Leadership Perspectives

Private Client Group — Keeping it Personal

by Mike Carmody, Amy Ciasulli, Gil Lai and Brett Woodward
Private Client Group Practice Leaders

What exactly does Private Client Group (PCG) do? Great question! We provide discretely brokered personal property risk management solutions to affluent individuals. Our goal is simple: help protect what matters most to clients with top coverage and personalized service that they probably didn’t think existed anymore. From homeowners insurance, auto, fine art, and watercraft coverage to kidnap and ransom and high-limit liability, we put programs in place that give people what they need most — peace of mind.

That’s not a “sales pitch.” That’s how we approach work every day. Keeping business personal is something that we take seriously for both employees and clients. Every person we come into contact with is another opportunity to expand our relationships in a way that benefits our clients and NFP as a whole. If you’re around us long enough, you’ll hear us say, “We don’t separate sales from service” more than once.

PCG in Numbers
The four of us came together in 2005, drawn by the same service philosophy. We joined NFP in 2012 with seven offices, and we’ve continued to build relationships and grow the business. PCG now has 15 offices, with over 90 exceptional employees. More than 9,000 clients depend on us to protect their assets — and we’ve consistently maintained a retention rate in the upper 90s for the last ten years. Our employees stick around, too, which is a huge reason that our clients do.

The Big Differentiator
Solid, long-lasting relationships that come from making the effort to get to know our clients. That’s what differentiates us from the competition. We’re relationship-based and relationship-driven with everyone we come in contact with, and it works. Our cohesive team approach gives each client a feeling of appreciation and safety, and the vast network of NFP adds another level of confidence that few, if any, other companies can offer.

We partner with highly ranked insurance carriers and have relationships of more than 20 years with the underwriters that we work very closely with. We view it as a true partnership — a win-win for everyone involved.

Our group’s industry is large, but it’s also very tight-knit. Everybody knows each other, and we’ve worked extremely hard through our careers on having positive relationships. That’s not always the case with other insurance agencies, whose contentious relationships serve no one — not the agency, not the carriers, not the client. That’s why we look at every relationship as having three prongs that reflect the connectivity of the agency, carriers and clients. Keeping everyone on the same page is so important, and it’s why we’re so strong as a group.

Strong Ties
Because of our commitment to taking care of each client holistically, we’re able to introduce our clients to anything and everything they might need. That keeps them in the NFP family for a very long time. If you want to know more about what we do, take a look at the Private Client Resources section on NFP.com. Together, we can show prospects and clients why we’re a different, better kind of company.

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HR

RECOGNITION

Unsung Hero, Daniel Lawrence

When it comes to being a leader, Daniel Lawrence has it covered. As an audit supervisor in the Austin office, he’s also a problem solver with strong ethical values and exceptional technical skills. Daniel’s talents were on full display during a revenue testing project in 2015. From the beginning, Daniel demonstrated his leadership and diligence, which he continued to show throughout the entire project. He’s a big part of why we earned praise from our external auditors for our resourcefulness and intelligence. His attitude inspires our team to use our talents and collaborate to grow successfully. Where some people can’t handle pressure, Daniel not only handles it, but thrives. And that makes him a true unsung hero.

Daniel’s dream is to take his family and friends on a vacation somewhere warm, with a beautiful beach.

Unsung Hero, Dan Garfin

Need a helping hand? Dan Garfin, director of Client Services in San Francisco, is great at pitching in and working with clients. He's also the reason we have a national contract with EaseCentral, our under-100-employee group benefits administration solution. He was one of the first in our company to utilize EaseCentral, which he recommended to NFP. Dan is a true team player, making him an unsung hero.

Dan lives in Orinda, CA, with his wife and sons. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, he still shows his school spirit. Go Cal Bears!

Know an Unsung Hero? Submit a nomination form to humanresources@nfp.com.

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COMMUNITY

Record Breaker Billy Snelson Is Austin’s LLS Man of the Year

Congratulations to Creative Director Billy Snelson on winning the fundraising campaign for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man of the Year for Austin, TX. Billy competed in honor of his father, Mike, who lost his battle with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma four years ago.

