The Baldwin Group’s seamless two month transition for direct bill processing
monthly applied cash
processed a month (from 2,200 to 2,400)
for seamless go-live transition
About
The Baldwin Group, is one of the largest independent insurance distribution firms in the United States. They deliver bespoke client solutions, services, and innovation through their comprehensive and tailored approach to risk management, insurance, and employee benefits. Founded in 2011, the firm has experienced significant growth and transformed from a local operation into a national powerhouse serving more than three million clients across theUnited States and internationally. As the company scaled, their existing commission reconciliation software was no longer delivering the results or efficiency they needed for a firm of their size and growth trajectory — prompting Baldwin to transition to Ascend for a more reliable, automated, and scalable approach to accounting operations.
Challenges
As The Baldwin Group grew from 50 employees to more than 4,000 through organic growth and acquisitions, their accounting operations came under significant strain. Their existing commission reconciliation software still required extensive manual work, back-and-forth spreadsheets, and frequent intervention from the accounting team. Instead of reducing effort, the system created persistent bottlenecks and made it difficult to keep pace with the growth of the business.
These operational gaps led to several escalating risks:
- Incomplete or delayed revenue recognition at month-end close
- Producer commission delays and inaccuracies caused by unreconciled statements
The Baldwin Group concluded that its system with its reliance on partial or inconsistent automation was no longer sustainable. They needed a partner and platform that could deliver true, end-to-end reconciliation accuracy at scale —leading them to transition to Ascend.
Ed Sheppard
Continuous Improvement
Solution
To address these challenges, Baldwin sought a proven long-term partner and a fully automated process. They chose to pair ReSourcePro’s managed workflow support with Ascend’s Direct Bill Automation, transitioning off their previous system and implementing a higher-performing reconciliation process.
Together, The Baldwin Group, ReSourcePro, and Ascend deployed a modern, scalable automation approach that:
- Automatically matched 2,400+ monthly insurance carrier commission statements
- Flagged discrepancies for ReSourcePro to investigate deviations between expected and received cash
- Reduced manual touch points required to reconcile and post statements back into Applied Epic
Results
By transitioning from their previous reconciliation tool to Ascend, The Baldwin Group saw immediate and meaningful improvements across accuracy, speed, and scale:
- Went live 90 days sooner than original project plan following successful proof-of-concept evaluation.
- Seamless go live transition completed within two months, replacing the previous software without any operational disruption.
- Monthly applied cash increased to 97 percent, a significant improvement over their prior automation solution.
- 200+ more statements processed every month — increasing throughput from 2,200 to 2,400 due to capacity gained back from faster, more automated reconciliation.
- Reduced monthly unapplied cash amount to lowest level in more than 2 years.
- ROI: The complete solution with Ascend and ResourcePro was ultimately less expensive than the cost of the prior tool alone.
These gains established Ascend as an outstanding long-term solution and positioned The Baldwin Group to expand automation across additional accounting workflows.
What’s Next
Motivated by these results, The Baldwin Group is expanding its use of Ascend to automate carrier disbursement workflows for agency-billed policies. By bringing commissions, cash application, and carrier payables onto a unified platform, The Baldwin Group and Ascend are working together to unlock new financial and operational benefits, including:
- Maximizing carrier incentive program participation.
- Increasing float revenue through optimized cash movement.
- Optimizing accounts receivable turns.
- Expanding operational efficiency across the full accounting lifecycle.
These efforts are part of The Baldwin Group’s aspirational $3B / 30 Catalyst Program, an important step forward for their organization as they aspire to become a broker of the future and reach $3 billion in revenue and a 30% adjusted EBITDA margin within the next five years. The Baldwin Group’s leadership in innovating and reimagining the client experience and expanding the types of client solutions they provide in a rapidly evolving landscape, bolster their status as a leading destination for their industry’s top talent, and solidify their vision as a preeminent risk and insurance solutions firm and broker of the future.
Ed Sheppard
Continuous Improvement
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