Category: Press / News

Benefit Advisors Network Selects Texas Firm Carroll Insurance as Newest Member

Posted on by Benefit Advisors Network

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jessica Tiller
jtiller@pughandtillerpr.com or 443-621-7690

Cleveland, OH and Houston, TX (5/6/25) – Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), an international network of progressive and visionary employee benefit brokers and consulting firms from across the United States and Canada, is pleased to announce Houston, Texas-based Carroll Insurance has been accepted for membership into the organization.

Serving a diverse clientele across industries such as manufacturing, construction, oil & gas, technology, professional services, restaurants, and retail, Carroll Insurance provides protection through policies like general liability, cyber liability, workers’ compensation, and directors & officers liability.They also offer employee benefits packages encompassing group medical, dental, vision, disability, and retirement plans. In addition, individuals can access personal insurance options such as auto, homeowners, life, and umbrella coverage.

“We joined BAN to tap into the wealth of knowledge amongst the organization’s leaders and members,” says David B Carroll, CIC, CRM, President of Carroll Insurance. “The high-quality resources and collaborative network that come with BAN membership strengthen the solutions we already deliver to our clients. It’s an important step toward enhancing the value and breadth of our services.”

“What really drew us in was BAN’s unmatched expertise and professionalism,” says Jason R. Knecht, Partner at Carroll Insurance.

“We are proud to welcome David and his team into BAN,” says Perry Braun, President & CEO of the Benefit Advisors Network. “Carroll Insurance prides themselves on being strategic and innovative problem-solvers, partnering with clients to develop appropriate, affordable, and flexible solutions.”

Braun continues, “As with other members of BAN, Carroll Insurance looks forward to the collaborative atmosphere and unique ideas that other firms will bring to the table.”

To become a BAN member, Carroll Insurance had to pass a stringent screening process that included interacting with BAN’s members and its Board, and scrutiny of the firm’s business ethics, industry knowledge, and commitment to providing the highest quality services.

BAN intentionally limits membership to the “best of the best” in their respective markets. The organizational philosophy of collaboration while providing world-class resources, such as preferred pricing arrangements and direct access to underwriters, has helped its members continue to grow.

 

About Carroll Insurance
Established in 1980, Carroll Insurance is a full-service, family-owned insurance and risk management firm serving businesses and individuals. Carroll Insurance offers customized solutions across business insurance, employee benefits, bonding, and personal insurance. With a consultative approach and strong carrier relationships, they help clients make informed decisions to protect what matters most. Guided by core values of honesty, attitude, and purpose, Carroll Insurance is committed to delivering customized, cost-effective solutions that safeguard clients’ assets and support their long-term success.

Standing as one of the few independent privately owned firms of significance remaining, Carroll Insurance is committed to growth through servitude to the insurance industry, private businesses, families and philanthropic organizations. For more information, please visit: www.carrollins.com.


About Benefit Advisors Network
Founded in 2002, BAN is an exclusive, premier, international network of independent, employee benefit brokerage and consulting companies. BAN delivers industry leading tools, technology, and expertise to member firms so that they can deliver optimum results to their employee benefit customers. BAN intentionally limits membership because of the highly collaborative interactions. For companies looking to join BAN, please contact Steve Yarcusko at syarcusko@benefitadvisorsnetwork.com. For more information, visit:  www.benefitadvisorsnetwork.com or follow them on LinkedIn.

Benefit Advisors Network Partners with HCM Unlocked

Posted on by Caroline Williams

New Partnership to Provide Comprehensive HCM Support to Members

CLEVELAND, OH and MIAMI, FL (3/X/25) – Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), an international network of progressive and visionary employee benefit brokers and consulting firms from across the United States and Canada – has partnered with HCM Unlocked, a global Human Capital Management (HCM) Managed Service Organization (MSO).

As a partner, HCM Unlocked will provide BAN member firms a dedicated contact for all needs related to HCM Technology, including client-side implementation, optimization and utilization, and managed services such as payroll, benefits, and human resources.  In addition, HCM Unlocked will also support a wide variety of HCM technology vendors. HCM Unlocked is also offering a Broker Advisory Membership, which will provide the following suite of services: prospect assistance, strategic problem solving, and client strategy development.

“Human capital management can improve workforce productivity and help HR managers hire, engage, and retain employees,” says Perry Braun, President & CEO of the Benefit Advisors Network. “We recognize many employers have their fair share of challenges fully utilizing HCM services – this is the exact reason why we carefully selected HCM Unlocked as a partner with deep expertise in this field. In today’s competitive landscape, HCM services are crucial for modern business operations.”

