Item 1. Business.

Overview

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. and its subsidiaries, collectively referred to herein as we, our, us or Gallagher, are engaged in providing insurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party property/casualty claims settlement and administration services to businesses and organizations around the world. We believe that our major strength is our ability to deliver comprehensively structured insurance, insurance and risk management solutions, superior claim outcomes and comprehensive consulting services to our clients.

Our brokerage segment operations provide brokerage and consulting services to businesses and organizations of all types, including commercial,

not-for-profit,

and public entities, and, to a lesser extent, individuals, in the areas of insurance placement, risk of loss management, and management of employer sponsored benefit programs. Our risk management segment operations provide contract claim settlement, claim administration, loss control services and risk management consulting for commercial,

not-for-profit,

captive and public entities, and various other organizations that choose to self-insure property/casualty coverages or choose to use a third-party claims management organization rather than the claim services provided by an underwriting enterprise.

We do not assume underwriting risk on a net basis, other than with respect to de minimis amounts necessary to provide minimum or regulatory capital to organize captives, pools, specialized underwriters or risk-retention groups. Rather, capital necessary for covering events of loss is provided by “underwriting enterprises,” which we define as insurance companies, reinsurance companies and various other risk-taking entities, including intermediaries of underwriting enterprises, that we do not own or control.

Since our founding in 1927, we have grown from a

one-person

insurance agency to the world’s fourth largest insurance broker/risk manager based on revenues, according to

Business Insurance

magazine’s July 2019 edition, and one of the world’s largest property/casualty third party claims administrators, according to

Business Insurance

magazine’s May 2019 edition. We have three reportable segments: brokerage, risk management and corporate, which contributed approximately 68%, 14% and 18%, respectively, to 2019 revenues. We generate approximately 69% of our revenues from the combined brokerage and risk management segments in the United States (U.S.), with the remaining 31% derived internationally, primarily in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (U.K.). All of the revenues of the corporate segment are generated in the U.S.

Shares of our common stock are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “AJG”, and we had a market capitalization at December 31, 2019 of approximately $17.9 billion. Information in this report is as of December 31, 2019 unless otherwise noted. We were reincorporated as a Delaware corporation in 1972. Our executive offices are located at 2850 Golf Road, Rolling Meadows, Illinois 60008-4050, and our telephone number is (630)

773-3800.

Operating Segments

We report our results in three segments: brokerage, risk management and corporate. The major sources of our operating revenues are commissions, fees and supplemental and contingent revenues from our brokerage operations, and fees, including

performance-based

fees, from our risk management operations. The corporate segment generates revenues from our clean energy investments.

Our business, particularly our brokerage business, is subject to seasonal fluctuations. Commissions, fees, supplemental revenues and contingent revenues, and our costs to obtain and fulfill the service obligations to our clients, can vary from quarter to quarter as a result of the timing of contract-effective dates. On the other hand, salaries and employee benefits, rent, depreciation and amortization expenses generally tend to be more uniform throughout the year. The timing of acquisitions, recognition of books of business gains and losses and the variability in the recognition of tax credits generated by our clean energy investments also impact the trends in our quarterly operating results. See Note 22 to our 2019 consolidated financial statements for unaudited quarterly operating results for 2019 and 2018.

Brokerage Segment

The brokerage segment accounted for 68% of our revenues in 2019. We operate our brokerage segment operations through a network of more than 580 sales and service offices located throughout the U.S. and more than 300 sales and service offices in 49 countries, most of which are in Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, New Zealand and the U.K. Most of these offices are fully staffed with sales and service personnel. We also offer client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

Our brokerage segment generates revenues by:

	(i)	Identifying, negotiating and placing all forms of insurance or reinsurance coverages, as well as providing risk-shifting, risk-sharing and risk-mitigation consulting services, principally related to property/casualty, life, health, welfare and disability insurance. We also provide these services through, or in conjunction with, other unrelated agents and brokers, consultants and management advisors.

	(ii)	Acting as an agent or broker for multiple underwriting enterprises by providing services such as sales, marketing, selecting, negotiating, underwriting, servicing and placing insurance coverage on their behalf.

	(iii)	Providing consulting services related to health and welfare benefits, voluntary benefits, executive benefits, compensation, retirement planning, institutional investment and fiduciary, actuarial, compliance, private insurance exchange, human resource technology, communications and benefit administration.

	(iv)	Providing management and administrative services to captives, pools, risk-retention groups, healthcare exchanges, small underwriting enterprises, such as accounting, claims and loss processing assistance, feasibility studies, actuarial studies, data analytics and other administrative services.

