Allison De Paoli has been solving the health care crisis for employers who were sure there was nothing they could do to control their costs or make it a better experience for employees. She co-authored the Amazon Best-Seller Breaking Through the Status Quo: How Innovative Companies are Changing the Benefits Game to Help Their Employees and Boost Their Bottom Line. And, she was recently recognized as a 2019 Top Women in Advising by BenefitsPro Magazine.

Bob Gearhart Jr was named Rising Star in Advising by Employee Benefit Adviser magazine, a finalist for Broker of the Year by BenefitsPRO magazine, and has received multiple awards by the Association for Insurance Leadership. He is a nationally recognized speaker on health care and employee benefits frequently appearing on radio, television, and in print to provide expert knowledge concerning the ever-changing landscape surrounding health care in America. In his current role as CEO of DCW Group, he and his team relentlessly focus on delivering measurable, repeatable, and predictable reductions in health-care costs for their employer clients while simultaneously improving the benefits for their employees.

Eric Silverman, Founder and Owner of Baltimore Maryland based Voluntary Disruption (VD), a division of Silverman Benefits Group (SBG), is considered one of the most recognized authorities and disruptive forces in enhanced employee-funded benefits (the industry formerly known as “voluntary”). Eric is widely known as a subject matter expert with more than 20 years of employee benefit sales, marketing, management, and recruiting experience. He is often sought after and interviewed by various journalists from multiple industry publications such as BenefitsPRO, ThinkAdvisor (formerly LifeHealthPRO), and Employee Benefit Advisor (EBA) online and print magazines. He has also been asked to deliver keynote speeches and speak on various expert panels at multiple national industrywide and carrier conferences. Eric has received the 2017 “Voluntary Advisor of the Year” award by Employee Benefit Advisor magazine. He is also a contributing author to the Amazon Best Selling employee benefits book, “Breaking Through The Status Quo.” Over the last decade alone, Eric has recruited, trained, and developed more than 2,000 commission sales agents, interns, and broker partners, which led to the securing of more than 2,500 commercial worksite payroll accounts and the generation of more than $100 million dollars in gross annualized revenue.

Proud to lead the Bender Insurance Solutions Employee Benefits Team, where our team becomes part of yours. Let our professionals do the heavy lifting in designing, implementing, and maintaining a benefits program uniquely designed to your needs. Attract and retain the best talent through your benefits program, and gain the compliance and back-office support you need so you can focus on what matters most, your business. Erin has over a decade of experience. Strong knowledge of both TPA and agency operations with excellent skills in team management and client service. Passionate about self-funding and alternative solutions as well as employee development, performance metrics, and process engineering.

Hoy has worked with the growing team at Eureka Insurance Solutions since 2016. He came into the industry with no prior experience but has quickly gained an understanding of the intricacies of group health insurance benefits. Asides from the day to day functions of processing benefit changes and renewals for small and large employer groups, Hoy oversees the operation of the agency as a whole. He has developed and implemented digitized processes for every aspect of the business; exponentially increasing productivity, efficiency, as well as capturing and retrieving data in real-time. All functions of the agency operate paper-free, cloud-based, and remote across the Western and Central United States. As a result, the agency experienced unprecedented growth in 2020 in spite of the pandemic that led to the closure of so many businesses. In his spare time, Hoy can be found pontificating about the seemingly mundane and finding humor in unexpected places.

A few of my duties as a Benefits Account Manager at TCOR Management include serving as a techinical advisor to the client on all group benefit concerns, including complex claim and billing issues. I maintain and market coverages for new and renewing clients, develop benefit plans for clients while coordinating with the client and advisor to implement the benefit plans. Seek out new clients and develop clientele through community and business relationships and functions all while holding true to the TCOR values.

