Benefit Advisors Network is pleased to welcome our newest agency, PSH Insurance, to the BAN network.
PSH Insurance Inc. is a locally owned, independent health and life insurance brokerage firm serving Hawaii businesses and individuals since 1982. Based in Honolulu, PSH offers a wide assortment of high-quality products from a broad range of vendors. In addition to conventional insurance products, PSH markets a number of unique product offerings. These include international group and individual medical, high deductible major medical for individuals, and short-term medical for non-COBRA groups.
PSH is BAN’s first network agency in Hawaii. Please wish them a friendly Aloha!
CLEVELAND, OH and TORONTO, CANADA(7/27/21) – Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), the premiere international network of independent employee benefits firms, has named Joe Nunes, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Actuarial Solutions Inc., as well as Jason Vary, President of Actuarial Solutions Inc., to serve as actuarial co-directors and subject matter experts for BAN Canada. Nunes and Vary will continue their work with Actuarial Solutions.
As co-directors, they will each be responsible for providing BAN members with easy access to expertise around all aspects of the design and funding of retirement plans and retiree health plans.
With more than three decades of experience, Nunes has practiced in the area of pensions and retiree health plans. Nunes has a wide range of experience including pension plan valuations, converting plans from defined benefit to defined contribution, and plan wind-ups. He has also supported the negotiation of changes to benefit levels and ancillary benefits and has significant experience in the governance of defined contribution programs. In addition, Nunes provides clients with expert independent advice on mergers and acquisitions, as well as matters before arbitrators and the courts. Nunes is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries.
Vary has practiced in defined benefit pension and retiree health plans for more than twenty years. He has experience with a wide variety of plan designs including single-employer, multi-employer, jointly-sponsored, private sector, government, unionized, non-unionized, as well as registered and non-registered executive plans. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries, as well as an active volunteer for the International Actuarial Association, and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. Vary is a well-respected figurehead within the market, presenting seminars and lectures at a variety of industry conferences.
“Joe and Jason’s depth and breadth of experience in the actuarial market is second to none, meaning, they each understand the nuanced details that are so critical in today’s benefits landscape,” says Perry Braun, Executive Director, Benefit Advisors Network. “Our members are fortunate to have both of them, and the entire firm, at their disposal, giving them an edge over the competition.”
“Joe, Jason, and their team at Actuarial Solutions have and will continue to provide education and instill confidence into BAN members around the detailed world of pensions as it relates to Canada,” says Maria Stephans, National Account Executive, Benefit Advisors Network. “Having industry expertise in this space is crucial for our members to be leaders for their clients.”
Continues Braun, “Joe and Jason’s role as actuarial co-directors are so important in today’s market. The valuation of pensions continues to increase in complexity while plan sponsors are looking more and more to their insurance brokers and independent consultants for administrative support and cost management.”
In April, BAN launched in the Canadian market, with Owen & Associates and The Leslie Group becoming the first two members based in Canada. BAN intentionally limits membership to top-tier firms only. 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, thrive, and succeed.
About BAN
Founded in 2002, BAN is an exclusive, premier, international network of independent, employee benefits 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 benefits customers. BAN intentionally limits membership because of the highly collaborative interactions. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.benefitadvisorsnetwork.com.
We recently had the opportunity to chat with Paul Clark, President & CEO of Clark & Lavey Benefit Solutions in Merrimack, NH. If you’ve never had the opportunity to speak with Paul, we can confirm that the passion he has for the industry he serves is contagious.
Clark & Lavey, founded by Paul in 1997, is a mid-sized consultant brokerage firm specializing in the employee benefits space. As business matured and they went through the trials and tribulations of establishing the firm, Paul decided to become a member of Benefit Advisors Network (BAN) in 2004. As Paul puts it, “it’s the best decision I’ve made as a business owner”.
Partnerships
One of the main advantages for BAN members is the ability to network closely with industry colleagues that often lead to partnerships with other firms and partners. Since Clark & Lavey’s focus is on employee benefits, they can remain dedicated to that concentration while partnering with a fellow BAN member in Massachusetts for clients in need of property and casualty lines.
BAN membership has enabled Paul to put together numerous elements they otherwise would not have had resources for. Early on during a BAN conference he learned about captives, something all the larger corporations were doing successfully. Paul wanted to begin providing this service so InCap was created by Clark & Lavey, offering a self-funding solution product which has been flourishing, despite the pandemic over past year. The networking enabled to Paul to bounce ideas off his peers and get different perspectives on moving forward, which has truly helped with growth of the agency.
Marketing
Clark & Lavey did not utilize social media advertising until a couple of years ago. Way behind on technology, Paul admits he had trouble even turning on his droid.