Not only did Billy break the Austin men's record, raising a whopping $126,000 dollars for blood cancer research and patient advocacy, but the total funds raised by all Austin candidates also broke the Austin record, coming in at a staggering $969,226! Michael Turner, executive assistant to Ashley Cop, also won an award for Campaign Team Manager and Ashley Cop, SVP of Marketing, received a Years of Service Award for her dedication to LLS Man & Woman of the Year from 2012–2016. NFP has proudly supported LLS and those who have helped to raise funds and awareness for this important campaign.

Thank you to all who donated to Billy’s campaign, including Northborough managing director Jay Foran, who did a dollar-for-dollar match for all of his employees who donated. Congrats again, Billy, on a strong, inspiring and heartfelt campaign!

L to R: Man of the Year runner up Matt Mackowiak, Woman of the Year winner Amanda Bush, Woman of the Year runner up Dr. Jennifer Walden and Man of the Year winner Billy Snelson

Red Nose Day Raises Money and Spirits

Red Nose Day raises funds to provide grants to charity partners that support children and young people living in poverty in the U.S. and across the world. It’s no surprise that our employees stuck their nose right into the program.

Supporting Lupus in Concert

Alysia Wilson, an office administrator in our Cleveland office, performed in the charity choir concert, “A Night for Hope Celebrating the Lupus Foundation.” Singing beautifully, Alysia and her choir raised voices and funds for lupus awareness and research. In support of Alysia’s efforts, NFP generously donated to the Lupus Foundation.

Illinois Run-Walk Fundraiser Rocks Rockford

Employees of our Rockford, IL, office participated in the OSD5K Run-Walk & Rockton Firemen's Association Pancake Breakfast, benefitting the Carrie Lynn Children’s Center. The mission of the Carrie Lynn Children's Center is to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary response to child sexual abuse and serious physical abuse allegations in a neutral, child-focused setting. Sponsored by the Rockton Lion’s Club and co-organized by Michelle Masters, senior director of our Rockford office, these events raised over $10,000 for the Carrie Lynn Children's Center. Kudos to Michelle and her team for leading this very worthy cause.

R to L: Race directors Michelle Masters of NFP and her fiancé, Police Sergeant Dean Camacho

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WELL-BEING

As One Wellness Challenge Ends, Another Is Born

A big thank you to the 340 people who participated in the Vitality Health Review (VHR) challenge. Congratulations to the Midwest region for winning the VHR challenge and receiving an additional 250 points each. Great job, everyone! But are you ready for your next challenge?

Summer is here and that means it’s time for the Step Out Walking Challenge. Whether you run, jog or walk, join us for NFP’s summer well-being challenge that benefits our Diabetes Awareness campaign. Let’s help stop diabetes and start making ourselves healthier.

When: Registration opens July 12. The five-week challenge runs July 15 – Aug. 19.

Where: HR will send an email when it's time to sign up. Then you can register at powerofvitality.com, link your fitness device and start stepping.

Rewards: The top steppers will receive bonus Vitality points and the satisfaction of a job well done.

Don’t have a fitness device? No problem. Cash in some of your Vitality bucks for a fitness device on the Vitality Mall. As a reminder, these fitness devices and apps are compatible with Vitality. Another option is to download the Fitbit app for free and link it to Vitality. To see if you have a MobileTrack compatible phone, visit www.fitbit.com/devices.

Not enrolled in Vitality? Sign up and start your path to a healthier you!

Questions? Contact Human Resources.

First Platinum Vitality Members of the New Program Year

The new Vitality program year just kicked off in April, but two employees have already reached Platinum Status:

Laura Gandy, account manager at our Greenville, SC, office, hit Platinum and reaped rewards beyond good health. She used her Vitality Bucks to get gift cards so she could buy new luggage and sunglasses for her family vacation. Laura was also our first employee to reach Platinum status last year.

