Born in the small panhandle town of Ralls, Bryan Adams is now the co-founder and CEO of Integrity Marketing Group, which leverages artificial intelligence and big data to improve processes for insurance companies and the insured. The company uses information from more than 500,000 agents and millions of customers to enhance messaging and provide actionable behavioral insights to its clients.
In 2019, Integrity became a partner and employee-owned company and paid out $125 million to its 6,000 employees as a distribution at the end of the year. He wants to see the insurance and financial service industries speed up their adoption of new technology. “At Integrity, we’re passionate about innovation, and we’re working hard to make the process of securing life, health, and financial wellbeing more simple, more beneficial, and ultimately more human,” he says.
Below, learn more about how he was impacted by personal tragedy, what it was like to grow up in Ralls, and what it was like to start Integrity.
First Job: “My parents owned funeral homes in West Texas, so I started out working at the funeral home. I would wash cars, mow lawns, and open doors at funerals. My parents were very service-minded and were passionate about serving people in one of the toughest times of their lives. It was really impactful for me as a child to learn the importance of serving others and paying attention to every detail. My dad was very clear that we needed to make sure that every car was cleaned before every service, the lawn was always mowed, that flowers were arranged perfectly, and that we were always welcoming and hospitable when we welcomed families into the funeral home. These are all great life lessons to learn to ensure that you meet people where they are, serve them well and exceed their expectations. At Integrity, we try to do the same in every aspect of our business.”
Best Advice: “Focus on serving others. Zig Ziglar said, ‘You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.’ This is so true.”
Dinner Party: “Roger Staubach – I grew up watching Roger Staubach as a kid and always admired him as a football player. As I got older, I truly admired how he transcended the football world and became such a successful business leader and entrepreneur. That’s very rare, but he’s done it at the highest level and has led with humility, which I really respect. James E. Sowell – I was able to meet Jim when he was on the Board of Regents at Texas Tech, and I was Vice President of the Student Body. I really admired how he led from the front and was kind to everyone, regardless of their station. That had a profound impact on me as a college kid, and I’ve always admired him for his leadership, humility, and his philanthropy. “
Destination of Choice: “My wife and I have a ranch that we love to get away to. It’s so peaceful to be in nature and spend time with family and friends hiking, fishing, and exploring.”
Nonprofit Cause: “We love the mission of Children’s Medical Center Dallas. My oldest son spent months in their NICU when he was born. Last year, my son came up with the idea of collecting new toys so that every kid that went to Children’s got a toy while they were there. We were overwhelmed with support from our friends, family, and co-workers, and together we donated over 7,000 toys and $100,000 to Children’s. I can’t wait to do that again this year!”
Hobby/Passion: “Spending time with my wife and two sons. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing. If we’re together, we’re having fun!”
Local Fare: “We love going to Gloria’s Latin Cuisine in Flower Mound. The people are great, and the food is good. I usually get the nachos and a frozen margarita.”
Do-Over: “I believe everything happens for a reason, so I don’t think I would change anything.”
Fun Fact: “I can wiggle both of my ears. I’m not sure how special it is, but it’s all I have.”
Go-to Adviser: “I pray a lot for wisdom to lead better.”
Biggest Challenge: “Responding to the challenges of Covid was incredibly difficult. In March 2020, we had about 1,000 employees across the country, many of whom hadn’t ever worked from home. It was a pivotal moment for us as we made a commitment to not lay any of our employees off and to not to take any money from the government. Our team responded in an incredible way: we launched and hosted a daily podcast called Inspire to give our team hope in a difficult time. We rallied during that time and doubled down on our commitment to serve our employees, agents, and clients. We achieved record growth as we all came together and looked for innovative ways to better serve every one of our constituents. Looking back, it was one of the most impactful moments for Integrity and helped us focus on building a culture of service.”
FIRST CAR: “I grew up in Ralls, Texas, a small town in West Texas near Lubbock. Where I grew up, kids drove at an early age, and when I was 12 years old, my parents let me buy a 1955 Ford pickup. Looking back, I honestly don’t know what they were thinking, but it was awesome! I still have the truck today.”
FUTURE FORECAST: “I’m really excited about the transformation happening in downtown Dallas. We recently moved our offices to Fountain Place downtown and are excited to contribute to the positive ripple effect happening in this area.”
Pivotal Moment: “In 2012, my wife and I had twin sons born at 23 weeks (17 weeks premature). Our first son, Titus, lived 46 minutes and unfortunately wasn’t able to survive. Our son, Asher, was born at 1 lb 2 oz and was given a 3 percent chance to live. He was in the NICU for 147 days and had a lot of challenges early in life. By the grace of God, he’s now a walking, talking miracle that reminds us daily how lucky we are to be parents. This taught us a lot about how to rely on our family, friends, and our faith and how to care for others who are going through tough times.”
Walk-up Song: “‘Legacy,’ by Nichole Nordeman. It’s a song about leaving a legacy and focusing on what matters the most.”
Must Read: “The Bible. It’s had the most profound impact on me and continues to inspire me to be better.”
Animal Spirit: “Some might compare me to a golden retriever. I am sometimes loyal to a fault but also very protective of the ones I care about.”
Alternate Reality: “It would be something entrepreneurial. I love building businesses from the ground up.”
Biggest Risk: “Going out on my own and starting what’s now become Integrity. I had a great job and a solid future, but I really wanted to go out on my own. It was way more difficult than I ever imagined. I worked from home for six years and barely made ends meet. In retrospect, it was a little crazy, but I knew I had to try, or I would regret it forever. Thankfully, I was able to partner with great people and build a business that I’m very proud of today.”
Bucket List: “I would love to go sky diving sometime, but I don’t think my Board of Directors would approve it at this point in my career.”
Key Strategy: “I believe that servant leadership is the most valuable strategy there is in business and in life.”
Future Forecast: “At Integrity, we have over 6,000 amazing employee partners and 500,000 dedicated advisors that are passionate about holistically serving our 11 million clients with their life, health and wealth needs. We’re in a truly noble business that helps people plan for the good days ahead, and I believe that we’re just getting started!”
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