Janet Trautwein is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) and President of the National Association of Health Underwriters Education Foundation in Washington, D.C. NAHU represents employee benefits professionals involved in the design, implementation, and management of health plans all over the United States. Her responsibilities include oversight of all NAHU and NAHU Education Foundation activities including oversight for 30 staff members in Washington, DC, and 210 state and local chapters. She is the primary spokesperson for NAHU to the media, government agencies, and elected officials at all levels. A frequent speaker on health policy issues, Janet’s expertise in issues related to health insurance markets, the uninsured, risk and reinsurance pooling, benefits related tax and tax-preferred account issues, and both national and global health reform has been recognized throughout the industry. Janet has testified before Congress numerous times, and has been published in major news outlets, and has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs around the world. Janet holds a degree in Government and International Affairs from George Mason University where she graduated summa cum laude and a Master's degree in Health Economics, Health Policy, and Health Management from the London School of Economics.

The Troodon Group brought Jennifer on 2018 to build their second division of benefits technology and administration. Her department focuses primarily on the small business clients for Troodon’s broker partners. She came to Troodon with seven years of experience in various aspects of the insurance industry as well as six years of technical consultant and training experience to help her successfully launch and lead the newly formed sector. Jennifer has a passion for sharing her technical expertise with members of the insurance community to help them better understand and appreciate how today’s technology can benefit their organization and their clients. When not talking tech at work, Jennifer is an all-star armchair quarterback who also contributes her time and resources to a local animal rescue.

Jessica Du Bois is a Benefits Advisor and Director of Marketing at the Business Benefits Group (BBG). Jessica has built her reputation and brand around her genuine care for the user experience in healthcare and benefits. She believes the true value of benefits come from putting employee's first, then finding synergy through empathy, technology, and strategy. Jessica began her career as a group insurance sales representative in Nashville, TN. After becoming inspired by the innovative approach of BBG, and the need for women in the industry, she moved halfway across the country to become a Benefit's Advisor in the Washington DC region. In a short period of time at BBG, Jessica has led the redesign and rollout of a new brand identity, created a webinar series for HR leaders, and launched a podcast, while bringing on 40+ new clients to the agency. Jessica was named 2020 Rising Stars in Advising by EBA, 2019 Face of Change by BenefitsPro, 40 under 40 for Northern Virginia, and 2019 Broker of the Year at BBG. She also serves on the Medical Advisory Board for Vida Fitness.

Jim began his career in the late ’80s as a traditional life and investment agent with Equitable of NY. He is co-founder and partner of Dynamic Benefit Solutions, LLC, a healthcare consulting firm based in NE Pennsylvania. Jim’s mission is to bring higher quality and better access to healthcare for employees and employers all while driving down the cost of healthcare. Working with over 400 corporate clients encompassing tens of thousands of employees he has become their partner in that quest.

Directly manage client relationships at the C-suite level in top corporate accounts for group benefit plans (medical, dental, vision, life, ancillary products). Manage a portfolio of 75 corporate accounts representing 50% of total divisional revenue leading relationship building, account servicing and establishing strategic partnership with senior executive and business leaders. Lead complete sales and program lifecycles, including consultative sales, pricing, proposals and close through integration. Lead strategic business planning for key accounts: short/long range strategy, goals, quarterly business reviews, market intelligence, quality and contract negotiations (pricing, budget, risk).

Kyle Miller brings his expertise in mergers and acquisitions to vet, price, and execute new deals. Through leveraging referrals from existing agency partners and deal brokers, Kyle has expanded Acrisure into new geographies and niche verticals. In addition, Kyle advises partners in their inorganic growth efforts.

Since joining Acrisure in June of 2015, Kyle has vetted over 750 domestic and international independent insurance agencies and completed over 100 acquisitions.

Prior to joining Acrisure, Kyle worked as a Private Client Advisor at MB Financial Bank servicing high net worth clients and family offices. Kyle holds a BS in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Simply put, I translate health benefits into language everyone can understand. I provide creative problem solving, second to none attention to detail, consistent communication, and event planning skills while partnering with (s/m/l) businesses to produce well-rounded Employee Benefits programs.