“As an employee benefits broker, your clients rely on you to provide the best benefits solutions while navigating the complexities of HCM, payroll, and benefits administration systems,” says Jen Mims, VP of Partnerships at HCM Unlocked. “We are pleased to be able to serve as BAN’s trusted partner in implementing and optimizing HR Technology, ensuring compliance, and streamlining processes – enhancing both the member’s client service and competitive edge.”

As part of its mission to support independent benefit brokers across the United States and throughout Canada, BAN is committed to carefully selecting the right partners for its Partner Program. This ensures that clients have access to resources typically available only through major national firms. Unlike firms driven by corporate headquarters or shareholder interests, BAN members prioritize their clients, providing personalized service and a deep understanding of local employers’ unique needs.

About Benefit Advisors Network

Founded in 2002, BAN is an exclusive, premier international network of independent employee benefit brokerage and consulting companies. BAN delivers industry-leading tools, technology, and expertise to member firms so that they can deliver optimum results to their employee benefit customers. BAN intentionally limits membership because of the highly collaborative interactions. For companies looking to join BAN, please contact Steve Yarcusko at syarcusko@benefitadvisorsnetwork.com. For more information, visit www.benefitadvisorsnetwork.com or follow them on LinkedIn.

About HCM Unlocked

HCM Unlocked is a global Human Capital Management (HCM) Managed Service Organization (MSO) that provides comprehensive support to clients in the areas of payroll processing, HR administration, benefit administration, recruiting, data analytics, and technology consulting (implementation, optimization, and utilization of HCM tech).

Our team of experienced professionals includes HR specialists, benefits experts, payroll processors, and data analysts, who work together to ensure that our clients receive the best possible service and support. For more information, visit www.hcmunlocked.com.

Benefit Advisors Network Welcomes River Bend Strategies as Its Newest Member

Posted on by Benefit Advisors Network

 

CLEVELAND, OH, UNITED STATES, January 29, 2025 / EINPresswire.com / — Bozeman, Montana-based River Bend Strategies, Inc. is the newest member of the Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), an international network of progressive and visionary employee benefit brokers and consulting firms from across the United States and Canada.

“Joining BAN is no small feat, as it requires passing a rigorous screening process,” explains Perry Braun, President & CEO of the Benefit Advisors Network. “We evaluate organizations based on their business ethics, industry expertise, and dedication to delivering exceptional service. River Bend Strategies excelled in each of these areas, earning their place among our network of trusted advisors.”

The insurance brokerage and consulting firm specializes in larger employer groups with 200 or more employees. The firm’s area of focus is self-funded health plans, consumer-driven health plans, provider network evaluation and selection, stop-loss insurance coverages, and rewards-based wellness and utilization management programs.

River Bend Strategies’ current client base is focused on healthcare organizations (hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers) and Tribal Employer groups.

“We evaluate organizations based on their business ethics, industry expertise, and dedication to delivering exceptional service – and River Bend Strategies excelled in each of these areas.”— Perry Braun, President & CEO, BAN

“We joined BAN to enhance opportunities for collaboration and networking with peer agencies that excel in innovative and successful business models,” says Eric Deeg, President & CEO of River Bend Strategies, Inc. “My focus is on cost containment through strategies that prioritize employee engagement, empowering individuals to improve their health literacy and strike the right balance between healthcare decisions, outcomes, and costs.”

Continues Deeg, “In the ever-changing landscape of the market, we are thrilled to be a part of the Benefit Advisors Network.”

The collaboration and sharing of intellectual knowledge between fellow members is unlike any other organization in the industry, regardless of size. Unlike many other industry organizations, BAN members collaborate on business rather than compete, therefore it limits membership by market or geographic area. BAN is more interested in being the best than being the largest. That unique structure and philosophy allow members to share and support one another with best practices, strategies and expertise because they are unencumbered by concern with the presence of competitors.

BAN firms offer their clients the kind of resources normally found only in a major national firm. But, rather than answering to corporate headquarters or shareholder interests, BAN members answer to their clients, delivering the care and consideration of an interested local partner that understands what local employers want and need.

About Benefit Advisors Network

Founded in 2002, BAN is an exclusive, premier, international network of independent, employee benefit brokerage and consulting companies. BAN delivers industry leading tools, technology, and expertise to member firms so that they can deliver optimum results to their employee benefit customers. BAN intentionally limits membership because of the highly collaborative interactions. For companies looking to join BAN, please contact Steve Yarcusko at syarcusko@benefitadvisorsnetwork.com. For more information on the organization, please visit: www.benefitadvisorsnetwork.com or follow them on LinkedIn.

