owner and agent profile, Trabuco Canyon. A second office at 23152 Verdugo Dr Ste 190c, Laguna Hills. Medicare supplement positioning.
Newport Beach, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: THOMAS PAUL STANISLAUS JR. Licensed since March 1975. Sole practitioner license. 26 carrier appointments. 3 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity.
Contact and presence
No web presence. FINRA BrokerCheck is the verifiable profile, via Cetera Wealth Services. Operates from a shared advisor suite.
Costa Mesa, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: TARVIN SUZANNE ESTELLA. Licensed since July 1982. Sole practitioner license. 17 carrier appointments. 2 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (714) 850-1088. Also listed at (714) 434-6460. Also listed at (714) 957-6986. Trades under Sue Tarvin Insurance Services, Tarvin Insurance Service LLC, Elderwatch Insurance Services and Darrick Tarvin Insurance Services, all at the same address. Elderwatch confirms a senior and Medicare focus.
Laguna Beach, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: CAMPBELL JOHN LILE. Licensed since May 1984. Sole practitioner license. 41 carrier appointments. 4 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property. 4 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 494-1008. Also listed at (800) 764-4678. Also listed at fax (949) 497-9830. Carries 2 public reviews. Email jim@jlcinsurance.com, published by the agency itself. Online at jlcinsurance.com. Website live. Email published on the agency Facebook page. Chamber of Commerce listing records the agency opening on March 1 1976, the owner's wife joining a year later, and a staff of 9. Progressive, Nationwide, Travelers and Mercury appointments confirmed by carrier locators.
Yorba Linda, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: JACKSON MARK. Licensed since February 1984. Sole practitioner license. 12 carrier appointments. 4 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property. 5 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Disability Only, Life, Property.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (714) 779-2629. Operates 2 offices in the county. Carries 1 public review. Online at markjacksoninsurance.com. California Secretary of State shows incorporation on 9/15/1992 with Mark Jackson as CEO and registered agent at 19332 Trino Cir, a residential address, so the agency is home based. Dated to 1984 in public business directories.
Anaheim, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: PURCHA BRADLEY JAY. Licensed since November 1986. Sole practitioner license. 31 carrier appointments. 3 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity. 4 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (714) 991-4855. LinkedIn active, Chapman University, posting on the California auto market. Facebook page. Anaheim Chamber biography records a start in 1987 at New York Life Fullerton, voluntary supplemental products from 1998, and a partnership with Frank Garcia of Insurance KO.
Tustin, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: POWELL BRIAN ANDERSON. Licensed since September 1986. Sole practitioner license. 28 carrier appointments. 2 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (714) 457-5455. Also listed at (714) 547-3313. LinkedIn active, Brigham Young University. A public business profile records a former role as personnel director for the City of Orange and a current focus on Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage.
Santa Ana, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: FELIX MARTIN RODIMIRO. Licensed since September 1988. Sole practitioner license. 28 carrier appointments. 4 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property. 4 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (714) 285-9990. Carries 502 public reviews. Email martin@niacoverage.com, published by the agency itself. Online at niacoverage.com. Website live. Team page publishes martin@niacoverage.com, rosie@niacoverage.com and cs@niacoverage.com. Rosie Felix is listed as co principal and owner. Better Business Bureau rating A plus, with a second office at 345 S Euclid St, Fullerton. SBCS and CWCA certifications.
Lake Forest, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: UZELAC THOMAS DAVIS. Licensed since March 1988. Sole practitioner license. 9 carrier appointments. 2 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 973-8700. LinkedIn headline carries the phone 949.973.8700 and District Manager at Health Plans 4 Less. Also a real estate investor and speaker. Dormant X account @UzelacAgency.
Anaheim, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: HOBAN THOMAS WILLIAM. Licensed since February 1990. Sole practitioner license. 33 carrier appointments. 3 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (714) 974-4500. Financial advisor at Diversified Investment Services and Commonwealth Financial Network. Office at 180 N Riverview Dr Ste 220, Anaheim, which matches the stored address. AIF designation. FINRA BrokerCheck CRD 1807398.
Laguna Niguel, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: VANDERPOOL HOYT KERMIT III. Licensed since September 1991. Sole practitioner license. 23 carrier appointments. 2 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life. 2 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 916-0961. Online at hvisinc.com. Site states since 1997. California Secretary of State shows incorporation on 6/4/2003 with Hoyt K Vanderpool III as registered agent. Directories estimate 3 to 4 staff.
Mission Viejo, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: HOGAN JOHN THOMAS. Licensed since March 1994. Sole practitioner license. 11 carrier appointments. 4 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property. 5 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Life Only (Limited), Property.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 212-2117. Carries 1 public review. Directory confirmed phone (949) 212-2117 at 26098 Via Pera #4. Long term care category listings.
Newport Beach, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: TEHRANI MASOUD MATTHEW. Licensed since April 1997. Sole practitioner license. 17 carrier appointments. 4 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property. 5 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Disability Only, Life, Property.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 336-1010. Also listed at (949) 553-0813. Also listed at (949) 573-3408. Carries 1 public review. Online at tehrani.net. Website touched August 2026. Facebook page lists (949) 553-0813 and Yelp lists (949) 573-3408. Carrier locators list him as a former Farmers agency, CA licence 0C02352. A LinkedIn post announces new appointments with Progressive, National General, Guard and CSE.