Tammy Hendrix, account manager at our Greenville, SC, office, hit Platinum after she made a pact with her family to get healthier by using Fitbits. They worked as a family to reach their step goals, eat healthier and become closer to each other. She remarked of her status, “Even though I’m at Platinum, I don’t intend to stop now — gotta keep on walkin’.”

Congratulations to Tammy and Laura on this great accomplishment.

UHC Specialty Medication Update

If you’re enrolled in our United Healthcare medical plan, OptumRx currently manages your pharmacy benefit plan. OptumRx has added a specialty pharmacy provider called BriovaRx. As part of this change, BriovaRx will begin to fill your specialty medications. All specialty prescriptions will be automatically transferred to BriovaRx.

When your prescription is ready to move, one of the BriovaRx patient care coordinators will call you to arrange your first delivery with BriovaRx. The pharmacy will talk with you to ensure they have up-to-date information to fill your prescription. You’ll also receive more information about BriovaRx in your first prescription delivery.

Some members have already started to receive their specialty drugs from BriovaRx. The transition will continue over the coming months. Until you receive a call from BriovaRx, continue to fill your specialty pharmacy prescription as usual.

The current experiences and services offered under the specialty pharmacy program remain the same: member cost share, pharmacist availability, clinical management programs, refills and deliveries, free supplies, credit card on file and claims history.

BriovaRx’s customer care and refill phone number is 855-489-0642, and you may still go to myuhc.com to review specialty and non-specialty claims history and order refills. All other nonspecialty prescriptions will continue to be offered through the regular OptumRx process.

Questions? Contact nfpemployeebenefits@nfp.com.

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DEVELOPMENT

Happening Now — Mandatory Compliance Training

NFP is committed to providing an environment where all employees are treated with dignity and respect, conducting business in an ethical manner and protecting the confidential data and privacy of our clients, employees, partners and vendors.

The 2016 compliance training will be available through the NFP Compliance Education Center, June 27 – Aug. 15. During this seven-week open training period, all employees, long-term contractors (working 90 days or more) and non-MBO principals are required to take Cybersecurity Basics and Workplace Harassment training.

How to Access the Training:

• Training website: NFP Compliance Education Center
• Username: Your six-digit NFP Employee ID number, which you can find on the PeopleFirst Portal under the Employee Summary section of the “Myself” tab; if you don’t have an Employee ID because you’re in our Puerto Rico, Canada or England offices, or because you’re a temporary employee or long-term contractor (90 days or more), log in using the email address on file with NFP as your username.
• Password: Training

Learn more about why this is so important in May’s leadership article by Tim Robb, General Counsel. Thank you for your time and effort in completing this necessary training.

Questions? Contact Human Resources.

Welcome to NFP — Let’s Get Started

Introducing “Welcome to NFP,” a new training course that will help newly hired employees make the most of our great company. The one-hour virtual-training course is facilitated by our company leaders and will be held the first week of each month. New hires in any office will have the opportunity to learn about our:

• Structure, office locations and leadership
• Revenue growth, business strategy and service offerings
• PeopleFirst culture and how to access programs that can help them succeed personally and professionally

If you’ve just been hired, you’ll receive an email from our CEO, Doug Hammond, inviting you to the next month’s training session. Not brand new to NFP, but want to check out the next session? Register and join us for the July 6 training.

We Support Your Leadership Development

We’re happy to provide you the opportunity to grow your leadership skills through a series called Emerging Leaders. This virtual series consists of seven courses designed to provide a solid leadership foundation. Each course is offered four times per year to eligible leaders. Those who complete the series are recognized for their achievements through a framed certificate signed by our CEO, Doug Hammond.

Laura Linton, manager of Claims Advocacy in the New York office, recently completed the Emerging Leaders series and says, “Emerging Leaders has been a great opportunity to learn and develop my leadership skills. The information provided in the participation guides was valuable — second only to the experiences shared by the presenters and other participants of the seminars. I highly recommended these courses.”

Want to do more than follow in another’s footsteps? We can help you learn how to grow your leadership skills and forge your own path to success. Talk with your manager to find out if this course is open to you.