Mike Sullivan, Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer for OneDigital, leads all aspects of the firms expanding revenue via acquisition and partnership in the health, wealth and retirement sectors. He also manages OneDigital’s adjacent investments in Centro, a national ancillary wholesale operation as well as Compass Consulting and Prospective Risk Management, a leading solution in the PEO underwriting and actuarial advisory business. Mike helps to create the strategy around OneDigital’s platform build for small and middle market employers that today includes health/wealth & retirement advisory services, HR consulting and technology integrations. He is also reshaping the firms’ partnership business beyond traditional agency relationships to include a myriad of emerging technology and service businesses. Mike began his career with MassMutual, where he spent 13 years, most of them as regional vice president of sales in the Mid-Atlantic region. In 1997, he joined NYLCare, later to become Aetna, as vice president of East Coast national account sales. Briefly, before joining OneDigital, Sullivan met is Co-Founder Adam Bruckman while working at a Colorado Springs-based VC-funded technology infrastructure company. Bruckman and Sullivan began to build what is today OneDigital in early 2000. After receiving a bachelor's degree in history from Amherst College, Sullivan earned a master's degree in business administration from George Mason University, which included international course work at Oxford University in England. He lives in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC with his wife Patti. They have three adult children.

Ned Schaut is a family man and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Agency Leverage, a marketing company for Employee Benefits Agents. He is the host of the Benefits Influencer Podcast, striving to create space for Benefits Influencers to challenge each other’s mindsets to grow and expand their expertise. He is the President of Eureka Insurance Solutions, a regional Benefits Agency in Northern California. He is passionate about encouraging fathers around the world to embrace their fatherhood role. Ned has written a book on fatherhood – Rebel and Create, created a journal to engage fathers – The Fatherhood Legacy Journal, and is the host of the Fatherhood Field Notes Podcast.

Nicholas Felter is President at Match Play Insurance & Financial Services. Match Play is a comprehensive, client focused, full service insurance & benefits agency. They’re in the business of securing value for their clients, both individual & business. Through their creative ideas, across available products and services, they set out to discover, create, and connect. Match Play removes the ‘lost in translation’ feeling from the process of selecting the proper plan for you, your family, or your company. Their direct relationships with carriers & providers ensure the best possible rates and premiums for products and services, and they never have broker fees.

Nick Rockwell has over 18 years of experience in varying roles from sales, distribution, administration and marketing strategy development to management and training. He built one of the benefit industry’s first voluntary identity theft businesses from the ground up and ran it for 7 years prior to joining Eastbridge in 2016. Nick leads the Company in delivering strategic consulting services to clients across insurance, non-insurance, third-party administration and technology-platform segments. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and webinars and also co-authors Eastbridge's monthly BenefitsPro column.

Randy K. Hansen is President & Founder of PSG Washington, in Everett, Washington. Over a span of 35 years he has seen many personal and professional changes. Currently, he and his son Nick work closely together with a focus on unbundled, self-funded healthcare plans. Their small consulting firm of 5 currently serves clients from 25-1,000 lives in 12 states, many times competing with much larger firms. His most recent changes reminded him that this industry can be fun and very satisfying if done correctly.

Rick Fox is vice president at Vertafore, where he serves as the resident expert on independent agencies and what it takes to be successful in today’s complex and connected insurance ecosystem. Rick also hosts the Vertafore Insurance Podcast with weekly episodes that cover the latest industry trends and winning agency strategies. Prior to joining Vertafore, Fox served as president at Agency Revolution, where he had previously served as senior vice president of sales and marketing and chief revenue officer. He was also a successful independent agency owner, having built his brokerage from scratch and through acquisitions before exiting the business in 2009.