The vast majority of our brokerage contracts and service understandings are for a period of one year or less.

Commissions and fees

The primary source of brokerage segment revenues is commissions from underwriting enterprises, which are based on a percentage of premiums paid by our clients, or fees received from clients based on an agreed level of service usually in lieu of commissions.

Commissions are fixed at the contract effective date and generally are based on a percentage of premium for insurance coverage or employee headcount for employer sponsored benefit plans. Commissions depend upon a large number of factors, including the type of risk being placed, the particular underwriting enterprise’s demand, the expected loss experience of the particular risk of coverage, and historical benchmarks surrounding the level of effort necessary for us to place and service the insurance contract. Rather than being tied to the amount of premiums, fees are typically based on an expected level of effort to provide our services.

Whether we are paid a commission or a fee, the vast majority of our services are associated with the placement of an insurance (or insurance-like) contract. See Revenue Recognition in Note 1 to our 2019 consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 to our 2019 consolidated financial statements for information with respect to the impacts that a new accounting standard, relating to revenue recognition, had on our financial position and operating results.

Supplemental revenues

Certain underwriting enterprises may pay us additional revenues based on the volume of premium we place with them and for insights into our sales pipeline, our sales capabilities or our risk selection knowledge. These amounts are in excess of the commission and fee revenues discussed above, and not all business we place with underwriting enterprises is eligible for supplemental revenues. See Revenue Recognition in Note 1 to our 2019 consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 to our 2019 consolidated financial statements for information with respect to the impacts that a new accounting standard, relating to revenue recognition, had on our financial position and operating results.

Contingent revenues

Certain underwriting enterprises may pay us additional revenues for our sales capabilities, our risk selection knowledge, or our administrative efficiencies. These amounts are in excess of the commission revenues discussed above, and not all business we place with participating underwriting enterprises is eligible for contingent revenues. Unlike supplemental revenues, also discussed above, these revenues are variable, generally based on growth, the loss experience of the underlying insurance contracts, and/or our efficiency in processing the business. See Revenue Recognition in Note 1 to our 2019 consolidated financial statements. See Note 2 to our 2019 consolidated financial statements for information with respect to the impacts that a new accounting standard, relating to revenue recognition, had on our financial position and operating results.

Sub-brokerage

costs

Sub-brokerage

costs are excluded from our gross revenues in our determination of our total revenues.

Sub-brokerage

costs represent commissions paid to

sub-brokers

related to the placement of certain business by our brokerage segment operations. We recognize this contra revenue in the same manner as the commission revenue to which it relates.

Retail Insurance Brokerage Operations

Our retail insurance brokerage operations accounted for 82% of our brokerage segment revenues in 2019. Our retail brokerage operations place nearly all lines of commercial property/casualty and health and welfare insurance coverage. Significant lines of insurance coverage and consultant capabilities are as follows:

Aviation		Disability		General Liability		Products Liability
Casualty		Earthquake		Health & Welfare		Professional Liability
Claims Advocacy		Errors & Omissions		Healthcare Analytics		Property
Commercial Auto		Exchange Solutions		Human Resources		Retirement
Compensation		Executive Benefits		Institutional Investment		Surety Bond
Cyber Liability		Fiduciary Services		Loss Control		Voluntary Benefits
Dental		Fine Arts		Marine		Wind
Directors & Officers Liability		Fire		Medical		Workers’ Compensation

Our retail brokerage operations are organized and operate within certain key niche/practice groups, which account for approximately 67% of our retail brokerage revenues. These specialized teams target areas of business and/or industries in which we have developed a depth of expertise and a large client base. Significant niche/practice groups we serve are as follows:

Affinity		Equity Advisors		Law Firms		Real Estate/Hospitality
Automotive		Financial Institutions		Life Sciences		Religious
Aviation		Food/Agribusiness		Marine		Restaurant
Construction		Global Risks		Not-for-Profit		Technology
Energy		Healthcare		Personal		Trade Credit/Political Risk
Entertainment		Higher Education		Private Client		Transportation
Environmental		K12 Education		Public Entity

Our specialized focus on these niche/practice groups allows for highly-focused marketing efforts and facilitates the development of value-added products and services specific to those industries. We believe that our detailed understanding and broad client contacts within these niche/practice groups provide us with a competitive advantage.

We anticipate that our retail brokerage operations’ greatest revenue growth over the next several years will continue to come from:

	•	Mergers and acquisitions;

	•	Our niche/practice groups and middle-market accounts;

	•	Cross-selling other brokerage products to existing clients; and

	•	Developing and managing alternative market mechanisms such as captives, rent-a-captives and deductible plans/ self-insurance.

