Professional Service Associates, LLC was founded by Lee Hargrove in 2004 to continue his passion for delivering a higher level of professional insurance services to individual and commercial clients.

Prior to establishing Professional Service Associates, Mr. Hargrove built successful insurance agencies for two large North Carolina based financial institutions.

Mr. Hargrove built the former UCB Insurance Center, a division of the former United Carolina Bank, from one small office to seven offices across North Carolina with 70 employees. Mr. Hargrove left UCB prior to its acquisition to begin First Citizens Insurance Services for First Citizens Bank in Raleigh, NC. Over the next seven years he lead a talented team of 65 associates to build First Citizens Insurance into regional insurance agency with six offices serving clients with interests in 22 states. From 1988 until 2004, Mr. Hargrove negotiated, acquired and managed 15 acquisitions of insurance agencies, growing each office each and every year. In addition, Mr. Hargrove served as risk manager for the banks that he worked for. Mr. Hargrove has consulted with financial institutions as well as insurance agencies on growing and enhancing their insurance agencies.

Mr. Hargrove graduated from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1982 and is active in the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, the Independent Insurance Agents of NC and the Council for Entrepreneurial Development.