Seacrest Partners

Savannah Insurance Veteran Joins Seacrest Partners

phildevlin — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:00:13 +0000

.Charles B. “Chip” Compton Adds to the Firm’s Depth of Experience

…

March 1, 2013 – - Seacrest Partners is pleased to announce Charles B. “Chip” Compton, Jr. has joined the firm as Chief Operating Officer.

Compton has more than 30 years experience managing insurance programs for some of Savannah’s largest employers.

During his career, Compton has developed specialized expertise in the hospitality, construction and manufacturing industry sectors and is recognized as an authority on the implementation of complex risk management strategies.

Chip Compton
Chief Operating Officer

In his new role with Seacrest, Mr. Compton will be an integral part of the executive leadership team focusing on client services and technical resources for the rapidly growing firm.

In addition to management responsibilities, Mr. Compton will continue to provide risk management advice and property-casualty insurance brokerage services to middle-market and large commercial clients throughout the region.

Compton most recently served as a senior vice president with Wells Fargo Insurance Services in Savannah where he was the senior broker and advisor to some of the area’s largest commercial clients.

Prior to joining Wachovia Insurance Services in 2006 (Wells Fargo acquired Wachovia in 2008), Compton was a founding partner and owner of a Savannah-based insurance brokerage firm for more than 17 years. He began his insurance career in 1979 after graduating from University of Georgia when he joined Savannah-based Palmer & Cay.

……..

Seacrest’s president and founding partner David Paddison sees Compton’s decision to move from an institutional firm to a privately held firm as the alignment of entrepreneurial spirits.

“Entrepreneurs such as Chip thrive on providing new and better solutions for their clients. They need flexible environments that promote innovation and problem-solving. Chip will fit in perfectly at Seacrest and his extensive experience in key industry sectors will be an immediate resource to our staff as well as our current and future clients. We are extremely pleased with Chip’s decision to join our firm,” said Paddison.

“I am very excited to begin this new chapter of my career with Seacrest Partners,” Compton said. “What the firm has accomplished in just seven years is remarkable and I look forward to helping build the firm’s capabilities as Seacrest continues to grow.”

Throughout his career, Compton has been actively involved in numerous professional, civic and philanthropic organizations. He currently serves as a board member with the Savannah Benevolent Association, is a member and past president of The Telfair Museum’s board of trustees, is chairman of Savannah Country Day School Board of Visitors, and is past chairman of board of trustees of Savannah Country Day School.Compton is an active supporter of and volunteer with the United Way of Savannah, Savannah Chamber of Commerce, and the Vestry of St. John’s Church.

Two highlights of his volunteer activity have been serving as the head coach of the Jenkins Boys’ Club and the Coastal Georgia Soccer Association.

Compton shows the same level of dedication to his profession as he does the local community. Early in his career, Compton served as chairman of Young Agents of Georgia and later went on to serve as president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Savannah and as a board member for the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia.

Recognized as one of the area’s leading insurance professionals, Compton was selected to serve on key advisory boards for two major insurance companies, CNA Insurance and Zurich Insurance, and eventually became chairman of both boards at various times during his career.

Mr. Compton can be reached at 912-544-1907 and chip.compton@seacrestpartners.com

……

…

About Seacrest Partners, Inc.

Seacrest Partners is a privately held insurance brokerage and consulting firm serving a wide range of clients with complex property-casualty, employee benefit and personal insurance needs. Established in 2006, Seacrest Partners is comprised of a diverse group of professionals with backgrounds in underwriting, claims management, risk management consulting, employee benefits consulting and insurance brokerage. Operating from offices in Savannah and Atlanta, Seacrest’s staff averages 20 years professional experience. For more information, visit www.seacrestpartners.com or call 912-544-1900.

What the NFL Can Teach Us About Healthcare Reform

phildevlin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 00:11:07 +0000

The march to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII is on! This year’s big event undoubtedly provides a welcome diversion from narrowly averted fiscal cliffs, but it also provides an interesting opportunity to look at the impact of Healthcare Reform on employer sponsored benefits. What in the world does Healthcare Reform have to do with which team hoists the Lombardi trophy, you ask?

“Can’t Help the Club in the Tub…”

Fundamentally, professional sports franchises are no different than any other business enterprise: they offer a product for which there is demand and they employ a workforce to produce this product. Few businesses, if any, are more keenly aware of the importance of a healthy workforce than professional sports organizations.This awareness has led to the investment of millions of dollars in “wellness initiatives” in the form of state-of-the-art workout and training facilities, on-site clinics, nutritionists, conditioning coaches, and team physicians. Why? You don’t have to be a head football coach to know that healthy, physically fit players are more productive, more focused and less prone to injury than sickly, unconditioned ones.