Wholesale Insurance Brokerage Operations

Our wholesale insurance brokerage operations accounted for 18% of our brokerage segment revenues in 2019. Our wholesale brokers assist our retail brokers and other

non-affiliated

brokers in the placement of specialized and

hard-to-place

insurance. These brokers operate through approximately 300 offices primarily located across the U.S., Bermuda and through our approved Lloyd’s of London brokerage operation. In certain cases we act as a brokerage wholesaler, and in other cases we act as a managing general agent or managing general underwriter distributing specialized insurance coverages for underwriting enterprises. Managing general agents and managing general underwriters are agents authorized by an underwriting enterprise to manage all or a part of its business in a specific geographic territory. Activities they perform on behalf of the underwriting enterprise may include marketing, underwriting (although we do not assume any underwriting risk), issuing policies, collecting premiums, appointing and supervising other agents, paying claims and negotiating reinsurance.

More than 79% of our wholesale brokerage revenues comes from

non-affiliated

brokerage clients. Based on revenues, our domestic wholesale brokerage operation ranked the largest managing general agents/underwriting managers/ Lloyds coverholders according to

Business Insurance

magazine’s September 2019 edition.

We anticipate growing our wholesale brokerage operations by increasing the number of broker-clients, developing new managing general agency and underwriter programs, and through mergers and acquisitions.

Risk Management Segment

Our risk management segment accounted for 14% of our revenues in 2019. Approximately 63% of our risk management segment’s revenues are from workers’ compensation-related claims, 28% are from general and commercial auto liability-related claims and 9% are from property-related claims in 2019.

Risk management services are primarily marketed directly to Fortune 1000 companies, larger middle-market companies, not for profit organizations and public entities on an independent basis from our brokerage operations. We manage our third party claims adjusting operations through a network of more than 70 offices located throughout the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. Most of these offices are fully staffed with claims adjusters and other service personnel. Our adjusters and service personnel act solely on behalf and under the instruction of our clients.

While this segment complements our brokerage and consulting offerings, approximately 90% of our risk management segment’s revenues come from clients not affiliated with our brokerage operations, such as underwriting enterprises and clients of other insurance brokers. Based on revenues, our risk management operation ranked as one of the world’s largest property/casualty third party claims administrators according to

Business Insurance

magazine’s May 2019 edition.

Revenues for our risk management segment are comprised of fees generally negotiated (i) on a

per-claim

basis, (ii) on a cost-plus basis, or (iii) as performance-based fees. We also provide risk management consulting services that are recognized as the services are delivered.

Per-claim

fees

Where we operate under a contract with our fee established on a

per-claim

basis, our obligation is to process claims for a term specified within the contract. Because it is impractical to recognize our revenues on an individual

claim-by-claim

basis, we recognize revenue plus an appropriate estimate of our profit margin on a portfolio basis by grouping claims with similar characteristics (a practical expedient as defined in ASU No.

2014-09,

Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which we refer to as Topic 606). We apply actuarially-determined, historical-based patterns to determine our future service obligations, without applying a present value discount.

Cost-plus fees

Where we provide services and generate revenues on a cost-plus basis, we recognize revenue over the contract period consistent with the performance of our obligations.

Performance-based fees

Certain clients pay us additional fee revenues for our efficiency in managing claims or on the basis of claim outcome effectiveness. These amounts are in excess of the fee revenues discussed above. These revenues are variable, generally based on various performance metrics of the underlying contracts. We generally operate under multi-year contracts with fiscal year measurement periods. We do not receive these fees, if earned, until the following year after verification of the performance metrics outlined in the contracts. Each period we base our estimates on a

contract-by-contract

basis. We make our best estimate of amounts we have earned using historical averages and other factors to project such revenues. Variable consideration is recognized when we conclude that is it probable that a significant revenue reversal will not occur in future periods.

We expect that the risk management segment’s most significant growth prospects through the next several years will come from:

	•	Program business and the outsourcing of portions of underwriting enterprise claims departments;

	•	Increased levels of business with Fortune 1000 companies;

	•	Larger middle-market companies and captives; and

	•	Mergers and acquisitions.

Corporate Segment

The corporate segment accounted for 18% of our revenues in 2019. The corporate segment reports the financial information related to our debt, clean energy investments, external acquisition-related expenses, other corporate costs and the impact of foreign currency translation. The revenues reported by this segment result almost solely from our consolidated clean energy investments.