Ongoing National Trends Impact Benefit Strategy

Posted on by Perry Braun

 

published by NABIP

As we enter the second half of the year, there’s a sense of déjà vu.  Policies that address voters’ financial position, feeling of security, basic living expenses, and education will be central.  Still, dramatic change is doubtful, given the fractured state of politics.  We’ll need to wait at least a year or two for real action, and what happens will depend on the political configuration of the government.  More immediately, the following issues are likely to impact NABIP members.

While the economy will continue to expand, monetary and fiscal policies will work against each other.  Businesses hope that interest rates will move downward to lower the cost of borrowing capital.  At the same time, they will find it challenging to retain labor as other companies pay more to recruit workers.  This upward pressure on wages will put pressure on inflation, and the cycle will continue.

Employers will balance cost savings against too many adjustments that could lead to an exodus of talent.  Two-thirds of American workers believe their pay is inadequate to cover the rising cost of inflation, according to Bank of America.  Many are making spending decisions based on short-term needs rather than long-term consequences, such as forgoing prescription drugs.

Shifting Workforce Dynamics

Expect inclusion, diversity, and social and environmental causes to progress at different speeds based on the business’s leadership and region of the country.  Employees increasingly want a voice and a seat at the decision-making table.

Company reactions to these conversations will be scrutinized against employee retention, productivity, and what other local businesses are doing.

Employers will move cautiously and be more data-dependent in decision-making to stay with other employers in their space.  Correspondingly, we see a lot of discussion about the impact of AI and its role in workplace strategy.

 

Perry Braun is president & CEO of the Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), an exclusive network of progressive and independent employee benefit brokerage and consulting companies in the U.S. and Canada.

 

Benefit Advisors Network Selects Canadian Employee Benefits Firm AGA Benefit Solutions as Newest Member

Posted on by Benefit Advisors Network

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jessica Tiller
jtiller@pughandtillerpr.com or 443-621-7690

 

Cleveland, OH and Montreal, Canada (7-17-24) – Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), an international network of progressive and visionary employee benefit brokers and consulting firms from across the United States and Canada, is pleased to announce that Montreal based AGA Benefit Solutions has been accepted for membership into the organization.

With more than 300 employees, AGA Benefit Solutions serves major markets across Canada, including Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. The independently owned firm develops and administers customized group insurance and retirement plans to more than 2,700 clients that include small, medium and large businesses, covering a broad range of industries.

AGA Benefit Solutions has a team of more than 20 actuaries able to carry out in-depth analysis, a network of external brokers across Canada, and is one of Canada’s leading third-party administrators and third-party claims payer (TPA/TPP).

“We’re thrilled to be selected as a BAN member. We are highly dedicated to innovation and customized group insurance and retirement programs and see membership in BAN as one way to help us deliver high quality, valuable services,” says Martin Papillon, President and CEO, AGA Benefits Solutions.

Continues Papillon, “We believe the business planning tools and client resources BAN offers will enhance our firm’s continued growth and enhance the value proposition for our clients.  We appreciate the high-quality resources that BAN membership adds to the arsenal of customer solutions that we already provide to our clients, especially for their cross border needs in the United States.”

To become a BAN member, AGA Benefit Solutions had to pass a stringent screening process that included interacting with BAN’s members and its Board, and scrutiny of the firm’s business ethics, industry knowledge, and commitment to providing the highest quality services.

“We are proud to welcome Martin and his team into BAN,” says Perry Braun, President & CEO of the Benefit Advisors Network. “AGA Benefit Solutions prides themselves on being strategic and innovative problem-solvers, partnering with clients to develop appropriate, affordable, and flexible solutions for their employee benefit programs – this is exactly the type of member that makes BAN the international organization it is today.”

BAN intentionally limits membership to the “best of the best” in their respective markets. The organizational philosophy of collaboration while providing world-class resources, such as preferred pricing arrangements and direct access to underwriters, has helped its members continue to grow.

 About AGA Benefit Solutions
AGA Benefit Solutions is a Canadian leader in the development and administration of customized group insurance plans and group retirement plans. Founded more than 45 years ago, AGA Benefit Solutions serves today more than 2,700 clients, supports over 200,000 members with the management and adjudication of their claims, and boasts over a $1 billion in premiums and group retirement assets under management. To find out more, visit www.aga.ca

About Benefit Advisors Network

Founded in 2002, BAN is an exclusive, premier, international network of independent, employee benefit brokerage and consulting companies. BAN delivers industry leading tools, technology, and expertise to member firms so that they can deliver optimum results to their employee benefit customers. BAN intentionally limits membership because of the highly collaborative interactions. For more information, visit: www.benefitadvisorsnetwork.com or follow them on LinkedIn.

 

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