Second Consecutive Year — Steward Risk Among Only 300 Agencies Nationwide to Hold the Designation
Daniel Carlisle, Managing Partner, Steward Risk
Daniel Carlisle, CPA, CIC, CPCU, CMIP
Managing Partner
San Antonio, Texas – September 3, 2026 – Steward Risk has been named a 2026 Best Practices Agency, retaining its place among an elite group of independent insurance agencies across the United States recognized for operational excellence, growth, and client service. It is the second consecutive year the firm has earned the designation.
The Best Practices Agency designation is awarded through the national Best Practices Study, which analyzes and documents the business practices of the highest-performing insurance agencies in the country. More than 1,190 independent agencies were nominated during the current study cycle, and only 300 qualified for and maintained Best Practices Agency status for the 2026 study year.
“Earning this once told us we were building the right way. Holding it tells us we’re operating the right way,” said Daniel Carlisle, Managing Partner of Steward Risk. “This recognition reflects our belief that true success comes from stewardship — from serving others with integrity, courage, and accountability. We built Steward Risk to be different: independent by design, people-first by culture, and relentlessly focused on leaving every client, colleague, and community better than we found them.”
Founded in San Antonio, Texas, Steward Risk delivers large-broker capabilities with boutique precision, serving middle-market clients in industries such as construction, energy, real estate, manufacturing, and trucking. The firm combines advanced analytics, strong carrier partnerships, and a stewardship-driven philosophy to provide deep insight, faster response, and measurable results.
In an era of consolidation, Steward Risk remains proudly independent — built on people, not profit; culture, not control. The firm invests in technology, training, and talent so that its teams can dedicate the majority of their time to what matters most: serving clients with excellence and purpose.
The company’s core values — Boldly Courageous, Foxhole Mentality, Growth Mindset, and In2MeC (Into-Me-See) — embody its mission: to be stewards of clients, colleagues, and community, ensuring that everything it touches is left better than it was found.
About the Best Practices Study
Since 1993, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) and Reagan Consulting, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm, have partnered to study the nation’s top agencies across revenue categories ranging from under $1.25 million to more than $100 million. Agencies are selected as Best Practices Agencies every three years through a competitive nomination and qualification process, and must rank among the top performers in their revenue category to earn the designation. To maintain that status across the three-year study cycle, participating agencies submit detailed financial and operational information for annual review.
Big “I” president and CEO Charles Symington noted that this year’s Best Practices agencies are meeting an evolving property and casualty market from a position of strength, delivering solid profitability through operational efficiency and sound leadership even as organic growth moderates across the industry.
About Steward Risk
Steward Risk, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with a second office in Corpus Christi, is a premier independent insurance and risk-management partner serving middle-market businesses across Texas. Led by Daniel Carlisle, Robert Rochelle, and Richie Carnahan, the firm is guided by a shared belief in stewardship, faith, and excellence.
Steward Risk has been named a Reagan Consulting Best Practices Agency in both 2025 and 2026, and has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies twice — debuting at No. 179 in 2025 and returning at No. 441 in 2026 — reflecting its disciplined growth, operational excellence, and client-first culture.
For more information, visit www.stewardrisk.com or contact .
