Durham & Bates is on the move!

WE'VE MOVED! Our new office is still conveniently located in downtown Portland, just a few blocks from our old location. We invite you to visit us in our beautiful new space. And, as always, we welcome the opportunity to assist you and answer your questions. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time.

PacWest Center

Durham & Bates
1211 SW 5th Avenue, Suite 2800
Portland, OR 97204

100 Best Workplaces Winner again in 2022

Congratulations to Durham and Bates Agencies, Inc. on receiving our 9th consecutive Top Workplace award! This award recognizes us as one of the top places to work in Oregon and Southwest Washington region. 134 businesses located throughout the entire state of Oregon and Southwest Washington participated. A survey focused on the following areas of the businesses:

Top Workplaces 2022
  • Career Development100 Top Work Places 2022
  • Individual Satisfaction
  • Leadership
  • Execution and Efficiency
  • Values
  • Connection
  • Communication
  • Employee Engagement and Appreciation
  • Direction of Organization and Alignment with Goals

Durham and Bates is grateful to our dedicated and skilled associates, each of whom contribute to making Durham and Bates such a fantastic place to work. Additionally, we would like to extend our gratitude to each individual who participated in the survey. We invite you to come and see for yourself what makes Durham and Bates extraordinary—we would love to meet you! Contact us at info@dbates.com.

Risk is everywhere. Durham & Bates helps you reduce, transfer, retain and avoid it.

Based in the Pacific Northwest, Durham & Bates provides a diverse set of capabilities to help businesses and individuals manage risks, and bring global projects and programs together. We work across industries, oceans, and distances to ensure that critical decisions and business goals stay true.



We’re risk management specialists.

Risk, exposures, and impasses exist everywhere you look. Durham & Bates clears hurdles, and strengthens the connections you need to continue your forward momentum. Integrating strategy and speed in the world of risk management requires skill, ingenuity and trust. Doing so with seamless operations, and effective decision-making, can only happen after decades of practice.

Durham & Bates brings more than a century of results.

Business is all about action, movement, and the intangibles that help teams push beyond obstacles. We support commercial interests across a number of marine and shoreside areas and specialties, and also work with individuals to solve their unique risk management needs. Vessel owners and operators turn to us to avoid tricky waters. Importers/exporters rely on us to help maintain the integrity of their products and operations. Construction firms look for our insight before they build. Real estate investors lean on our input when it’s time to buy or sell. And, business owners and HR leaders count on us to manage their benefits programs.

Our work starts with listening.

We keep our ears tuned to what’s here and what’s coming, then engage with commitment and energy to solve challenges. Our goal is to shorten the distance between where you’re at, and where you want to be. Learn more about our process and philosophy.

Building connections the right way since the start.

We’re one of the largest independent insurance brokers in the Northwest, and bring marine and shoreside capabilities to every project. We care about what’s at stake in every transaction, as well as the people involved at every stage. See how our history informs our work.

Employee-owned, entrepreneurially minded.

Employee-owned since our founding, Durham & Bates operates as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Every associate has an ownership share, and plays a role in creating positive outcomes for clients. See what a career at Durham & Bates is about.

What direction are you headed?

Plenty of discussions veer beyond specific products and liability concerns. A conversation that starts about marine insurance can move into trade credit, through-put discussions, or even standing timber insurance. Our people are uniquely qualified to facilitate.