The Issue

However, simply having a gleaming new weight room, setting a training table that looks like an organic produce stand, and hiring a medical, training, and conditioning staff that would make NASA jealous is meaningless if players don’t utilize them. Barbells don’t lift themselves, surgically repaired knees don’t return to “good as new” on their own, and all those bananas will have to be thrown out if they go uneaten. If players don’t take advantage of the services offered, the team’s “wellness” investment will rot like a bad head of lettuce.

An unused wellness program is dead weight, a straightforward expense with no return. (No offense Tech fans, but this YouTube clip says it all!) On the other hand, a wellness program that is actually used provides unimaginable returns and dividends!

Expense vs. Investment

So how does all this relate to your business? Healthcare reform is causing employers of all sizes to evaluate the logic of offering health benefits to employees. In lieu of providing benefits, some employers are now considering adjusting pay and leaving the purchasing decision to employees. But viewing benefit packages solely as an expense misses the point. Employers need to look at their benefit plans and wellness initiatives from the same perspective as NFL teams: well-ness (and the corresponding benefits required to generate a healthy team/workforce) is an investment in productivity, profitability and success.

In competitive sports, every player fills an important role in the team’s success, from quarterback to holder. Winning hinges on each individual performing to their utmost ability, each must meet their individual goals for the greater good of the team.

In business, the evidence is just as clear: companies that emphasize “wellness” have more engaged and healthy workforces that are far more productive and loyal than the workforces of employers that simply provide paychecks and exhibit no concern for employee health and well being.

The ROI

By taking the steps to assist employees and their dependents in living healthier lifestyles, your business will benefit through higher productivity (less sick time and presenteeism), better focus (fewer on-the-job injuries), and lower turnover (satisfied employees). Each attribute translates directly to your bottom line through enhanced customer satisfaction, improved operating efficiencies and ultimately, greater profitability.

It’s enticing to think Healthcare Reform will allow you to drop health benefit plans and lower operating costs, but the more progressive, and ultimately more successful, employers will be those that recognize the provision of health benefits is a means of improving the health of their employees, and ultimately, the health of their companies.

About the Author….

Matt Stinchcomb, Client Executive

Former NFL professional athlete and UGA graduate Matt Stinchcomb serves as a client executive in Seacrest Partners’ Atlanta office of where he assists middle-market and large corporate clients in developing innovative employee benefits and risk management strategies. Contact Matt at 404-602-5679 or matt.stinchcomb@seacrestpartners.com

What the NFL Can Teach Us About Healthcare Reform

phildevlin — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 22:06:03 +0000

BiS – - Savannah, GA (January 23, 2013) - – The march to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII is on! This year’s big event undoubtedly provides a welcome diversion from narrowly averted fiscal cliffs, but it also provides an interesting opportunity to look at the impact of Healthcare Reform on employer sponsored benefits.

http://businessinsavannah.com/bis/2013-01-21/what-nfl-can-teach-us-about-health-care-reform

Voluntary Benefits: Employer Interest Rises

phildevlin — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:52:50 +0000

Atlanta Business Chronicle (11-16-12) – - As the economy continues to move along an uncertain path, companies are increasingly turning to voluntary benefits as a method to drive business goals while also attracting and retaining highly skilled employees.

Employers Face PPACA Implementation Questions

phildevlin — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:45:01 +0000

Atlanta Business Chronicle (11-16-12) – - As President Obama prepares for another term, businesses across Georgia are finishing up their open enrollment for 2013 healthcare benefits. Gov. Nathan Deal had until November 16 to decide whether Georgia would create its own healthcare exchange under the Affordable Care Act. If he got in under the wire….

Employer Notification of State Insurance Exchange

phildevlin — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:00:21 +0000

Employers will be required to give employees a written notice of the existence of State Health Insurance Exchanges and, if the employer offers a health plan, some of the factors that might be relevant to the employee’s decision to participate in the employer’s plan or seek coverage through an Exchange. This notice must be provided to current employees not later than March 1, 2013, and on the date of hire for new employees hired on or after March 1, 2013.

WHO IS IMPACTED?

This requirement applies to employers who are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). There is no exemption for grandfathered health plans.

ACTION:

Employers should determine their plan’s share of total costs now in case their plans fall short of the 60% threshold.

CLIENT SERVICE:

Seacrest Partners will perform the required actuarial value calculations for client plans then help you determine an appropriate course of action regarding the notification.