L to R: Bill Austin, Laura Linton and Anthony Pires

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FINANCE

Your Retirement Plan and Brexit

You’ve probably heard about the United Kingdom (U.K.). and its vote to leave the European Union (E.U.). Like many others, you may be wondering how this will affect you. So let’s talk about your retirement plan, Brexit and why you should stay the course.

The Facts
In the Referendum of the U.K.’s Membership in the E.U., better known as “Brexit,” 52 percent of voters in the U.K. voted to leave the E.U. and 48 percent voted to “remain.” It will take over two years for the actual execution of an exit. Additionally, David Cameron announced that he’ll resign as U.K. Prime Minister by October. This news came as a surprise to many investors and caused a sharp sell-off in international markets and a less than 3 percent decline in U.S. equity markets.

Markets dislike uncertainty, and this news has raised many questions about the future of the E.U. and the potential impact on the global economy. Leaving the E.U. will likely result in some U.K. economic weakness near term, but the exit will have a more muted effect on the global economy, as the U.K. represents less than 4 percent of the global GDP (according to American Century Investment’s June 24, 2016 investment bulletin). The move should have very little impact on the U.S. economy, although it will put any near-term rate hikes from the Federal Reserve on hold.

What This Means for You
With investing in general and particularly investing for retirement, it’s vital to keep a healthy long-term perspective. Reacting to headlines or timing markets may result in poor returns. Markets have historically endured much larger shocks, such as wars, terrorist attacks and deep recessions, but they eventually recovered from each shock. In each case, one of the worst possible reactions is to panic and get out of the market. To co-opt a famous British saying, “Keep calm and carry on.”

Visit these links for additional industry commentary on Brexit:

BlackRock: UK Vote: Out of Europe
American Century: Our Views on the Brexit Vote Q&A
Janus: Brexit Stage Left

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Regional Office & Platform News

Clients Learn the Latest at Illinois Educational Seminars

Our Illinois offices held their annual client educational seminars in Chicago and Rockford, IL, bringing the latest industry information to C-level executives and the HR professionals they support. Managing director Mike Schneider and senior directors Steve Curry, Michelle Masters, Eric Pockross, Jordan Pockross and Dan Timmermann hosted the events. Suzanne Spradley, senior counsel from our Legal & Compliance team, provided ACA updates and forecasts, and Vince Pinto, senior consultant, HR Services, explained how we can help them navigate the various HR and benefits technology vendors. Events like these help our clients understand the full value of our company and the depth of knowledge our experts really have.

L to R: Jordan Pockross, Roberta Korntved, Rachel Herod and Karim Qamruddin

Two Defined Contribution Enrollment Solutions You Need to Share with Clients Today

Are the companies you serve aware that auto-features in defined contribution (DC) plans can drive retirement readiness by boosting participation and savings rates, especially among new workers? Through auto-enrollment, new hires are not only able to save for retirement, but can do so within an appropriately allocated investment vehicle that matches their specific retirement needs or time horizon. For plans that implement auto-features, less than one-third of participants opt out, according to a 2014 Cerulli retirement markets report.

However, there are two employee segments not benefiting from auto-features, which negatively affects their chance for retirement savings success:

• Active plan participants hired before auto-enrollment and increased auto-deferral rates. This can result in a potentially misallocated investment strategy that may not meet their future needs, a low plan account balance and/or no ongoing contributions.
• Non-participating eligible employees hired prior to auto-enrollment, who chose not to participate in the plan. These employees are missing out on a powerful retirement savings tool – and potential match – altogether.

This is where a positive nudge toward plan re-enrollment could make all the difference. Re-enrollment helps amplify employee participation and confidence, among other benefits that affect both employee and plan sponsor. Through our guidance and expert knowledge, we can and do help clients grow their success. The result is satisfaction all around.

Recent Acquisitions

We’ve expanded our capabilities with several new strategic transactions that complement existing proficiencies across the country:

• Linkfield Corporate Solutions, now part of the Property & Casualty division in Birmingham, U.K.
• ERISA Fiduciary Advisors, Inc., now part of the Retirement division in Santa Ana, CA

Please join us in welcoming these offices to the NFP family.