Clean-Energy Investments

We own 34 commercial clean coal production facilities that are qualified to produce refined coal using

Chem-Mod

LLC’s proprietary technologies. These operations produce refined coal that we believe qualifies for tax credits under Internal Revenue Code (which we refer to as IRC) Section 45. The law that provides for IRC Section 45 tax credits expired as of December 31, 2019 for 14 of our plants and will expire on or before December 31, 2021 for the other 20 plants.

Chem-Mod

LLC (described below) is a privately-held enterprise that has commercialized multi-pollutant reduction technologies to reduce mercury, sulfur dioxide and other emissions at coal-fired power plants. We own 46.5% of

Chem-Mod

LLC and are its controlling managing member. We also have a 12.0% noncontrolling interest in dormant, privately-held, enterprises,

C-Quest

Technology LLC and

C-Quest

Technologies International LLC (which we refer to as together,

C-Quest),

which owns technologies that reduce carbon dioxide emissions created by burning fossil fuels. At this time, it is unclear if

C-Quest

will ever become commercially viable.

International and Other Brokerage Related Operations

We operate as a retail commercial property and casualty broker throughout 45 locations in Australia, 42 locations in Canada and 37 locations in New Zealand. In the U.K., we operate as a retail broker from approximately 135 locations. We also have specialty, wholesale, underwriting and reinsurance intermediary operations in London for clients to access Lloyd’s of London and other international underwriting enterprises, and a program operation offering customized risk management products and services to U.K. public entities.

In Bermuda, we act principally as a wholesale broker for clients looking to access Bermuda-based underwriting enterprises and we also provide management and administrative services for captive insurance entities.

We also have strategic brokerage alliances with a variety of independent brokers in countries where we do not have a local office presence. Through this global network of correspondent insurance brokers and consultants, we are able to serve our clients’ coverage and service needs in more than 150 countries around the world.

Captive underwriting enterprises

- We have ownership interests in several underwriting enterprises based in the U.S., Bermuda, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Malta, that primarily operate segregated account

“rent-a-captive”

facilities. These

“rent-a-captive”

facilities enable our clients to receive the benefits of participating in a captive underwriting enterprise without incurring certain disadvantages of ownership. Captive underwriting enterprises, or

“rent-a-captive”

facilities, are created for clients to insure their risks and capture any underwriting profit and investment income, which would then be available for use by the insureds, generally to reduce future costs of their insurance programs. In general, these companies are set up as protected cell companies that are comprised of separate cell business units (which we refer to as Captive Cells) and the core regulated company (which we refer to as the Core Company). The Core Company is owned and operated by us and no insurance policies are assumed by the Core Company. All insurance is assumed or written within individual Captive Cells. Only the activity of the supporting Core Company of the

rent-a-captive

facility is recorded in our consolidated financial statements, including cash and stockholder’s equity of the legal entity, and any expenses incurred to operate the

rent-a-captive

facility. Most Captive Cells reinsure individual lines of insurance coverage from external underwriting enterprises. In addition, some Captive Cells offer individual lines of insurance coverage from one of our underwriting enterprise subsidiaries. The different types of insurance coverage include special property, general liability, products liability, medical professional liability, other liability and medical stop loss. The policies are generally claims-made. Insurance policies are written by an underwriting enterprise and the risk is assumed by each of the Captive Cells. In general, we structure these operations to have no underwriting risk on a net written basis. In situations where we have assumed underwriting risk on a net written basis, we have managed that exposure by obtaining full collateral for the underwriting risk we have assumed from our clients. We typically require pledged assets including cash and/or investment accounts, or letters of credit to limit our risk.

We also have a wholly owned underwriting enterprise subsidiary based in the U.S. that cedes all of its insurance risk of loss to reinsurers or captives under facultative and quota-share treaty reinsurance agreements. While we believe these ceding reinsurance agreements displace all of our risk of loss, they do not discharge us of our primary liability to our clients. For example, in the event that all or any of the reinsuring companies or captives are unable to meet their obligations, we would be liable for such defaulted amounts. Therefore, we are subject to credit risk with respect to the obligations of our reinsurers or captives. In order to minimize our exposure to losses from reinsurer credit risk and insolvencies, we believe we have managed that exposure by obtaining full collateral, typically requiring pledged assets, including cash and/or investment accounts or letters of credit to offset the risk. See Note 18 to our 2019 consolidated financial statements for additional financial information related to the insurance activity of our wholly owned underwriting enterprise subsidiary for 2019, 2018 and 2017.

Competition

Brokerage Segment

According to

Business Insurance

magazine’s July 2019 edition, we were the world’s fourth largest insurance broker based on revenues. The insurance brokerage and consulting business is highly competitive and there are many organizations and individuals throughout the world who actively compete with us in every area of our business.