The Issue

There is little employers can do to prepare until the Department of Labor issues guidance on the form and content of this notice. However, one fact that definitely will have to be disclosed is whether the plan’s share of total costs of benefits provided under the plan is at least 60%.

Employers should make this determination now so that they will have time before they have to begin sending this notice to determine an appropriate course of action to take if their plans fall short of this threshold.

Seacrest Action

Seacrest will guide our clients through the process of determining whether their share of the total costs of benefits provided under their respective plan is at least 60%.

The Process

Seacrest Partners will document the Quality Standard for each client’s sponsored medical plan through the actuarial value calculator as issued by the Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight (CCIIO).
The Quality Standard is based on plan design using a standard population. Seacrest will obtain details regarding each client’s plan from the current SPD on file.
Seacrest Partners will document the “Employer/Employee Benefit Cost Share” for each client’s sponsored medical plan through our internal Reporting Process.
For validation purposes, Seacrest Partners will create and maintain an audit file for each client’s sponsored medical plan.
Seacrest Partners will communicate the results of this process to each client.

Next Steps

Seacrest Partners will begin this process by:

Ensuring current SPDs are on file to confirm coverage levels.
Estimating the actuarial value (AV) for desired metal tier.
Confirm HSA/HRA annual employer contribution amounts with each client.

Employer Notification of State Health Insurance Exchange Requirements

This notice must be provided to current employees not later than March 1, 2013, and on the date of hire for new employees hired on or after March 1, 2013.
Additional information is forthcoming from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL is expected to release a model notice, along with additional guidance, prior to the March 1, 2013, effective date.
The notice will have to be given to all current employees when this requirement first takes effect. After that, the notice will have to be given only to new employees when they are hired. There does not appear to be any requirement to provide the notice on a recurring basis to employees who already have received it.

Specifically, the written notice will have to include the following:

A description of services provided by the Exchange and how the employee can contact the Exchange for assistance.
If the employer plan’s share of the total allowed costs of benefits provided under the plan is less than 60%, the fact that the employee may be eligible for a premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction if the employee purchases coverage through the Exchange.
If the employee purchases coverage through the Exchange but does not qualify to receive a Free Choice Voucher, the fact the employee might be giving up some or all of any employer contribution towards the cost of coverage and the related Federal income tax benefits

The notice requirement applies to employers who are subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). There is no exemption for employers sponsoring a grandfathered health plan. The FLSA applies to all employees of certain “covered enterprises.” A covered enterprise is any of the following:

A company/organization with at least 2 employees and annual dollar volume of sales or receipts of at least $500,000.
A hospital or other institution primarily engaged in the care of the sick, the aged, the mentally ill or developmentally disabled who live on the premises (it does not matter if the hospital or institution is public or private, or operated on a for-profit or not-for-profit basis).
A pre-school, elementary, or secondary school, or an institution of higher learning, or a school for mentally or physically handicapped or gifted children (it does not matter if the school or institution is public or private, or operated on a for-profit or not-for-profit basis).
A federal, state, or local government agency.

This notice is provided as information only and should not be considered a legal opinion. If you have questions about this Client Advisory, please contact Seacrest Partners at 912-544-1900.

Robinson Joins Seacrest Partners

phildevlin — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 23:02:04 +0000

Atlanta Insurance Veteran Adds to Firm’s Client Service Capabilities

……..

December 4, 2012 - – Seacrest Partners, Inc. is pleased to announce Kathryn Robinson has joined the firm as a client executive in the firm’s property-casualty practice in Atlanta.

Kathryn Robinson
Client Executive
Atlanta

Ms. Robinson brings more than 20 years of commercial insurance brokerage and risk management experience to the firm. Prior to joining Seacrest Partners, Ms. Robinson served as a vice president with McGriff, Seibels & Williams, and prior to that, as an account executive with Savannah-based Palmer & Cay prior to its acquisition by Wachovia Insurance Services.

During her career Ms. Robinson has developed specialized expertise in designing, negotiating and managing risk transfer programs for many large and complex risks.

….

While serving as a risk advisor to some of the largest general contractors and real estate owners, investors and developers in the country, Ms. Robinson gained extensive experience in a number of highly technical areas, including master and controlled insurance programs (both property and casualty), captive arrangements, professional liability and subcontractor default insurance.

In recognition of her technical competence, industry expertise and leadership skills, Ms. Robinson was appointed Construction Segment Leader for McGriff’s Atlanta operations.

