PETALUMA -- With over 30 years of industry experience, HR advocates and Partners Jordan Shields and Keith McNeil are enhancing their employee benefits insurance brokerage, previously known as the SSM Group, into a full-service HR/benefits firm now called the Arrow Benefits Group.
The name change for the third largest benefits company in the North Bay is indicative of how the firm and its 40 employees help their 900 clients set goals, by targeting a future direction that takes employees’ needs into consideration.
“When you look at our new logo you see a cluster of arrowheads coming together representing our key focus areas,” said Mr. Shields. “We rebranded our company to better tell our story, including the addition of several new divisions.”
These six divisions include HR, financial planning, property/casualty, insurance, consulting and TPA (Third Party Administrator) services involving COBRA, Flex, self-funded dental/vision plans and an umbrella program incorporating the practices and experience of a diverse range of expert health insurance agents that complement Arrow’s large brokerage team.
He said benefits are about people’s lives and more employers today are taking a holistic view by incorporating their changing needs, hopes, dreams and desires into a comprehensive HR/benefits plan.
“We don’t just present a spread sheet of insurance options and rates to our clients, we help them define long-term targets and develop a living benefit model, or blueprint, that addresses the varying needs of workers – some of whom may want flextime, the ability to work from home and other benefits,” Mr. Shields said. “We advocate Humanizing HR -- a shift in emphasis within our industry toward better care of employees.”
Arrow provides an array of employer services related to employee benefits management and compliance including support from a new HR division with 10 experienced human resources consultants.
HR advocates throughout their careers, Mr. Shields and Mr. McNeil have shaped many industry advancements practiced today.
Mr. McNeil was one of the founders and developers of Enwisen, which is the premier benefits communication platform now used by Fortune 500 companies such as 20th Century Fox, ConAgra and Unisys. He has served on multiple industry boards and co-founded the “Task Force on Lowering Health Insurance Costs,” a resource for large employers and brokers.
Mr. Shields is the former chairman and long-time board member of United Benefit Advisors (UBA). He has also served on numerous industry boards. Mr. Shields is also a published author and has written several manuals on his industry including COBRA, FMLA, HIPAA, Health Security Act and is co-authored a manual on the Affordable Care Act.
To accommodate continuing growth, the company relocated its offices in March from Novato and Santa Rosa to 1 Willowbrook Court, Suite 230, in Petaluma with 10,000 square feet of office space.
With an anticipated $90 million in premium volume and $8.5 million in commission income in 2014, Arrow is the North Bay office of United Benefits Advisors (UBA), one of the largest benefits consulting and brokerage firms in the country with over 220 offices throughout North America and the United Kingdom.
For more information about Arrow Benefits Group, call 707-992-3780 or go to: www.ArrowBenefitsGroup.Com.
