Rusty Reid, chairman and CEO of Fort Worth-based insurance giant Higginbotham, is the 2025 Fort Worth Business Executive of the Year.
Texas Wesleyan University, the Fort Worth Report and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce will honor Reid at the 55th Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame event at 6 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Omni Fort Worth.
During his 30-plus years of leadership at Higginbotham, Reid has spearheaded initiatives that have contributed to the firm’s impressive growth, expanded market presence and enhanced brand visibility, all the while building a sustainable company culture, according to the selection committee gathered by Texas Wesleyan. Under his leadership, Higginbotham, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023, has become a top 20 independent brokerage firm in the U.S. and the largest in Texas.
From introducing the firm’s groundbreaking single-source service model, enabling clients to access a full spectrum of insurance and financial services in one place, to building a culture of generosity, where employees combine philanthropic efforts, to establishing Higginbotham’s employee ownership structure, Reid has demonstrated leadership at both the firm and in the industry, the award judges said. Texas Wesleyan has honored a top business executive every year since 1970.
Last year’s recipients were Billy Rosenthal, chairman of the Penrose Group LLC, and Rozanne Rosenthal, founder of the Greater Fort Worth affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
“The honor sort of helped us re-engage with the community,” said Billy Rosenthal, “which has been great for us.”
Reid came to Higginbotham and the insurance business via a circuitous route that began with plans to be a pediatrician. After a class in organic chemistry caused him to reconsider his career path, he ended up in business school, eventually interning at an insurance agency.
By 1986, Reid had joined Higginbotham as the company’s 12th employee to help run the business insurance practice. A few years later, CEO Reid began to plant the seeds of an idea that came to him when he worked at another insurance company: employee ownership.
Higginbotham eventually set up a stock ownership plan that gave each employee a stake in the company. It remains a business cornerstone that continues to attract and retain talent.
Reid has earned widespread recognition for his leadership both from his peers and the broader industry. He was named a Most Admired CEO by the Dallas Business Journal and the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s 2024 Philanthropic Leader. He received the Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award from the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and was named a Top Private Executive by Fort Worth Business Press. Plus, Reid was honored as CEO of the Year at the Business Insurance America Awards, named Entrepreneur of Excellence by FW Inc., and recognized as one of the 25 Most Innovative Agents in America by The National Alliance & The Rough Notes Company Inc.
If you go
What: Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth Report and Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce will honor Rusty Reid at the 55th Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame event. Dress is business attire, and attendance is open to the general public.
When: 6 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Omni Fort Worth. The reception begins at 6 p.m., and the dinner begins at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $400 per person.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available:
• Executive Sponsor – $25,000
• Leadership Sponsor – $10,000
• Blue & Gold Sponsor – $5,000
• Table Sponsor – $3,500
To make reservations and purchase tickets: Contact Amy Tate-Almy, development officer, at 817-531-5806.
Reid graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s in business administration/insurance. Reid and his wife, Molly, have three children and six grandchildren.
The 55th Business Hall of Fame is made possible by the joint efforts of Texas Wesleyan University, the Fort Worth Report, and the Fort Worth Chamber to present the Business Executive of the Year.
The event supports the Thomas H. Law Scholarship endowment, which benefits business students at Texas Wesleyan.
Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame past recipients
- 2024 – Billy and Rozanne Rosenthal, Standard Meat Co., Greater Fort Worth affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation
- 2023 – David Bonderman, TPG
- 2022 – Arnold “Arnie” G. Gachman, Gamtex Industries
- 2021 – Elaine Agather, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
- 2019 – Edward P. Bass, Fine Line Group
- 2018 – John C. Goff, Goff Capital Inc., Crescent Real Estate Holdings
- 2017 – H. Paul Dorman, DFB Pharmaceuticals LLC
- 2016 – Martha Williams and Joan Trew, Williams Trew Real Estate Services
- 2015 – Hunter Enis, Four Sevens Oil Co.
- 2014 – Jon Brumley, Bounty Investments
- 2013 – Mike Berry, Hillwood Properties
- 2012 – Nolan Ryan, Texas Rangers Baseball Club
- 2011 – Paul Andrews Jr., TTI Inc.
- 2010 – J. Luther King Jr., Luther King Capital Management
- 2009 – Vernon Bryant Jr., Southwest Bank
- 2008 – Matt Rose, BNSF Corporation
- 2007 – Bob R. Simpson, XTO Energy
- 2006 – W.R. “Bob” Watt Jr., Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show
- 2005 – Leonard Roberts, RadioShack
- 2004 – Robert L. Herchert, Freese and Nichols Inc.
- 2003 – Dain M. Hancock, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
- 2002 – Marvin J. Girouard, Pier 1 Imports
- 2001 – Clifton H. Morris Jr., AmeriCredit Corporation
- 2000 – Holt Hickman, Fort Worth Battery and Automotive
- 1999 – The Honorable Kay Granger, U.S. House of Representatives
- 1998 – James S. DuBose, Colonial Savings, Fort Worth Mortgage
- 1997 – Webb F. Joiner, Bell Helicopter Textron
- 1996 – Bayard H. Friedman, Friedman Young and Suder
- 1995 – Edgar H. Schollmaier, Alcon Laboratories Inc.
- 1994 – Clark A. Johnson, Pier 1 Imports
- 1993 – Dee J. Kelly, Kelly Hart & Hallman
- 1992 – Charlie L. Hillard, Hillard Auto Park
- 1991 – Gerald Grinstein, Burlington Northern Inc.
- 1990 – William L. Adams, Union Pacific Resources Company
- 1989 – Robert L. Crandall, American Airlines
- 1988 – John V. Roach, Tandy Corporation
- 1987 – Thomas H. Law, Law Snakard & Gambill
- 1986 – Bob Bolen, former mayor of Fort Worth
- 1985 – James R. Nichols, Freese and Nichols Inc.
- 1984 – William T. Smith, Champlin Petroleum Company
- 1983 – Judson Cramer, J&J Supply Inc.
- 1982 – Marvin Gearhart, Gearhart Industries Inc.
- 1982 – Amon G. Carter Jr. (honorary), Fort Worth Star-Telegram
- 1981 – William Conner, Alcon Laboratories Inc.
- 1980 – Arthur J. Dickerson, Southwest Petroleum Corporation
- 1979 – A.M. Pate Jr., Texas Refinery Corporation
- 1978 – Richard L. Lowe, American Quasar Petroleum Company
- 1978 – Charles G. Bluhdorn (honorary), Gulf + Western
- 1977 – H.E. Chiles, Western Company of North America
- 1976 – Charles D. Tandy, Tandy Corporation
- 1975 – R.E. Cox Jr., R.E. Cox & Company
- 1974 – J.C. Pace Jr., J.C. Pace & Company
- 1973 – M.J. Neeley, M.J. Neeley Company
- 1972 – John Justin Jr., Justin Industries
- 1971 – James L. West, Tandy Corporation
- 1970 – J.M. Leonard and O.P. Leonard, Leonard Department Stores
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
The Fort Worth Report is a sponsor of the Business Hall of Fame event.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.