BAN membership includes access to vetted partners, providing members with the most valuable, reputable partners through a well-thought-out screening process. One of these partners that Paul reached out to was World Synergy, an integrated business services model based out of the greater Cleveland area.
World Synergy worked very closely with Clark & Lavey to create a strong marketing presence and a social media game plan. As Paul got to know some of the World Synergy team members, he became very impressed with the opportunities they saw for growth in the web world. Eventually, they outsourced their marketing to World Synergy, taking advantage of their guidance and starting with sharing short videos that are now all over LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook.
The Benefits of Social Marketing
Each year Clark & Lavey selects 2-3 non-profit organizations to raise money for. Shortly after World Synergy’s partnership, Clark & Lavey selected Veterans Count as a recipient, and they have been supporting them ever since, with the first year providing a $20k donation.
In early 2021, Veterans Count approached Paul to let him know about a specific issue they were seeing with needs for veterans during non-veteran holidays. With service people returning, along with their service animals, they saw a need to get food to vets, in addition to their pets.
With World Synergy’s partnership, the Vets and Pets marketing campaign lasted 6 weeks. This included soliciting gift cards from local merchants and pet stores, all to help vets and their service animals. The goal was $10k, and on the last day of campaigning with $9k raised, Paul received a phone call. A friend called from out of the blue, unsolicited, who had just seen a video from Clark & Lavey team member Alex Sinclair on Linked in about the campaign.
“How much do you need?” his friend asked. Paul explained their situation, and by the end of that day he had a check in-hand to reach their $10k goal. By spending a few minutes doing what World Synergy trained them to do and posting it on LinkedIn, they had accomplished their goal.
Clark & Lavey has also obtained new clients directly from their postings and campaigns to support non-profits. In addition, World Synergy helped them to utilize more technology to help streamline and simplify their work.
We’re thrilled to see such effective collaboration between our Members and Partners! How are you networking to benefit the greater good these days?
Robust workplace dynamics policies and processes are often placed secondary to employers’ bottom line. But where this way of operation was once accepted, employers’ priorities are being challenged by a shift in perceptions and attitudes led by a new generation, Gen Z’ers, and their expectation that employers should foster a healthy lifestyle. Added to this shift, workforce dynamics, including COVID, violence, and emotional well-being will pressure employers. These dynamics are leaving employers across all industries struggling with the challenges of attracting and retaining quality employees.
Join Benefit Advisor’s Network’s (BAN) U.S. Human Capital Management Director, Bobbi Kloss, and Canada’s HRprimed, Tenesia Benjamin, Senior Human Resource and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Specialist for a discussion on how a supportive diverse and inclusive culture establishes an attitude that embraces qualities of the Gen Z’ers and positively impacts the attitudes and behaviors of the workforce.
Moderated by Perry Braun, BAN’s Executive Director, employers will be guided on strategies to Lead2Healthier assets, business, people, and culture.
CLEVELAND, OH (6/23/21) – Benefit Advisors Network (BAN) – the premier international network of independent employee benefit firms – has promoted Denise Stefanoff to Director of Client Management and National Partnerships.
In her new role, Stefanoff will be responsible for leading her team of national account executives in providing outstanding client experiences to members and assist members in reaching their business growth goals while strategically developing and managing relationships with BAN’s preferred carriers and partners that align with the members’ interests.
During this transition, Stefanoff will continue to serve as the main point of contact for BAN Member Agencies in the eastern United States. She serves members by educating them on BAN resources, helping new members successfully integrate with the network, organizing monthly meetings and peer groups, and much more. She is proud to be the “boots-on-the-ground” resource for BAN Member Agencies.
With more than 20 years of industry experience, Denise previously worked for Employee Benefits International, Marsh & McLennan, and Wells Fargo Insurance Services as an Account Manager and spent five years with Aetna Insurance as a Senior Account Manager. She welcomes a new challenge every day and thrives on the spirit of collaboration and support that ties all BAN member agencies together.
“We are excited to promote Denise to Director of Client Management and National Partnerships,” said Perry Braun, Executive Director of the Benefit Advisors Network. “She has been with our organization for eight years and in that time our members have come to rely on Denise’s industry insights and expertise. This new position will further allow Denise to coach and mentor her team members, continue providing outstanding service to our growing roster of U.S. and Canadian broker members while working closely with our strategic partners to align our collective interests.”
Continues Braun, “I am confident that in this new role she will influence the strategic direction of BAN in the future, help drive our current business plan forward, and continue to strengthen BAN.”
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 benefits customers. BAN intentionally limits membership because of the highly collaborative interactions. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.benefitadvisorsnetwork.com.
