Nichols Cauley, a financial services company dedicated to small and midsized businesses, today announced it acquired A.A. LaRocco & Associates, d/b/a The LaRocco Companies ("LaRocco"), a privately owned employee benefits brokerage and advisory firm headquartered in Norcross, Georgia.

Owned and led by brothers Andrew and Jeffrey LaRocco, the firm has spent 46 years focused exclusively on employee benefits — designing, administering, and managing benefits programs for employers across Metro Atlanta and the broader Georgia market.

Nichols Cauley's innovative platform is supported by a strategic investment from Madison Dearborn Partners, a leading private equity firm based in Chicago. The company's combination with Partners Risk Services in January 2026 established a strong Risk & Insurance Services business, and the addition of LaRocco further expands the depth and specialization of the Employee Benefits service line.

Employee benefits represent an increasingly complex area of risk and opportunity for business owners, requiring specialized knowledge across plan design, administration, employee communications, carrier relationships, and regulatory compliance. Over the past 46 years, LaRocco has built a level of expertise that is difficult to replicate, particularly for small and midsized businesses.

This acquisition advances Nichols Cauley's strategy of equipping business owners with the integrated capabilities, services, and support they need to manage, protect, and grow their businesses.

"Nichols Cauley is grounded in a practical understanding of how businesses create value, manage risk, and make decisions," said Alan Whitman, CEO of Nichols Cauley. "LaRocco brings deep expertise in an area that is critically important to business owners: how they attract talent and support their people while navigating the complexity and cost of employee benefits. Together, we help clients take a more holistic view of their business and workforce to support long-term success."

"We chose Nichols Cauley because we share a commitment to helping business owners succeed," said Andrew LaRocco, Co-Owner of The LaRocco Companies. "Together, we can help clients take better care of their people, navigate complexity, and make more confident decisions about their business and their future."