Mission Viejo, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: COMSTOCK NATHAN JAMES. Licensed since July 2001. Sole practitioner license. 18 carrier appointments. 5 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property, Var Life and Var Annuity. 4 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 887-6629. Online at thecomstockagency.com. Yelp dates the agency to 2006. Office suite with Saturday hours.
Huntington Beach, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: RINGER JOHN D. Licensed since March 2001. Sole practitioner license. 34 carrier appointments. 2 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (714) 960-1887. Email john@johnringer.com, published by the agency itself. Online at johnringer.com. Website live. Email published on a partner enrollment page. LinkedIn active, President of Ringer Business Services, with recent Medicare policy posts. Also listed on the MNJ Insurance Solutions team page. 905 12th St is a residential address, so the agency is home based.
Newport Beach, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: KAMRAN BARRY MEIR. Licensed since December 1981. Sole practitioner license. 29 carrier appointments. 4 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property. 5 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Disability Only, Life, Property.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (310) 475-9990. Online at kamraninsurance.com, InsuranceAgentsNearMe.com, InsureHopper.com. Goes by Barry. Runs two self built platforms, InsuranceAgentsNearMe.com and InsureHopper.com. Own biography records Farmers from 1980, Gold Card commercial agent, and opening NEWS Insurance in 2004 with his wife. Licensed in 10 states. Speaks Farsi.
Lake Forest, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: KOTOWITZ ERIC LOUIS. Licensed since December 1991. Sole practitioner license. 29 carrier appointments. 5 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property, Var Life and Var Annuity. 6 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Disability Only, Life, Property, Var Life and Var Annuity.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 831-7039. Carries 7 public reviews.
Costa Mesa, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: DARANY MICHAEL ANTHONY. Licensed since June 1992. Sole practitioner license. 9 carrier appointments. 3 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity. 4 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 200-8207.
Laguna Beach, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: HILL GEORGE FREDERICK JOHN JR. Licensed since October 1961. Sole practitioner license. 2 carrier appointments. 4 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Casualty, Life, Property.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (949) 494-8008. Online at gfjhillinsurance.com. Website live and full line. Dated to 1946 in public business directories.
Costa Mesa, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: THOMAS PAULINE. Licensed since June 1976. Sole practitioner license. 8 carrier appointments. 4 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Property.
Contact and presence
Fee based risk management consultant and expert witness. CRM, CIC, ARM, CISR and FSRMC designations. Past president of the Society of Risk Management Consultants. Faculty at Big I Virtual University. Licensed in 10 states. LinkedIn active.
Placentia, California
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL & INSURANCE SERVICES. Licensed since March 2000. 38 carrier appointments. 3 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Life, Var Life and Var Annuity. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life.
Contact and presence
Reachable at (714) 696-7300. Online at mariondouglasins.com, marion-douglas.com. Both websites live. LinkedIn company page dates the firm to 1990 and describes employee benefits, retirement and wealth. Investments are placed through HTK, the Penn Mutual broker dealer. The site describes senior consultants, plural.
Manhattan Beach, California. Outside Orange County.
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: MUENCHOW PAUL GEORGE. Licensed since March 1979. Sole practitioner license. 11 carrier appointments. 5 lines of authority: Accident & Health or Sickness, Casualty, Life, Property, Var Life and Var Annuity. 3 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Accident & Health or Sickness, Disability Only, Life.
Contact and presence
Also listed at (310) 365-7573. Also listed at fax (844) 780-1600. Email paulmuenchowinsurance@msn.com, published by the agency itself. Online at medinsadvisor.com. Own agent page publishes the email and phone. LinkedIn headline reads MEDICAL INSURANCE BROKER.
Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Outside Orange County.
What stands out
On the license
Name on the license: CANTER DEANNA CHARLENE. Licensed since September 1978. Sole practitioner license. 4 carrier appointments. 2 lines of authority: Casualty, Property. 2 distinct lines actually placed with carriers: Casualty, Property.
Every agency in this document was verified by hand against the state licensing record. The scores are a first attempt at ranking who is most worth a conversation, built from public signals: tenure, succession picture, carrier profile, and web presence. They order the work; they do not predict outcomes, and your corrections are what makes version two sharper than this one. The score does not value the book. That is your side of the table.
The carrier roster on each profile comes off the public licensing record, which means on any of these agencies you hold that block before the first call rather than after.
Five names in the priority group are advisory or network affiliated practices with insurance books attached: Paul S. Thomas Jr., Hoban Thomas, Michael A Darany, Effective Risk Management, and Thomas Uzelac. The license record does not distinguish them from a standalone agency, so the model scored them like one. They are in here on purpose.
Whether that profile is a seller or a pass is your call, and telling me which is the single fastest correction you can make to version two.
This is the top of the ranked list, not the county. Roughly 1,350 qualified Orange County agencies remain unverified below the names in this file, and the same machine runs on any county in California.