Menu

About Us

GPAgency (GPA) is an independently owned and operated, national full-service brokerage firm located in Raleigh, NC.
Beginning as a regional office for Transamerica, today GPA is a top-tier brokerage firm and premier partner with nearly 50 of the nation’s top-rated insurance carriers. Annually, we regularly place business with at least 85% of those carriers via producers throughout the country (including Puerto Rico). We previously received an industry award for Market Share Excellence in recognition of having the highest volume of multi-product line business: life insurance, disability income, long-term care coverage, and fixed annuities.
With more than 50 years of experience, we have a long record of providing exceptional service to the insurance producers we serve with quality solutions for the clients they serve. Our ability to stay relevant can be attributed to our industry-savvy staff, our strategic alliances with the top insurance carriers, and our drive to continuously explore new opportunities and employ tools that move the needle moving forward.
We believe in what we do and support industry advances in products and delivery, but above all, we support you, the independent insurance producer.

Please take our TOUR.

Day-to-day, you can count on us to deliver:
  • We partner with nearly 50 diverse, top-rated carriers to bring you the best financial products available: life insurance, fixed annuities, long-term care coverage, and disability policies
  • Advanced product/underwriting consultation for your difficult-to-place cases or complex business clients
  • Expedient, unbiased illustrations — we’ll shop your case for the best rate and fit
  • Experienced sales and marketing support, including assistance with client presentations and a library of impactful, customizable marketing collateral
  • Interactive web technology, giving you 24/7 access to quoting tools, carrier forms, e-apps, and more
  • Full-service, proactive case processing from application through delivery with an assigned case manager
  • CE opportunities, lunch & learn programs, webinars, and recognition events
  • Top commissions… and so much more!!

When you work with us, you’ll have access to more options (increasing your likelihood of making the sale) and spend less time on administrative and underwriting issues. With our hands-on service, the latest technology, and premier carrier relationships, your cases will move through the system with ease.

Spending less time on each case means you can better serve your clients, and prospect for new business, translating into increased sales and revenue!  Call us now to learn how we can help you generate more business!

GPAgency (GPA) is an independently owned and operated, national full-service brokerage firm located in Raleigh, NC. Beginning as a regional office for Transamerica, today GPA is a top-tier brokerage firm and premier partner with more than 50 of the nation’s top-rated insurance carriers. And, in 2019, we placed business with 85% of those carriers via agents in 24 states (including Puerto Rico). Additionally, in 2019, we received an industry award for Market Share Excellence in recognition of having the highest volume of multi-product line business.
With more than 50 years of experience, we have a long record of providing exceptional service to the independent insurance agents we serve and facilitating quality solutions for the clients they serve. Our ability to stay relevant can be attributed to our experienced staff, our strategic alliances with the industry’s best, and our drive to continuously explore new opportunities and employ tools that move the needle moving forward. We believe in what we do and support industry advances in products and delivery, but above all, we support you, the independent agent.

Please take our TOUR.

Day-to-day, you can count on us to deliver the following:

  • Easy access to 50+ top-rated carriers of life, DI, LTC and annuity products, giving your clients a wide range of options
  • Advanced product/underwriting consultation for your difficult-to-place cases or complex business clients
  • Expedient, unbiased illustrations — we’ll shop your case for the best rate and fit
  • Experienced sales and marketing support, including assistance with client presentations and a library of impactful, customizable marketing collateral
  • Interactive web technology, giving you 24/7 access to quoting tools, carrier forms, e-apps, and more
  • Full-service, proactive case processing from application through delivery with an assigned case manager
  • CE opportunities, lunch & learn programs, webinars, and recognition events
  • Competitive commissions… and so much more!!

When you work with us, you’ll have access to more options ( increasing your likelihood of making the sale) and spend less time on administrative and underwriting issues. With our hands-on service, the latest technology, and premier carrier relationships, your cases will move through the system with ease. Spending less time on each case means you can better serve your clients, and prospect for new business, translating into increased sales and revenue!  Call us now to learn how we can help you generate more business!

Meet Our Principals


Angela Mcilvain, CLTC
Partner, Brokerage Sales

Angela, a Franklin County, NC, native, entered the insurance brokerage business to fund her studies in Early Childhood Development.

Upon completion, she had already discovered her niche in the life insurance business. In 1999, Angela made the move to John Hancock. Her drive and knowledge of the industry caught the attention of Gene Pleasants, who recruited her to work for his agency. In 2007, she formed a partnership with Chris Carrigan (see below) to assume ownership and management of the Gene Pleasants (GP) Agency. Angela is a member of NAIFA and NAILBA, has been involved in CLTC since 2002, is currently enrolled in CFP with the College of Financial Planning, and has served on the Board of Education for the local FPA chapter. Angela lives just outside of Raleigh, in Wake Forest, with her husband, Rock, and their three children. They attend Catch the Fire Church and are involved with local and global humanitarian efforts, including Pakistan, Uganda, and Haiti.


Chris Carrigan, CLTC
Partner, Brokerage Sales

Chris grew up in West Boylston, MA, where he attended Assumption College and graduated with a political science degree. He was recruited by Paul Revere to become a Disability Income Specialist.

He spent the next year running an agency in Columbia, SC; a year later he moved to Raleigh, NC, to oversee a larger office. In 1998, he became the Southeastern Group Manager for Commercial Travelers. Chris caught the attention of MassMutual who recruited him in 2000 to become their Regional Disability Income Specialist for 10 states and later their multi-line MassMutual Brokerage Director for the second-largest metro area in North Carolina. Chris and Angela Mcilvain formed a partnership in 2007 to assume ownership and management of the Gene Pleasants (GP) Agency. Chris has been a CLTC since 2003, and is a RAIFA board member, a NAILBA member, and a MassMutual BDAX member. He lives in Raleigh with his wife Brook and their five daughters.