PW: How can smaller brokers make it work in the future?

I think smaller companies, especially in more rural areas, will survive. We've been lucky because we've figured out early that technology is something that we've got to embrace, if for no other reason than that it makes everyone's lives easier at the end of the day. And we do anything we can to help make our clients' lives better. If you have a smaller client, there might not be an HR department and they turn to you to do that. So if you can help give them the tools they need, it makes it way easier on everybody.

PW: How do you keep up with the pace of change and help your clients do the same?

There's always a newer, better thing out there, but we say, “OK, what is the sweet spot for the size of companies we like to work with?” We're not writing 1,000+ life companies, so some of the tools that they need are not the same as those needed by smaller companies.

And we shop the market; I spent an entire year looking at as many HR management systems, online enrollment options, and other tools as I could. The company we decided to work with is also trying to grow and change, so I tell them, “This is something I see that's becoming a need. Let's try to implement this.” And they work with us. Instead of constantly hopping around, we can grow with the company we picked.

PW: Your company recently moved into the wellness arena. How do you convince clients it's worth it and then back it up with data and ROI?

It requires an investment to institute a wellness program, but with small groups that can't afford to put a whole lot into it, we look at baby steps. Can they afford to pay for a gym membership? Little steps they can take until something actually locks in and they say, “Hey, this is working for us, let's keep going.”

Depending on the group size, certain carriers or TPAs can also help provide incentives. Because at the end of the day, you're going to have to incentivize employees to get them involved.

If you have a company that will give you claims data, then you can say, “Look how many people are overweight, or are not getting their annual physical. Unless you change the mentality of your workforce, this trend is going to continue.” You have to hit pain points with the employer first.

The unfortunate thing on groups with less than 50 lives is you're never going to get an ROI as long as you have guaranteed issue rates. But you can say, “How often are your employees out of work? How often are they taking PTO or sick days because they have a health issue?” You have to turn it around and say, “It's not going to save you dollars on your premium, but it might improve your time and attendance.”

PW: Is it tougher in parts of the country where obesity and smoking are more prevalent, or does it offer an opportunity?

It's all about education; you have to get in front of the employees, and that's something we do with all of our clients. We say, “Look, this is your health and only you can make it better. If we give you some things that will help, will you do it?” And sometimes they say yes. Other times, there are people who just aren't going to change their mentality. And unfortunately, there are a lot of those around here who just like their lifestyle the way it is … until something happens.

PW: What tools or strategies do you use to effectively communicate with diverse workforces?

Unless the employer wants to force the employees to go a certain route—everybody has to enroll online, or we're all going to do paper—we give them options. I still run into people who have never had a computer and don't even have an email address. We still have that in our area. So obviously, you can't say, “We're going to send you an email with your user name and a temporary password and you're going to log in and elect your benefits.”

And to this day, some people just don't want to give up that piece of paper. So we say, “You know what? If that's what you want, then by all means. It's going to be a little bit different for you to keep track of everything, but if that's the way you want to go, then we can do that.” We try to make the HR person as comfortable as we can, because at the end of the day, they're the ones who are going to be chasing down the employees.

PW: Tell me about Lake Wylie Children's Charity and your work there.

This is our 14th year and it all started when a local friend's son was diagnosed with a brain tumor. We got together and raised $17,000 to help her pay her medical bills. We thought it was going to be a one and done thing, but the community came back and say, “Hey, are y'all going to do this again?”

Over time, we've evolved. We started paying day-to-day living expenses for families whose income has been affected due to their child's critical illness or injury. Instead of picking one or two families a year like we used to, we partner with Levin Children's Hospital here in Charlotte. They come to us and they say, “This child was recently in a car accident and she's paralyzed, but her room is upstairs.” So we paid for a chair lift—an $11,000 expense that family did not know they were going to be facing. That's something that insurance isn't going to pay for. We try to help with those types of unexpected things.

PW: What are your favorite things about your job?

I have met some of my best friends through this job. I've gone on vacation with them and attended their children's weddings. Working with people day to day, you learn about their families, about what goes on in their lives. It's a relationship business, and that's probably my favorite thing about this job: the people I've gained in my life.

PW: Finish this sentence: The key to success in this industry going forward is…

Embracing change.