Our retail and wholesale brokerage operations compete globally with Aon plc, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. and Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company, each of which has greater worldwide revenues than us. In addition, various other competing firms, such as Brown & Brown Inc., Hub International Ltd., Lockton Companies, Inc., USI Holdings Corporation and McGriff Insurance Services (f/k/a BB&T Insurance Services) operate globally or nationally or are strong in a particular region or locality and may have, in that region or locality, an office with revenues as large as or larger than those of our corresponding local office. Our wholesale brokerage and binding operations compete with large wholesalers such as CRC Insurance Services, Inc., RT Specialty, AmWINS Group, Inc., Burns & Wilcox, Ltd. and All Risks Ltd., as well as a vast number of local and regional wholesalers. We also compete with certain underwriting enterprises that offer insurance and risk management products and solutions directly to clients. In addition, for our employee benefit consulting services, we compete with larger firms such as Aon plc, Mercer (a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.) and Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company,

mid-market

firms such as Lockton Companies, Inc. and USI Holdings Corporation, specialized consulting firms such as Pearl Meyer, and the benefits consulting divisions of the national public accounting firms, as well as a vast number of local and regional brokerages and agencies. Government benefits relating to health, disability and retirement are also alternatives to private insurance, and indirectly compete with us.

We believe that the primary factors determining our competitive position with other organizations in our industry are the quality of the services we render, the personalized attention we provide, the individual and corporate expertise providing the actual service to the client, and the overall cost to our clients.

Risk Management Segment

Our risk management operation currently ranks as one of the world’s largest property/casualty third party claims administrators based on revenues, according to

Business Insurance

magazine’s May 2019 edition. While many global and regional claims administrators operate within this space, we compete directly with Sedgwick Claims Management Services, Inc., and Broadspire Services, Inc. (a subsidiary of Crawford & Company). Several large underwriting enterprises, such as Chubb Limited, Travelers Companies, Inc. and Liberty Mutual Holding Co, Inc. also maintain their own claims administration units, which can be strong competitors. In addition, we compete with various smaller third party claims administrators on a regional level. We believe that the primary factors determining our competitive position are our ability to deliver better claim outcomes, reputation for outstanding service, cost-efficient service and financial strength.

Business Combinations

We completed and integrated 556 acquisitions from January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2019, most of which were within our brokerage segment. The majority of these acquisitions have been smaller regional or local brokerages, agencies, or employee benefit consulting operations with a middle or small client focus and/or significant expertise in one of our niche/practice groups. The total purchase price for individual acquisitions has typically ranged from $1.0 million to $50.0 million.

Through acquisitions, we seek to expand our talent pool, enhance our geographic presence and service capabilities, and/or broaden and further diversify our business mix. We also focus on identifying:

	•	A corporate culture that matches our sales-oriented and ethics-based culture;

	•	A profitable, growing business whose ability to compete would be enhanced by gaining access to our greater resources; and

	•	Clearly defined financial criteria.

See Note 3 to our 2019 consolidated financial statements for a summary of our 2019 acquisitions, the amount and form of the consideration paid and the dates of acquisitions.

Clients

Our client base is highly diversified and includes commercial, industrial, public entity, religious and

not-for-profit

entities. No material part of our business depends upon a single client or on a few clients. The loss of any one client would not have a material adverse effect on our operations. In 2019, our largest single client represented approximately 1.0% and our ten largest clients together represented approximately 2.0% of our combined brokerage and risk management segment revenues.

Employees

As of December 31, 2019, we had approximately 33,300 employees.

We enter into agreements with many of our brokerage salespersons and significant client-facing employees, plus all of our executive officers, which prohibit them from disclosing confidential information and/or soliciting our clients, prospects and employees upon their termination of employment. The confidentiality and

non-solicitation

provisions of such agreements terminate in the event of a hostile change in control, as defined in the agreements. We pursue legal actions for alleged breaches of

non-compete

or other restrictive covenants, theft of trade secrets, breaches of fiduciary duties, intellectual property infringement and related causes of action.

Available Information

Our annual reports on Form

10-K,

quarterly reports on Form

10-Q,

current reports on Form

8-K,

and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, are available free of charge on our website at http://

investor.ajg.com/sec-filings

as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing or furnishing such material to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Securities and Exchange Commission also maintains a website (www.sec.gov) that includes our reports, proxy statements and other information. Unless expressly noted, the information on our website, including our investor relations website, or any other website is not incorporated by reference in this Form

10-K

and should not be considered part of this Form

10-K

or any other filing we make with the SEC.