In her new position, Ms. Robinson will play an integral role in Seacrest’s business development and client service activities. She will support clients and staff by providing risk assessments for complex operations, designing coverage plans incorporating both traditional and alternative risk financing products, and recommend-ing marketing strategies to achieve optimum coverage, terms and pricing.

Ms. Robinson earned a BBA in Risk and Insurance Management from the University of Georgia and an MBA in Marketing from Georgia State University.

Robinson Joins Seacrest Atlanta

………

About Seacrest Partners….

Seacrest Partners was established in 2006 by seven veteran insurance professionals. Today the privately held firm has offices in Savannah and Atlanta, employs more than 40 insurance professionals and serves as the insurance broker and risk advisor for clients throughout the United States.

Associates

phildevlin — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:59:16 +0000

Seacrest Partners’ single greatest asset is our team of experienced and engaged professionals. Our associates average 20 years experience in the insurance and employee benefits industry, predominately handling middle and upper middle market clients as well as large risk management accounts.

David Paddison, CPCU

elizabeth — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:56:56 +0000

David Paddison
President

912-544-1910
email


	Experience:	29 years of commercial insurance brokerage and risk management experience. Formerly with Palmer & Cay/Wachovia Insurance Services.

	Expertise:	Property & Casualty Insurance Program Design; Merger & Acquisition Due Diligence; Marketing and Placement; Risk Management Consulting

	Industry Focus:	Contractors, Retail, Property Management

	Community Activities:	Savannah Economic Development Authority, Board Member & Chairman Savannah Chamber of Commerce, Board Member 200 Club of the Coastal Empire, Board Member Union Mission, Board Member Memorial Health University Foundation, Board Member & Vice Chairman United Way Capital Campaign Committee, Major Firms Chair Savannah Foundation, Board Member Armstrong Atlantic State University Foundation, Board Member The Lady Bamford Center, Board Member; JCB Mud Run Event Chair 2012 Historic Savannah Foundation’s “Race for Preservation” Event Chair 2009-10 Graduate, Leadership Savannah
	Education & Professional Development:	B.A. in Economics, Drew University Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding (AFSB) Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI)
	Download:	Full Bio (PDF)

Seacrest Expands Employee Benefits Team

phildevlin — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 19:53:20 +0000

Industry Leader Bill Danish Joins Atlanta Office

ATLANTA, Ga., July 19, 2012 - – Seacrest Partners is pleased to announce William (Bill) J. Danish has joined the firm as a senior client executive in the firm’s employee benefits consulting practice. In his new role with Seacrest, Mr. Danish will be responsible for building the firm’s employee benefits practice in Atlanta.

Prior to joining Seacrest, Mr. Danish gained more than 25 years experience in the employee benefits consulting field. He most recently served as a senior vice president and principal with Willis Group, the third largest brokerage firm in the world, and previously held partner status with Palmer & Cay, one of the largest privately-held insurance brokerage firms in the nation.

As a consultant, Mr. Danish designs, negotiates and manages fully insured and self-insured employee benefit programs for middle-market and large corporate clients throughout the Southeast.“Mr. Danish has developed an outstanding reputation for his technical knowledge, dedication to client service and commitment to his profession. We are very pleased with Bill’s decision to join our firm,” stated Steve Eagle, CLU, ChFC, CEBS, CPCU, managing partner of Seacrest’s employee benefits practice.

Bill Danish
Senior Client Executive
(Atlanta)

“Bill’s experience will enhance our existing benefits consulting capabilities and we look forward to expanding our client relationships based on his expertise,” said Eagle.During a career spanning two decades, Mr. Danish has gained specialized expertise in such areas as the design, implementation and measurement for disease management and wellness programs, and the analysis and selection of outsourced benefit administration vendors.

He has also consulted in the development and creation of hospital DRG reimbursement systems, and quantitative and qualitative HMO benchmarking.

His recent assignments have included preparing clients for Health Care Reform, implementing creative solutions for lowering plan costs and providing overall assistance in helping clients manage a complex web of advisers and vendors in the delivery of best-in-class services for their employees.

Mr. Danish is frequent lecturer and guest speaker at industry conferences and has authored several articles on cost-control strategies for employee benefit plans. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (College of Insurance) degree from St. John’s University in New York City.

Mr. Danish will be based in Seacrest’s Atlanta office and can be reached at 404-602-5666 and bill.danish@seacrestpartners.com. The office is located in The Piedmont Center (Building 2, Suite 540) at 3565 Piedmont Road, NE (30305) and the main telephone number is 404-602-5670.

About Seacrest Partners, Inc.