Connie says she hates long introductions so let me sum her up in just 25 words. 25 years. Two million people. 1000 organizations. Hall of Fame speaker. Award-winning author. Seven books. Former Radio/TV personality. Comedienne. Human Behavior Expert. And…( what we all probably could use now and then)….a Therapist. Bottom line: Get ready! To dig deeper, laugh harder and learn more about how TO GET WHAT YOU WANT out of life than you ever thought possible!

Molly shares unconventional techniques and wisdom that helped her thrive as one of the first female sports agents in the high stakes, big ego world of professional sports.
Now a successful entrepreneur and author, Molly offers a rare blend of business wisdom, relationship brilliance, and unwavering optimism—and attending EIC21 is your chance to learn from her. She was hailed as the “female Jerry Maguire” by CNN, as she recruited and represented hundreds of sport’s biggest names (including Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, PGA TOUR golfer Matt Kuchar, broadcaster Erin Andrews, and basketball championship coaches Tom Izzo and Doc Rivers).

David Reid has over 30 years of experience in the employee benefits and group insurance industry and was one of the earliest adopters of technology as an integral strategy for employers in the late 1990s. In 2012, Mr. Reid co-founded Ease (www.ease.com) to create a small group solution that provides the robust eligibility management features previously limited to enterprise solutions used by large employers. After just three years, in 2015 Ease was launched on the West Coast and is among the most widely adopted, fastest growing solution for brokers and employers in the area, with over 50,000 employers and over 1,200,000 employee users. Throughout his career, Mr. Reid’s focus has been creating broker-centric solutions that are easy to use.

My goal is to continue my passion for learning, traveling, and working with people who have revolutionary ideas. I strive to work on web/mobile services that help connect millions of people all over the world.

I am an energetic sales leader with 20+ years of diverse experience delivering high-value results in enrollment technology, SaaS, benefits administration, and insurance industry environments. A hands-on leader and industry influencer, I am known for creating, executing, and leading high-impact sales and marketing strategies that optimize corporate footprints and enable continuous revenue growth. My career spans roles with leading companies including TransAmerica and other industry players.

N/A

Strong cross-functional experience in sales leadership, channel management, and business strategy. A hands on leader, with an exceptional ability to hire, train, motivate and retain top sales and technical teams. Successfully led teams that have sold SaaS / Cloud based solutions in security, mobility, and business applications.

As vice president, Voluntary Sales, Greg is responsible for driving growth through our Supplemental product suite: Accident, Critical Illness and Hospital Indemnity. He leads a team of Voluntary Practice Leaders to support The Standard’s sales and service teams, brokers, enrollment firms and employer-clients.
Prior to this position, Greg was the regional sales vice president for the Southeast Region where he led a team of sales managers spread out over eleven states. In his rsvp role, Greg was charged with growing The Standard’s entire portfolio of employee benefit products in the SE Region.
Greg started his career with The Standard in Houston as a sales rep before moving to Atlanta to manage The Standard’s Atlanta Employee Benefits Sales and Service office. Greg completed his CEBS designation in 1990, earned his MBA from the University of Georgia and his bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Texas at Austin. Greg is married, has two kids, one dog and currently lives in Austin, TX.

N/P

Senior Industry Analyst specializing in HR Technology. Experience acquired from the Insurance and Financial Services and the HR Technology. Industries provide a holistic approach to HR Technology Solutions and Insurance benefits to create an impactful

Jill has over 10 years of experience in the biotech and medical industry having held several positions in marketing, customer service, management, and sales. She works with Eusoh's Benefits Provider partners to set them up for success in selling our service to their clients with training and education as well as client and employee enrollment.

With 43,000 clients, offering a full range of payroll and HR solutions coupled with award winning customer service to deliver the ultimate user experience. Heartland Payroll Services is the fastest growing small business solution out there. Whether you’re starting a new business or are a seasoned veteran, Heartland Payroll will provide you with the tools to stay on track. Founded in 1997, Heartland opened its doors with a modest plan: to provide fair, honest and fully disclosed payments solutions. Since that time, Heartland has become the 4th largest payment processor in the country.