P&C Capabilities Grow with Dalton Timmis Group Partnership

We’re pleased to announce our strategic partnership with Dalton Timmis Group, a leading insurance brokerage in Canada. Through this partnership, our Canadian clients will have access to a full suite of property & casualty products available under the Dalton Timmis brand. Through us, Dalton Timmis clients will have product options for employee benefits, wealth management, life and disability.

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Technology

IoT — Easy as 1, 2, 3

IoT is what’s collectively referred to as the “Internet of Things.” So what exactly is IoT? It’s a collection of physical components – like Fitbits, door locks, thermostats, cameras, light switches, etc. – all networked together and accessible over the Internet.

The IoT allows us to have more control over our devices within our homes, offices and even our cars. There are clear advantages to this. You can save energy and money by adjusting your home’s temperature remotely, so that you’ll be comfortable when you arrive home. Lock your keys in your car? Simply log in to your car remotely to unlock your doors. The possibilities are nearly endless, and the convenience is undeniable. But there are risks to consider, too.

These devices are an increasingly lucrative target for cybercriminals. The more devices you have, the more possibilities for hackers to target you. Ask yourself these questions before you purchase and connect devices to your network:

• Does it come from a reputable vendor that's tested and certified the product?
• Is the product vendor able to push necessary updates to the device?
• Does it require a login and password to connect to the device?
• Can I change the login/password to keep it unique from the same device owned by others?
• Does the device leverage an encrypted connection?
• Does the Internet login portal over my browser use a secure connection?
• Does the login portal (from my phone or Internet) lock me out after a certain number of failed attempts?

The risks involved are often less about the device itself and more about the access it opens into your network. Don’t let your security be compromised by one “open” door. Be vigilant about your devices and network and you’ll be able to enjoy all kinds of exciting new possibilities that these advancing technologies provides.

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Procurement

New Group Purchasing Program

We’re excited to announce a participation agreement with CoreTrust, a leading group purchasing organization for large corporations and private equity firms. CoreTrust provides volume discounts based on the combined spend of all its members. Advantages of the agreement include:

• Purchasing power – Negotiated rates based on the combined spending of 1,200+ members
• Broad portfolio – Access to industry-leading pricing with preferred suppliers in 125+ categories
• Nationwide programs – One price structure for NFP

The following programs will provide pricing that’s 5-15 percent better than what we were previously paying:

• Shred-It shredding services
• American Express corporate cards
• FedEx shipping services

Send a copy of your existing shredding contract to Silver Chaudry to track expiration dates and discuss transitioning to the CoreTrust program. If you already have an existing Shred-It account, please confirm that the new rates have been applied.

We’re interested in expanding our relationship with CoreTrust by adopting additional categories, including postage meter leases and furniture purchasing. What do you think? Email Silver Chaudry with your ideas.

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Marketing

“Brand” New Changes to PowerPoint Template

What’s new with our PowerPoint template? We’re glad you asked. You’ll find these on-brand updates to the slides:

• Our Purpose and Way
• Rankings
• Geography
• Leadership
• Our core offerings

Access the templates on NFP Brand Central, where you’ll also find newly designed proposal and RFP templates.

So Hot, It’s Cool — July Sale at NFP Logo Shop

Get great savings when you visit the NFP Logo Shop in July to stock up on NFP-branded swag. You’ll enjoy a red hot 10 percent off and free shipping on featured items. Just enter coupon code “NFPJULY10” when checking out. This is the perfect time to see what’s new!

Social Media

Get the word out on your office events, charitable efforts and employees’ professional achievements. Submit them to our rapidly growing Facebook and Twitter accounts:

1. Fill out the brief NFP Social Media Post Submission Form. The form is located on NFP Brand Central, where you’ll find tools and support you need for NFP-related branding, compliance, marketing and public relations.
2. Email the completed form and any related photos to communications@nfp.com.

Make sure you’re fully connected to NFP. Follow, friend and connect with us on social media!

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