Our Story

The Catalyst Story

Since our agency's 2014 formation our mission has been constant - we set out to be the best agency in the marketplace for our clients and the best place to work for our team members.  We're beyond proud of the agency we've built and the capabilities that come with our market positioning. 

An Entrepreneurial Spirit


Catalyst was formed in 2014 by two former surety bond underwriters that recognized a gap in the service and attention being provided to contractors throughout the Carolinas. With their past experience of handling the bond needs for some of the largest contractors in the country as surety underwriters, they felt that they could bring value to the construction community by giving contractors an agency option that wasn't a large publicly traded agency where every client was just another number.
With no prospective clients but an unwavering drive to find contractors that needed help, they set out on their own and opened Catalyst in a tiny two room office in the Cotswold area of Charlotte, NC. Like with most new companies, growth was slow at the onset. Over time, the clients that chose to work with our new agency felt the difference Catalyst offered not only in how hard we worked for them but also in the strength of the solutions we were able to provide. While our consistent track record of performance was building with each client served, word of our capabilities began to spread across the Carolinas construction community. 
Our first office building.
Our Charlotte, NC office.
Our Columbia, SC office.

Our goal has never been to be the largest agency. Our feeling is that we never want our clients to feel like just another number. No matter their size or the frequency of their bond needs, we want our clients to feel important. As word of our capabilities and approach to business began to spread, it became apparent that demand for our services was too great to remain the two person agency that the founders initially expected would be the case for years to come. In 2016, the agency brought on their first full time employee. 


Today, the Catalyst team has seven full-time employees that serve over 350+ clients from two offices - Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC. The team we have compiled collectively has over 100 years of industry experience. More specifically, our team has individual experience in handling the surety needs for some of the most complex construction operations in the industry.


We're beyond proud of the boutique surety agency we've become that's known for its strong capabilities and commitment to consistently providing best-in-class service. However, rest assured that the entire team is committed to continuous excellence. That means we never relent in looking for more ways to drive more value to the clients we serve. Simply put, we exist to help your business succeed. 

Catalyst Today - Our Agency Profile By The Numbers

The Catalyst Sails

We're often asked what the sails in our logo represent. These sails have been a part of our logo since our very first day in business. In designing our initial logo they were deliberately positioned to the right of our name - Catalyst. 

These sails are a representation of you - our client. The image of the sails and their positioning within our logo is a constant reminder to our team of our overarching mission. We exist to help your business succeed. If we consistently perform at a high level for you, we can contribute some wind behind your sails and help propel you forward.

We tirelessly look for ways to help your business beyond surety bonds. As your surety partner, we aim to generate as much wind as we can behind your ship's sails.
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