N/P

Keith is a 28-year veteran of the financial services industry. Over the past 24 years at The Standard, he has focused on providing a broad spectrum of innovative enrollment solutions to group insurance and retirement plan customers, with an emphasis on implementing technology to improve customer experience and provide operational efficiencies. His consultative approach and expertise help to build technology solutions that provide sustainable value to customers, benefits administration companies and broker partners.

Among a variety of other solutions, Heartland provides payroll and human capital management (HCM) solutions to thousands of small and medium sized business (the backbone of American economic activity) across the United States. I lead this business. We enable our clients with payroll and HCM software solutions layered with superior customer service. We are entrepreneurs respectfully serving entrepreneurs.

N/P

N/P

Solutions-oriented human resources leader with the ability to adapt quickly to new industries and changing business environments. Global experience with start-ups, private and publicly held organizations from 50 - 23,000 employees. Strategic business partner to internal clients across multiple functions to develop and implement HR strategies and procedures to drive and support business strategies and objectives. Proven record of building credibility-based relationships through coaching, consulting, partnering and influencing positive decision making with all levels of management. Strong business acumen in mature organizations and start-up environments, aligning HR programs to business strategies while applying a roll-up-your-sleeves approach to leading and coaching HR and management teams.

N/P

Max Miller is an Account Manager and head of marketing at BBP Admin. Max and the team of account managers at BBP Admin have combined decades of experience with COBRA and Pre-tax administration. Max’s focus on creating relationships and the trust of brokers nationwide by effective and transparent communication is the key to success for both brokers and their groups.

People-focused leader, with a passion for building high performing teams that deliver simple technology solutions to complex problems with quality and excellence. Passionate about Agile methodologies and empowering teams to build innovative solutions in a healthy, accountable and fun environment.

Seasoned product leader and strategist with 25+ years of success building and managing cloud platforms – enterprise SaaS and B2B2C platforms – with a proven track record of building and managing teams and leading the product roadmap for engineering organizations of 200+ staff and $200M+ in annual revenue.

N/P

Tyler is an Employee Benefits Sales Specialist representing The Standard in designing and promoting benefit plans to groups of all sizes with a focus on executive benefits. Tyler joined The Standard after graduating from California State University, Fullerton receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Marketing. He also participated in the University’s Sales Leadership Program.
Tyler joined The Standard in 2014 as an Employee Benefits Specialist in the San Francisco sales office. He was relocated back to Southern California and manages a territory extending from Torrance to San Diego. Tyler has sat on the board for the Inland Empire Health Underwriter’s Association since 2017 and was selected as a representative for the National Health Underwriter’s Association’s Capitol Hill Conference. In 2016, Tyler became one of The Standard’s youngest Sales Representatives to win the GSI award for executive disability benefits. He has worked with both public and private employer groups, with most of his public experience being in Torrance managing a 10+ million dollar block of business.

Fabio Viviani Hospitality has opened 34 restaurants to date, and in the next 18 months, Fabio Viviani Hospitality Group is scheduled to open 14 more venues, including 5 Hotels in partnerships with different operators.
Best known for his participation in Bravo’s Top Chef seasons 5 and 8 - earning the “Fan Favorite” title - his on-screen appearances and off-screen successes have propelled him to become one of the most influential culinary and hospitality names in the country.
Fabio is a recurring guest on national television shows such as Good Morning America, The Rachael Ray Show, and countless Food Network Shows, such as Cutthroat Kitchen: All-Star Tournament, which he won. Since 2016, Viviani released a successful YouTube cooking series, “Fabio’s Kitchen,” now in its third season. Off-screen, Viviani is a regular headliner at global food events, and aside from his restaurant businesses, in addition to owning lines of cookware and culinary gadgets, he is also a spokesman for international brands such as Bialetti Cookware, Lavazza Coffee, and several others. He has authored four successful cookbooks: Café Firenze Cookbook, New York Times Best-Seller Fabio’s Italian Kitchen, Fabio’s American Home Kitchen, and most recently Fabio’s 30-Minute Italian released in May 2017.

As the CEO of The TRUE Network, Scott and his team provide in depth training, innovative ideas and concepts, a select group of preferred partners, the best learning events in the industry and most importantly an enhanced collaborative environment to a select group of benefit consultants around the country. His background in healthcare, benefits and employee communication make him a sought after speaker on the topics of innovations in healthcare, benefit agency growth and development and leadership. Prior to forming TRUE Network of Advisors Scott was National Practice Leader at SS Nesbitt, President of Smith-Loggins Communications and President of Northwestern Benefits of Alabama.

Speaking Engagements

• 2019 Scheduled – “The State of Insurance Agency M&A” for Bernie Portal User Conference
• 2018: “The c4i Sales System” for “TRUE INfluence”
• 2018: “Scalable and Repeatable Growth” for TRUE Learning Academy
• 2017: “Agency Leadership” for TRUE Learning Academy
• 2017: “Benefit Technology Best Practices” for The Employee Navigator Users Conference
• 2015-2016: “Innovations in Healthcare” series for the University of Wisconsin-Stout Professional Education Program
• 2016: “Sales Goggles” for TRUE Learning Academy.
• 2015: “Sales and Growth Strategies for Benefit Agencies” for Northwestern Mutual Business Markets Employee Benefits Conference
• 2014-2015: “Health Care Cost Control and Compliance” for The Alabama Trucking Association
• 2014-2015: “Health Care Cost Control for the Retail Industry” for the Alabama Grocers Association
• 2014-2015: “Captives, Compliance and Conversations” for multiple CPA firms.
• 2014: “Innovative Health Care Strategies for Employers” for North Alabama SHRM
• 2013: “Healthcare Reform: Cost, Compliance and Your Culture” for the Alabama SHRM State Conference.

Jenn Clem has worked in the Voluntary Benefits industry for over 20 years. She joined the Allstate Benefits team in 2015, working closely with the broker community and building strategic partner relationships. Following Allstate’s Shared Purpose, Jenn believes strong customer service is the foundation of a successful partnership. Jenn currently lives in Tennessee with her husband, two kids, three dogs and one cat. She enjoys hiking, trying new recipes, entertaining, and spending quality time with her family - preferably outdoors.

Tenured Insurance Leader with over 20 years of experience in the middle market working for two national carriers as well as one new market entrant. Broad experience covering a wide variety of areas including client management, marketing, worksite strategy, project management, operations, and customer experience. Achieved high levels of success, both internally in a matrix environment, and externally with brokers and customers, through a combination of innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, technical expertise and relationship management skills. A strong leader of people committed to actions that drive success for the organization.

Ed Thomas is Director, Premier Technology with Aflac US (7/16 – present). Formerly he was a partner and Chief Distribution Officer with Empowered Benefits, LLC (4/11 – 7/16). Over Ed’s career he has had various roles and responsibilities within Jefferson-Pilot and Unum Group. His last carrier role prior to joining Empowered was National Sales Leader/ Large Employer Specialist – Large Case Voluntary Benefits (Unum US). He is a graduate of Guilford College (Greensboro, NC). Ed is Married (Mary Ann) and has three children: Marie, Stuart and Ann Carmen. He is a past President of: NC Health Underwriters Association, Charlotte Association of Health Underwriters and the Mecklenburg Kiwanis Club. He is a Registered Health Underwriter (RHU), an Elder and Member of Session (Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church - Charlotte, NC). In his spare time Ed enjoys Golf, Hiking and Gardening.

Michael Parker is Assistant Vice President, Enrollment Services at Allstate Benefits. He manages the internal enrollment solution. His department assists in field and call center enrollments for companies of all sizes. Michael joined Allstate Benefits in 2013. He began working in the employee benefits industry after graduating from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. He currently lives in Jacksonville, FL with his wife and 2 boys.